Businesses should discuss security concerns with cloud vendors
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 6:04:49 PM
Cloud computing has become a viable solution for data storage and other IT department tasks, but some businesses still have concerns regarding the data security practices of cloud providers.
In a recent blog post for Talkin' Cloud, expert Tim Hillison discusses the techniques companies should use when assessing the security of specific cloud providers. According to Hillison, there are several vital questions to ask potential cloud vendors before signing a service-level agreement.
IT decision-makers should first come to understand who will be responsible for managing the data and privileges they will possess, the report said. Additionally, it's imperative to find out where data will be stored, how it will be isolated from other companies' information and what disaster recovery precautions the cloud provider has taken.
Hillison also says it's important to include compliance specialists when deciding between cloud vendors, as customer data security is essential and businesses are still responsible for meeting regulations - even when information is stored in the cloud.
According to a recent Modis survey, 29 percent of IT workers believe cloud computing will experience the most growth during the next year, while 21 percent said security solutions.
-McAfee Cloud Security
