I agree, Cabe. Virtually every expert says there is no perfect solution. Security experts say that all operating systems can be compromised, even those used in tanks, bombers and planes. However unlikely, it can happen.
Encryption can be broken, firewalls breeched, even secrets printed. There really is no perfect solution. If governments can be "hacked," nothing is safe. I think the worst part is losing the data when servers/harddrives crash. The cloud needs more work.
Putting all your data eggs in the basket of any cloud service is asking for a bad day.
Elizabeth, the security problems with the cloud are a big concern for many businesses. I have run into small and medium businesses that will not go cloud becuase of the concerns. A majority of these firms are not in the cloud, so it is potentially a growth area.
One issue for users of cloud computing is that there may not be a way to know you have been hacked. If you are using cloud at the level or IaaS you are responsible for just about everything. If you are using SaaS, you are dependent on the service vendor. Many of these do not have a track record, or the deep pockets to make things right if there is a problem. Right now it is a problem.
I'm not a technologist but I have been watching and writing about cloud computing for years, back even when its adoption was expected to happen much more quickly. I have heard the argument against the cloud that data was not secure for years. I understand it's a valid point, but I have always thought and still think that any system with weak security (whether in-house, local, hybrid or purely cloud-based) is going to be vulnerable to data leaks or intrusion if proper security is not in place. If proper security is implemented on a cloud-based system, the data on it also should remain secure. Sure, security meansures may need to be more sophisticated, but as the cloud has evolved so has security technology. Anyway, that's just my two cents!
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