Cloud customers taking responsibility for data security

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Organizations are increasingly taking data security in the cloud into their own hands by deploying techniques that ensure their information remains safe, analysts say.

Analysts from several research firms recently told Infosecurity many companies and government organizations feel the responsibility of security in the cloud is better handled by the customer rather than cloud services providers. As a result, many are utilizing data encryption and key management technology to protect their digital information.

According to Forrester Research analyst Jonathan Penn, encryption is one of the most useful methods for protecting corporate information. While many cloud vendors provide encryption services, Penn notes that it is important the customer has control of the technology.

Additionally, Frost & Sullivan analyst Michael Suby said encryption can prevent data breaches in the cloud and restrict cloud providers from accessing sensitive company information if a cloud service is ended.

Concerns with security has been one of the most frequently cited barriers blocking cloud adoption. However, as businesses and cloud vendors continue to discover solutions for this issue, the technology has already shown signs of widespread usage. According to a recent CA Technologies report, 80 percent of enterprises use at least one cloud computing service.