Wednesday 8 July 2009

6 Worst Cloud Security Mistakes

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With Cloud Computing becoming a hot cake now-a-days with every other organization jumping at the idea and trying to cash on the bandwagon, mistakes do tend to happen. If you are constantly under pressure to "push" IT operations into the "cloud" of your service provider, then I can understand the cost and budget pressures you must be going through. Compliance can be equally tricky! However, please note that we tend to make mistakes just in such scenarios: we are in a hurry to achieve something and hence to miss some of the important signs that may lead to mistakes, if not blunders. The most important and most common mistake is: blowing off cloud computing all together because you think you can secure your own stuff better than a service provider. Network Computing researched on such common mistakes and have come up with proposed ways to avoid them. Let's see what these mistakes typically are:


Mistake #1: Assuming the cloud is less secure than your data center


It's only natural for security pros to be control freaks. Being charged with securing a company's data and intellectual property, they tend to have false impressions about cloud security. One common mistake is that as soon as they talk about the cloud, organizations assume it's less secure than their own IT security operation. We should keep in mind that "More control does not necessarily lead to more security."

Mistake #2: Not verifying, testing, or auditing the security of your cloud-based service provider
Don't assume instant security when you opt for a services provider. Be sure to verify how they secure your data and their infrastructure. It's a mistake to simply trust them. You have to verify and audit them, or have some third-party audit them.

Mistake #3: Failing to vet your cloud provider's viability as a business
It's a big mistake to implicitly trust a cloud provider without confirming the viability of its business.

Mistake #4: Assuming you're no longer responsible for securing data once it's in the cloud
Don't think outsourcing your applications or systems means you wash your hands of data breach accountability. That's a misconception some SMBs have, security experts say. Transferring protection of your data to the cloud provider doesn't mean you also hand off accountability when there's a breach.

Mistake #5: Putting insecure apps in the cloud and expecting that to make them more secure
Dumping an old IT system with flawed and unpatched applications into the cloud doesn't automatically make it safe and secure. The key is properly preparing your applications and data for the transition.

Mistake #6: Having no clue that your business units are already using some cloud-based services


You can click here to read the detailed article @ Network Computing website.

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