Trusting third-party vendors with sensitive IT tasks is a scary proposition for many businesses managers, and this anxiety has significantly inhibited cloud computing adoption rates. In an effort to remedy this issue, vendors are finding new ways to assure clients that cloud security is reaching maturity.
Technology vendors have been aware of cloud security skepticism for several years now. But according to Infosecurity, strategies have traditionally relied on the premise that cloud providers can and should be trusted to protect client data.
Some vendors have chosen to make their security efforts as transparent as possible by publicizing certfications gained, documenting platform architecture and offering add-on features such as encryption and enhanced authentication. Meanwhile, others have boldly implied or stated that their trusted experts are at least as capable, if not more capable, than their customers' in-house staff when it comes to managing business data.
In either case, the rhetoric seems to have exceeded its utility.
"As enterprises look to leverage cloud technologies for mission-critical applications, the talk has now shifted toward the private cloud because the 'trust me' approach has reached its limit," said Infosecurity contributor Ed King.
In fact, cloud providers may be wise to concede the fact that they may never fully gain the trust needed to inspire complete migration to the cloud. According to the source, companies may begin to take data security into their own hands by utilizing cloud redundancy, shifting security controls back toward the home office and finding ways to integrate with current enterprise security platforms.
According to recent analysis from Forrester Research, vendors may soon flood the private cloud marketplace with a range of new offerings by the end of the year. The increased competition will likely drive down prices and provide consumers with a host of effective cloud security options to choose from.
