Cloud computing has emerged as a key ‘buzz term’ for 2011 and as adoption grows, focus has shifted towards security in the cloud. High-profile outages from public cloud providers like Amazon have highlighted the importance of having a cloud security plan in place, and with that in mind, I’ve compiled a number of resources that offer guidance, research and tips.
Operated by the Cloud Security Alliance, this site is an excellent source of information for all things related to security in the cloud – from best practice and guidance, to assessment tools and informative research papers. The site also provides relevant training courses, lists cloud security events, and features a regular blog that offers an informal, yet educational, perspective on cloud security. A must-read for enterprises, cloud providers and security solution vendors who want to keep up-to-date on cloud security developments.
Cloud security trends for 2011
In this article, global IT security experts outline the top 5 cloud security trends they expect to see during 2011. As smartphones and tablets become ever more popular tools, accessing cloud applications from multiple devices is expected to be a key issue this year, as well as ongoing compliance concerns and identity management. Cloud standards and certifications are also expected to play a larger role in how users choose their cloud provider.
How to minimise your risk in the cloud
A recent two-day outage at one of Amazon’s data centres catapulted the reliability of public cloud services into the headlines. This article offers seven useful tips to help enterprises minimise their risk in the cloud, and avoid getting ‘Amazon-ed’. Planning to fail heads the list, along with testing and then testing again. Ensuring you have in-house cloud experts is also critical, as is creating internal back-up options.
Peter Hendrick, Technical Director, AirSpeed Telecom
