The concept of cloud computing is accepted by the tech world, by enlarge and now even SMB companies are gradually considering the alternative to opt for cloud services. At the same time, security of the content while and after the transit is essential.
Interestingly, the fact is that the cloud can’t be secured!!! Ravi Shankar, CEO of Nevales Networks states that for a SMB business owner cloud computing is attractive from a cost point of view. However, its security is yet to be proven convincingly.
SMB owners should focus on how to secure their assets and resources which connect with the cloud and are within their control, as a first step. This ensures they have a more efficient network to securely leverage benefits of the cloud. There is still some distance to go before cloud is recognized for safety, till then SMB owners should focus on taking the first step of securing the access points at their end to the cloud.
The onus of securing the data will always rest on the customer. While cloud service providers do take reasonable precautions to make sure their services are secure, they can’t give a full-proof security blanket to the companies who avail of their services. But since ultimately it is the customer’s data, they should take the initiative of ensuring that the transmission of data to and fro the cloud service provider is in their control and secure.
Certainly cloud computing security is considered to be an issue and vendors of all hues are trying their best to come up with ways to make it completely secure. I believe that the services delivered from the cloud will be extremely compelling for SMB owners in the near to medium term, given the investments in this space continue to be significant and that customers will be made very attractive offers at throwaway price points. A first step to this will be for the SMB to ensure his connectivity with the cloud.
I don’t think any service can ever be completely secure, including cloud. Today, people use Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Mail for their communication needs and while it is reasonably safe, one can’t vouch for the fact that it is infallible. By extension all other applications, existing and evolving, will have some backdoors for hackers to destabilize the service. No service providercan ever claim that they have plugged all these loops.
It is just a matter of time before SMB customers move to the cloud. And the reason behind this is simple economics. Soon, all the applications from the cloud will be available at very economical prices, which will compel SMB customers to opt for them. Add to this, SMBs will also be alleviated of the management of these applications, as the service providers will oversee this. These are the two compelling reasons for SMBs to opt for cloud.
Cloud service provider can offer SMB customers with its solutions where it acts as the gatekeeper for their data flow. This means that the provider ensures, that malevolent data is not transmitted into the customer’s network.
To conclude, one can state that to be able to fully leverage on the benefits of cloud computing it is essential that organizations invest the right resources to appropriately secure their data assets. The cloud service providers will definitely do their bit to ensure that the right levels of security is built into their service models. But customers too need to realize the security implications associated to cloud services before they shift the processes to it. After all, it is always better to be safe than sorry, especially where data security is concerned.