Two Signs You Should Invest in Cloud Computing Data Security

Now that the cloud is sweeping the enterprise, it’s time to reevaluate your security strategy. A secure cloud deployment depends in large part on data security, which demands a different set of skills and solutions than traditional, on-premises infrastructure security. Here are two signs you should invest in cloud computing data security.

1. You’re using, or planning to use, the public cloud

When it comes to addressing cloud security concerns and implementing a secure cloud deployment, there are those within the tech industry who advocate private clouds for the enterprise. Private clouds allow organizations to enjoy many of the benefits of the cloud, such as anytime, anywhere data and application accessibility, without incurring the security risks associated with the public cloud. A private cloud is a secure cloud.

Private clouds aren’t always the best option, though. For one, building a private cloud will demand exactly the kind of infrastructure and IT manpower investment that most enterprises are hoping to avoid. For another, private clouds don’t always come with the same turnkey platforms and applications that attract most organizations to cloud computing. And you can’t scale out a private cloud as rapidly and as cost-effectively as you can a public cloud deployment.

The public cloud is the one that offers the greatest benefits in terms of cost savings, flexibility, and scalability. But if you’re using, or planning to use, the public cloud, you absolutely must invest in additional measures to secure cloud data.

2. You have regulatory compliance concerns

The public cloud offers a vast variety of platforms, applications, and services to connect workforces and streamline business operations. Once your organization begins to adopt the cloud, it’s a safe bet you won’t want to stop with just a few small, non-essential activities. It’s more likely that you’ll find the cloud useful for your most business-critical applications—and that means you’ll most likely end up putting at least some sensitive data in the cloud.

Regulatory compliance concerns can complicate that task. Data privacy regulations like PCI DSS and HIPAA demand that organizations proactively secure cloud deployments to ensure the safety and integrity of sensitive information such as customer credit card and bank account numbers and personally identifying information. If your business must comply with any data privacy laws or regulations, then you must invest in cloud-specific security solutions to protect your data.

These are not, of course, the only reasons to invest in measures for a secure cloud deployment. You will also want to invest in cloud data security solutions if you’re planning to introduce any confidential or proprietary intellectual property into the cloud, and if you simply want to avoid the expense and public mess of a data breach. Regulatory compliance and public cloud security concerns are simply the two most pressing and most prominent reasons for investing in cloud data security.

The cloud is great, and the cloud is here to stay. But to enable a successful, secure cloud deployment, you’ll need to rethink your existing security strategy. The cloud frees your data to travel beyond the traditional perimeter. That means your security tools must, too.

What reasons do you see for investing in cloud computing data security? Tell us what you think in the comments.

Contributor: Michael Higashi is director of digital marketing at CipherCloud, which specializes in protecting data in the cloud. Provided via myCIOview