Cloud Adoption Not Living Up to the Hype?

Grazed from MidsizeInsider. Author: Sue Poremba.

Cloud computing has gained traction among small and midsize businesses (SMBs), but recent research suggests that cloud adoption might be more hype than reality. A new study from Bitglass found that SMBs, as well as larger enterprises, are worried about the security of their cloud-stored information. "We found that while more strategic, company-wide adoption of the cloud is starting to take hold, there are still basic security mechanisms that have not been put into place," Bitglass CEO Nat Kausik stated in a recent Help Net Security article.

Security Still a Deterrent

In fact, security concerns are the leading reason why SMBs are not migrating to the cloud. Despite improvements in cloud-based security tools, these concerns are actually growing over time. In 2011, 25 percent of companies claimed security was the main reason why they had not yet adopted a cloud computing solution; in 2013, that number had jumped to 42 percent…

There are ways IT departments can improve on security efforts to help lay a solid foundation for cloud adoption. One way is to encrypt any data stored in a cloud format; another is to improve access control to more carefully monitor who has the right to use data within the cloud. Thirdly, improved authentication features like multifactor authentication and identity management systems will deter security issues, especially from insider threats. While vendors can provide certain levels of security for the cloud environment, it is ultimately up to the IT department to institute mechanisms that show SMB leaders that cloud computing is more secure than they may realize…

Read more from the source @ http://midsizeinsider.com/en-us/article/cloud-adoption-not-living-up-to-the-hype

Subscribe to the CloudCow bi-monthly newsletter @ http://eepurl.com/smZeb