NIST report preaches caution in the cloud

Friday, February 04, 2011

Federal agencies must consider the security and privacy implications of cloud computing before deploying cloud-based solutions, a recent report by the National Institute of Standards asserted.

The report, which was released in response to a recent directive issued by federal chief information officer Vivek Kundra, stated that government agencies can utilize cloud technology to cut costs without losing efficiency. However, there are several data security issues in the cloud agencies must avoid.

"As with any emerging information technology area, cloud computing should be approached carefully with due consideration to the sensitivity of data," the report states.

NIST computer scientist Tim Grance told Network World the report isn't intended to dissuade agencies from adopting cloud computing, but rather, encourage them to practice caution when deploying the technology.

"Public cloud computing is a very viable choice," he said. "We are not by any means saying 'don't do it.' But you have to be careful. You got to make sure that [cloud computing] is part of a coherent overall strategic process."

Cloud computing in government has the potential to be a significant win for cloud vendors, a recent Ecommerce Times report stated. Two high-profile agencies, the U.S. Treasury and the Department of Agriculture, have already deployed major cloud computing solutions to meet their various IT needs.