Migrating Sensitive Government Databases to AWS RDS: Security, Compliance, and Risk Mitigation Considerations

Abstract

The migration of sensitive government databases to AWS RDS requires a careful balance between security, compliance, and operational efficiency. Traditional on-premise systems often struggle with fragmented security controls and limited scalability, while cloud environments introduce new risks related to access management and data exposure. Existing studies highlight the benefits of cloud adoption, but there remains a gap in structured methodologies that directly map risks to enforceable security controls in managed database services. This study addresses that gap by presenting a systematic approach that integrates risk assessment, compliance mapping, encryption strategies, and continuous monitoring within AWS RDS deployments. The proposed methodology models risk propagation during migration and applies layered security controls including identity management, network isolation, and automated auditing mechanisms. Results demonstrate a significant reduction in risk exposure, a decline in access violations, and a consistent improvement in compliance scores and encryption coverage over time. The findings confirm that properly configured cloud-native database services can achieve strong security guarantees while meeting strict regulatory requirements. This work provides a practical framework for secure government database migration and supports the development of resilient, compliant cloud infrastructures.