Information is the lifeblood of the modern world, which brings a business need to share data between business partners and computer systems. Sharing this information has inherent risk; it may be accessed and become known to a competitor; it may be unlawfully modified to provide an inaccurate basis of decision making; or the underlying data may be weaponised to cause harm to computer systems.

With on-premises systems, a set of common architectural solutions have emerged to manage this risk. In sensitive and classified environments, the approaches adopted the name Cross Domain Solutions. While performing a robust security defence, Cross Domain Solutions are also often considered inflexible, which in turn affects the total cost of ownership.

As computer systems migrate towards cloud solutions, the lesson that Lift and Shift is not an optimal way of gaining the benefits of a cloud has been quickly learnt. Instead, solution architectures are adapting to use cloud native concepts.

As a consequence of cloud migration, sharing of information between business partners is no longer solely a transition between on-premises systems, as one or both of the computer systems may be cloud based. In the same way that Lift and Shift was not appropriate for optimal deployment of cloud systems, the same can be said for traditional cross domain approaches.

This paper explores the latest research and guidance related to exchange of information between cloud systems, examines how the information risks have changed and assesses how Zero Trust Architectures enable cross domain approaches to evolve. It also looks at the implication of Data Centric Security approaches for security management at a domain boundary.

The paper uses the terminology Secure Information Exchange, to avoid the Lift and Shift mentality references to traditional Cross Domain Solutions can bring. The paper concludes by describing Nexor's Secure Information Exchange Principles, which are six key principles to consider when deploying a Secure Information Exchange solution