Let’s assume for a moment that you’re in charge of IT for a large corporation. It doesn’t have to be a multi-billion dollar concern or even an international firm. We just want to set the stage for what I’m about to present you with - that is, one of the questions you’d best be sure to ask your cloud service provider.
Whether they’re assisting you in cloud storage, cloud computing or even cloud application security, your provider is actually the first (and often last) line of defense in your quest to keep unauthorized eyes from your data.
Just look at the news and you’ll realize that breaches are happening daily and the brazen folks perpetuating the crimes are now acting as if they’re Hollywood stars. Seriously, have you followed the LulzSec group. They were so brazen as to announce their retirement and urge others to continue to hack.
So, with folks like this out there, you should be ready to ask your cloud service provider this question: Under what conditions might third parties, including government agencies, have access to my data?
This does a few things for you. It alerts your cloud computing vendor that you are concerned about security. It lets them know you’re focused on compliance issues (e.g. the government portion of the question). And it forces them to provide scenarios that you can use in evaluation of your purchase decision.
Essentially, if you have a bad feeling about a vendor, it’s on you to walk away or deal with the consequences. Ask the question. Evaluate the service provider. Protect your cloud data. It’s as simple as that.
What is your favorite question to pose when interviewing potential service providers in the cloud computing arena?
Posted
Jul 07 2011, 12:09 PM
by
JeffCutler