’)While the allure of the concept of cloud hosting is undeniable, and the fact is that we will be moving in that direction regardless, there is still a little wiggle room for concern and dissent. The security issues that “cloud” cloud computing’s future need to be looked at with a sober eye, and addressed, preferably before major data losses (like what happened recently to T-Mobile’s SideKick users) and data has to be recreated or worse. Let’s examine some of the concerns about cloud computing and the reasons why they are important.
Looking At Risk — There are risks associated with putting your data out into the clouds. You can’t name a web security system that has yet to be breached. Gmail failed in Europe; SalesForce fell victim to a phishing attack, and recently T-Mobile and Microsoft lost all the data from the popular SideKick app on T-Mobile phones. Take into account how a cloud company works with third parties access to customers’ information. Companies need to develop solid protocols for passwords and their availability, use and frequency of change. The idea of multi-tenancy and the lower costs associated with that for business make it attractive for hosting companies, nevertheless care needs to be taken when storing your data with others. Check out the hosting company’s policies and procedures regarding security issues and determine whether or not you can live with them.
They Won’t Police Themselves — Despite the failings and missteps that have highlighted cloud computing’s early history there has been little effort on the part of the companies involved to either police themselves or participate in developing standards. They feel that imposing standards while cloud computing is still so young would hamper development, so an industry-wide consensus regarding standards is still likely to be some time off.
Oh Where Oh Where Is My Data? — One of the major security considerations for the cloud hosting consumer is the fact that your data may well be hosted in a cloud outside the US. Many companies are indeed opting for this as US privacy laws make it difficult to do business, particularly in the area of email. Europeans have even take the step of enacting the US Safe Harbor Privacy Principles, which are designed to give European companies a measure of protection from onerous US laws, which in their view are overly intrusive. Also, if your data is located on a cloud hosted in another country and there is a problem, such as the hosting company going out of business or being acquired, just how safe and secure is your data and can you get to it in case you want to move it.
Knowing the security issues that come with clouds is a major first step in developing a policy to help you deal with whether or not cloud hosting will work for you and your company. Make sure to get solid answers and as many guarantees and inquire about access in the event that your data is not within your reach. It can make a large difference in your ability to keep your business flowing.
