An organization considering the outsourcing of a business application should first conduct a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the feasibility, viability and desirability of the outsourcing decision. A cost-benefit analysis should compare the costs and benefits of outsourcing versus keeping the application in-house, taking into account factors such as financial, operational, strategic, legal, regulatory, security and quality aspects. A cost-benefit analysis should also identify the risks and opportunities associated with outsourcing, and provide a basis for defining the service level requirements, performing a vulnerability assessment, and issuing a request for proposal (RFP) in the subsequent stages of the outsourcing process. References: Info Technology
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The organization is primarily responsible for the security configurations of the deployed application's operating system when migrating its HR application to an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) model in a private cloud. This is because in an IaaS model, the cloud provider is responsible for the security of the underlying infrastructure that they lease to their customers, such as servers, storage, and networks, while the customer is responsible for the security of the areas of the cloud infrastructure over which they have control, such as operating systems, middleware, and applications. Therefore, the organization needs to ensure that the operating system is properly configured, patched, hardened, and monitored to protect the HR application from unauthorized access or malicious attacks.
The other options are not primarily responsible for the security configurations of the deployed application's operating system. The cloud provider's external auditor is not responsible for any security configurations, but rather for verifying and reporting on the cloud provider's compliance with relevant standards and regulations.
The cloud provider is responsible for the security of the underlying infrastructure, but not for the operating system or any software installed on it by the customer. The operating system vendor is responsible for providing updates and patches for the operating system, but not for configuring or securing it according to the customer's needs.
References:
* 11: What Is IaaS (Infrastructure As A Service)? - Forbes
* 12: What is Shared Responsibility Model? - Check Point Software
* 13: Who Is Responsible for Cloud Security? - Security Intelligence

The best way to detect unauthorized copies of licensed software on systems is to conduct periodic software scanning. Software scanning is a process of using specialized tools or programs to scan the systems and identify the software installed, the license status, the usage, and the compliance with the software policies and agreements. Software scanning can help to detect any unauthorized, unlicensed, or illegal copies of software on the systems, as well as any discrepancies or violations of the software licenses. Software scanning can also help to optimize the software inventory, reduce the software costs, and improve the security and performance of the systems12.
Some examples of software scanning tools are:
* Microsoft Software Inventory Analyzer (MSIA): A free tool that scans Windows-based computers and servers and generates reports on the Microsoft products installed, such as operating systems, applications, and updates3.
* Belarc Advisor: A free tool that scans Windows-based computers and generates reports on the hardware and software installed, including license keys, versions, usage, and security status4.
* Lansweeper: A paid tool that scans Windows, Linux, Mac, and other network devices and generates reports on the hardware and software inventory, license compliance, configuration, and vulnerabilities5.
To conduct periodic software scanning, you need to:
* Choose a suitable software scanning tool that meets your needs and budget.
* Define the scope and frequency of the software scanning, such as which systems to scan, how often to scan, and what information to collect.
* Configure and run the software scanning tool according to the instructions and settings.
* Review and analyze the software scanning reports and identify any unauthorized copies of licensed software on the systems.
* Take appropriate actions to remove or regularize the unauthorized copies of licensed software on the systems.
* Document and report the results and findings of the software scanning.