Why our data is always our responsibility.
That is what I posted a few weeks back in reference to an article written about how cloud storage providers believe users are responsible for their data, and how of users believe the cloud provider is responsible…from a security perspective. The Ponemon Institute has published 2 reports called the Security of Cloud Computing Providers Study (sponsored by CA). The first being in December 2010, and the 2nd in April 2011. When asked who is responsible for ensuring the security of cloud resources by cloud providers:
- 69% of cloud providers believed the cloud user is responsible
- 35% of cloud users believe the cloud user is responsible
One would think that with the growth of the cloud, security would be a value-add cloud providers would seek to help differentiate themselves. This is far from the case. The Ponemon Study cites that only 19% of cloud providers in the US believe security is a competitive advantage, while only 18% in Europe believe so. It goes one step further. When asked if IT leaders at cloud providers are concerned about the security of the cloud services provided to customers, only 23% of US providers and 35% of European providers are concerned.
What a huge difference between IT leaders of on-premise data centers and cloud data centers. According to a new study released by IDG Enterprise, 83% of IT Managers said the ability to meet security requirements topped the list of important factors when evaluating data center technology vendors. In fact, when asked what their most pressing concern is, 35% of IT managers indicated data center security was the top concern – #1 on the list.
Why the difference in priorities?
Think about the cloud data center and how it’s designed, and what it’s designed for. Cloud providers aim to minimize complexity of their data center. The goal being to provide increased agility through providing compute resources on demand. Security by no means is simple. If there is one challenge facing data center IT managers, it’s the complexity associated with security. It only makes sense, that such complexity be stripped from cloud providers’ offering. But does it really?
I think security has its place in the cloud, and solutions exist today that can eliminate some of the complexity – especially when it comes to data security. As such technology matures and technology suppliers simplify security (without sacrificing strength), it’s only a matter of time before this finger pointing comes to an end, and security is viewed as a differentiating factor in the cloud data center.
Who is responsible for your data in the cloud?
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