INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN APPLIED SCIENCE (IJRIAS) ISSN No. 2454-6194 | DOI: 10.51584/IJRIAS |Volume X Issue IV April 2025 www.rsisinternational.org Page 25 Secure Data Management in Cloud Environments Chris Gilbert 1 , Mercy Abiola Gilbert 2 , Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr 3 1 Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering/College of Engineering and Technology/William V.S. Tubman University 2 Instructor, Department of Guidance and Counseling/College of Education/William V.S. Tubman University 3 Senior Lecturer, Department of Information Technology Education/Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), Ghana DOI: https://doi.org/10.51584/IJRIAS.2025.10040003 Received: 19 March 2025; Accepted: 24 March 2025; Published: 26 April 2025 ABSTRACT This article explores the challenges of secure data management in cloud environments and presents an innovative access control framework designed to address these issues. In the era of cloud computing, while the benefits of scalable storage and on-demand computational power are well recognized, persistent security concerns—such as unauthorized access, data leakage, and privacy breaches—remain significant barriers to adoption. To bridge this gap, we propose a novel framework that integrates a Rule-Based Keywords Role Management Model with traditional Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). This dual-layer approach enhances data confidentiality and ensures dynamic, fine-grained access control tailored to evolving organizational roles and security policies. The study employs a multi-phased methodology encompassing an extensive literature review, system development in a simulated cloud environment, and rigorous experimental evaluation. The prototype system incorporates an encryption module based on privacy homomorphism, an access control engine, and a robust backup and recovery mechanism. Comprehensive testing under various threat scenarios demonstrates that the proposed model not only reduces unauthorized access and false positives but also maintains high system performance and scalability. Case studies and real-world implementations further validate the framework's practical effectiveness, while our discussion of future trends highlights emerging technologies and open research challenges in metadata management, data sharing, and integrity assurance. Overall, our findings contribute to a more secure, efficient, and user-friendly approach to cloud data management, offering a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to safeguard sensitive information in dynamic cloud infrastructures. Keywords: Cloud Security, Secure Data Management, Cloud Computing, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Rule-Based Keywords Role Management, Encryption, Privacy Homomorphism, Data Integrity, Access Control, Cybersecurity. INTRODUCTION In the contemporary digital landscape, public clouds offer robust storage and computational capabilities through cloud service providers (CSPs) that are geographically and operationally distinct from enterprise tenants (Calabrese, 2018; Sandu et al., 2022; Gilbert & Gilbert, 2024b). The security framework of these clouds relies on a blend of advanced policies, access control mechanisms, and encryption techniques (Srivastav, Das & Srivastava, 2024; Gilbert & Gilbert, 2024c; Namdev et al., 2024). These technologies facilitate the safe storage and processing of data, while simultaneously preventing unauthorized access by external entities and untrusted cloud services (Navale, von Kaeppler & McAuliffe, 2021; Holko et al., 2023; Gilbert & Gilbert, 2024d). Despite the evolution of stringent auditing measures and compliance standards within the public cloud ecosystem, there remains a persistent challenge in alleviating data security concerns for cloud users (Navale & Bourne, 2018; Mathur, 2024; Gilbert & Gilbert, 2024a). Consequently, ensuring the