The fear factor stems from the idea that data is being exposed to the public. Also, that providers are the ones in control of the primary source data. Entrusting a cloud vendor with the keys to the data castle is intimidating no matter how you look at it.
Cloud security is certainly a legitimate concern. But if your company takes the time to understand your current security requirements, and how those requirements can be managed in a cloud environment, you’ll be able to achieve a cohesive cloud roll out to your entire company.
On the flip side, if you shut down the idea of the cloud because of perceived risks, you’re putting your organization at a major disadvantage. You must first confirm that security in the cloud is a legitimate concern given your business model.
Some of the questions you should be asking yourself to confirm your internal security requirements:
- Are you subject to regulations? If so, which ones?
- How sensitive is your data? Where will it go?
- How risk tolerant is your organization?
- What do your customers expect?
Depending on how you answer these questions, there will be a corresponding cloud model and deployment scheme that can meet your particular requirements.
As we’ve discussed in Part 1 of our Cloud 101 webinar, a big part of maximizing your cloud investment is understanding which model you are adapting. The model you adapt can help you take a distinct strategy approach to managing the security of your applications and infrastructure.
For instance, if you are following the IaaS model, you’re not only hosting your applications through a cloud vendor, you’re also looking at maintaining security settings as you traverse on-premises and cloud environments. If it’s a SaaS model, you will likely lean entirely on the vendor to handle all of the security protocols and configuration.
Then there is the issue of how you are deploying your applications in the cloud. If you have very stringent security requirements, you may need to look into a private cloud deployment. But if you are looking to mix other hosting capabilities, a hybrid approach would also work.
How do you know which way to go given your security requirements? And how can IBM cloud solutions help ensure that your data is protected?
In Part II of our two-part Cloud 101 Webinar Series, QueBIT CEO Gary Quirke and Consulting Manager Allen Hudson outline how:
- The IBM Softlayer IaaS can help to meet compliance and regulatory requirements
- Managing four essential security areas of focus will impact how you develop your SLAs
- Your ability to prioritize on-premises data requirements will determine your cloud security approach
