Is cloud control your best option?

Cloud computing is the latest buzzword in IT security and one of the fastest expanding areas of the web, but it still has a long way to go.

For many major companies requiring a large amount of server space, IT departments or SMEs that handle a lot of data, moving to the cloud may very well be seen as one of the most important technological advances to date. However, if done too early, deciding to store your data in cyberspace could end up creating more problems than it solves.

How secure data in the cloud is has become a hotly debated topic. After all, in some cases, all of your business’s data could be open to being compromised if it is stored in the cloud. Many organisations fear the cloud will be hacked – increasingly so since major incidents are becoming more common.

Cloud organisations take this into account when designing their systems, implementing some of the strongest security technology available to protect user data. For example, Dropbox insists that “your files are actually safer while stored in your Dropbox than on your computer, in some cases.”

Many security questions about the cloud spring from concerns about control and accountability. When an organisation puts data in a cloud service, as opposed to hosting the data on its own server, they lose some of the ability to implement security features they feel are most appropriate – leaving those decisions down to the cloud provider.

It is time for organisations to take the cloud more seriously and look more closely at how it is being utilised. If used appropriately and wisely the cloud can provide some good business benefits.