- with readers working within the Retail & Leisure industries
A panel of experts debated the question "Is the cloud
secure". The answer is yes it can be, but the user must remain
involved in the process.
While the key drivers for cloud adoption are flexibility and
scalability, the key concern for users remains data security and
this is borne out again in the Cloud
Industry Forum's latest whitepaper. At the inaugural ITPro/CloudPro Cloud Summit yesterday, a
panel of experts analysed data security issues. The panel was
composed of Rik Ferguson of Trend Micro, Rene Millman of IDC, David
Chalmers of HP and Nigel Beighton of Rackspace.
The panel agreed that the various different cloud computing models
have developed rapidly and cloud offers a secure option. However,
there are dangers from a user perspective. First, cloud is an
unknown quantity for some users and they assume that, because
it's cloud it's insecure. Second, and conversely, some
users seem to leave security to the cloud service provider.
Clearly, a cloud solution can be secure but the user must take
security into account. Users can adopt a secure cloud model and the
panel highlighted a number of areas where the user can take
control:
- Research the market and perform due diligence on your cloud service provider
- Cloud can be more secure than traditional IT but factor in security right from the start
- Accreditations take time and effort to obtain. Has your cloud service provider got any?
- Don't abandon key IT disciplines and engage with your provider on security issues
- Ask questions of your cloud service provider and make sure you get the answers
Ultimately, cloud adoption is about appointing a partner not simply a supplier. If a cloud service provider isn't engaged with the user, then the user should shop around for one that is.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
