Enterprises continue to adopt cloud strategies

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 9:56:48 PM

The rise of enterprise cloud computing has many companies examining adoption strategies, and cloud security is one of the most talked about issues for organizations considering a move to the cloud.

According to a recent survey by SearchCompliance, nearly all companies are either using cloud technology or plan to implement a cloud strategy within the next 12 months. Meanwhile, among potential cloud adopters still in the planning phase, security is by far the most discussed aspect of transitioning business data, infrastructure and applications to a cloud environment.

The survey revealed 45 percent of organizations currently have a cloud strategy. However, of the 55 percent that hasn't yet added a cloud plan, 100 percent of those companies expect to add one during the next year. Furthermore, 88 percent of respondents said security was the biggest impediment to cloud adoption, while 62 percent cited loss of ownership.

While it's certainly understandable that businesses are concerned about exposing their data, many experts say prospective cloud adopters should simply make sure their potential cloud provider takes security precautions and doesn't put the company at risk of failing compliance regulations.

"Identity access management is really an issue - you have to control the access to your information as it is on the cloud and you have to talk to your service providers about how your data is protected," compliance consultant Urs Fischer told the source. "The service provider must show you how effective and robust their security controls are - they have to assure you that your information is properly secured against unauthorized access."

The report said organizations should ask cloud providers where company data is sent, how it's protected and in what manner will the provider deal with specific security situations.

Cloud computing has various security advantages, especially with data storage. According to a recent survey by CoreNet Global and Newmark Knight Frank, 71 percent of companies are storing at least some of their important data in the cloud.

Also, storing data in a cloud environment limits the security issues related to on-site, physical storage. With cloud technology, concerns regarding disaster recovery and physical theft of data servers are erased. Companies also have greater scalability options in the cloud, as many providers allow a pay-as-you-go policy.

Enterprises are expected to continue cloud adoption at a rapid pace throughout the next few years. According to a survey by an IT solution company, cloud computing will account for 34 percent of data center traffic by 2015, up from 11 percent currently.