Security standards to change drastically in wake of cloud computing success
29 August 2011 17:28:46
As the economies of many countries across the world have struggled over the past few years, the cloud computing industry has thrived. The relatively new technology's success, especially when compared to the hardships of other IT-based industries, has forced technology companies to reassess practices and projects to ensure revenues continue to come in.
CIO recently published an article explaining how the cloud has created a massive overhaul in enterprise security strategies, as the new services need highly-advanced and specialized security measures to keep data safe.
According to the source, Global Industry Analysts have projected worldwide demand of cloud services to exceed $220 billion by 2015, while the International Data Corporation expects the public cloud alone to nearly triple in value between 2010 and 2015.
Because the industry is growing at such a rapid rate, the source elucidates, issues with regulatory compliance and security practices, as well as management problems, are of growing concern across industries considering making the IT-operations transition.
"Cloud computing creates significant risks and requires a rethink - but not a reinvention - of security programs and architectures," Burton Group researchers told the website. "To the extent that they leverage public or private clouds, organizations must accommodate themselves to security postures emphasizing risk transfer, deterrence, monitoring, feedback and audit more than preventive control."
No matter the type of IT infrastructure and defense practices an organization uses, data loss prevention and data protection are always imperative. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, 273 data breaches across all surveyed industries have led to more than 13 million exposed sensitive records since January 1. Some of these breaches, especially those in healthcare and military, created a large amount of public concern with regard to IT practices.
CIO goes on to note that security practices have been improving alongside the stream of new technology, and more importantly, new cloud service providers within the industry. For example, the Cloud Security Alliance, a non-profit organization comprised of industry executives, recently reported it would release a Security, Trust and Assurance Registry.
Cloud service providers will be asked to fill out a questionnaire or matrix of security practices and management capabilities, while the goal of CSA's STAR is to create a standard form of best practices for cloud security, the website affirms.
Finally, the website asserts that security standards for the cloud will likely lead to consistency within the industry, cost savings for organizations enlisting the technology and improved availability for enterprise businesses.
-McAfee Cloud Security
