Is the cloud secure? Some thoughts about cloud computing

Cloud computing is hot. On a daily basis companies and individuals are moving their data towards “the cloud”. Still many people are wondering if the cloud provides enough security for their valuable data. In this article we quickly review the things you could consider when using cloud technology.

Cloud computing companies are similar to service providers in the past, with the addition that more services are now provided via the internet. As companies and individuals obtain better internet connections and higher bandwidths, the need to store everything in-house seems to be less interesting. Still there are risks involved when moving your personal data.

Before deciding to move all your data, consider performing a security risk assessment. Determine what the cloud providers offer, what security measures they have in place, the contractual responsibilities of both parties and how they will deal with security incident handling. The cloud has no more security risks than any other company. One might even think that with standardization and the additional focus on security, that these cloud providers take additional measures to prevent a bad reputation.

Discussing security with cloud (hosting) providers give you useful insights in how a company operates and how much they value the data and relationship with you as a customer. Additionally consider to use a private cloud within your organization if the involved data is too sensitive to be stored and processed by others. Other data (e.g. backup) might be more suited for outside partners. Wherever you decide to store you data, have always a plan ready to store your data at someplace else when needed. Each company can become the victim of a hack, go out of business or simply turns out to be a bad business partner.