Cloud Security….

The sudden demand for cloud-based computing has companies thinking more about where their data and applications live.  By having data and applications being served to users from cyberspace and accessible through almost any  internet connected device, cloud computing offers great advantages such as reduced maintenance costs, increased flexibility and typically, extreme scalability.  The Executive can finally focus on growing their business without worrying about the cost, real estate and other resources required to manage and carry out their technology solutions, or can they?

Corporate execs, especially the IT execs, worry about privacy day in and day out, or at least they should!  Whether the computer network is local, cloud-based or a hybrid; there is reasonable comfort in having local networks serve a company’s users.  Local IT would seemingly have greater control over what they can directly manage and control 100% of the time.  The only restrictions are typically ones they put upon themselves, not by others, such as a cloud host. 

IT execs worry about:

• Who else is on or sharing their cloud services?
• Who else may have potential access to their apps and data on these shared environments?
• Has the cloud provider secured our network access and segmented our company data and applications as well as, if not better than we could internally?
• many others…

Security is the largest priority and concern of IT executives and cloud providers alike.  This is very much what that is slowing the widespread adoption of cloud technology for most companies.  Only very small fractions of a percentage of companies are making significant moves into cloud computing, as a leading technology and operations solution.  Many consider the model still in its alpha stages, seeing the beta right around the corner; while others see it in its live-to-market stage but getting fine-tuned.

Security and protection standards specifically about cloud-based computing are needed in quick order; and this is something few have any argument about.  I’ll go into more detail about some of the standards in process, already in place, and potentially who is ultimately responsible for these security initiates, in my next post in this series.

Stay tuned…