Cloud Security in 2011: The year for cloud vendors to unite
Posted by Margaret Dawson on January 27, 2011
A couple of weeks ago we dove into my first prediction around cloud computing and business integration for 2011, which was that companies will stop buying the cloud, for cloud sake, and start buying the solution. Moving on to the second of my five predictions, let’s talk security, and more specifically, how cloud vendors are starting to work together to provide industry-level benchmarks and expectations around cloud security and compliance.
Last week, Gartner issued an announcement that cloud computing is a top priority for CIOs in 2011. While it’s clear that the market continues to grow, many companies are still skeptical about the cloud, and often, security and data privacy are key reasons.
While the benefits of cloud scalability and agility are well known, the need for companies to have assurances around cloud security is not likely to diminish in the near future. In a recent Hubspan survey on cloud security, we found that 88% of respondents placed data protection as the top criteria when evaluating cloud solutions. The good news is that 84% of respondents also felt that sensitive data can be secured in the cloud.
In response to customer concerns, the cloud industry is taking notice and proactively working to address and mitigate potential risk. From the creation of the Cloud Security Alliance and its partnership with MashSSL Alliance to promote the use of a next generation SSL standard for cloud computing to new user certification programs, the industry is working together to allay fears about security. In particular, this year, vendors will also heighten their focus on SLAs, data segregation, compliance and best practices for cloud computing.
Security will and should always be a concern for companies, no matter where their data resides. In addition to what we – the vendors – are doing to create secure cloud environments, CIOs and IT managers also need to educate themselves on how to assess their cloud provider and what security standards/criteria to hold their partners accountable to. By working together, we can collectively overcome concerns about cloud security, and keep cloud adoption and innovation on an upwards trajectory.
Tags: 2011 Predictions, Cloud Computing, Cloud Security, Cloud service provider
[...] responsibility as they understand more about cloud-based technologies. In a blog by Hubspan’s Margaret Dawson, she discusses how the vendor community will be increasingly collaborating on cloud security this [...]
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