Cloud computing a possible solution to data loss

U.S. businesses looking to protect their data are turning to cloud computing as an answer to data loss, according to a survey conducted by CA Technologies. A large number of organizations identified data or application loss incidents over the past year. Thirty-six percent of businesses reported  storing data in the public cloud, and 76 percent reported utilizing a private cloud for storage.

The majority of businesses that store data in the cloud feel confident in the safety of that data. Eighty-four percent of U.S. and Canadian businesses storing their data in a private cloud feel their data is adequately protected, and 73 percent felt positively about data protection in the public cloud…



"It is broadly acknowledged that cloud computing can offer many benefits to organizations that require more agile and cost-effective ways of delivering IT services,” said Bill Mann, senior vice president of data management with CA Technologies. “This survey reveals that one of those benefits is improved data protection—which remains a huge challenge in conventional, non-cloud environments.”

Organizations utilizing traditional IT solutions face a higher risk of data loss from content-layer attacks, according to research by the security consultant IANS. Content-layer threats – attacks where the hacker disguises malicious code within harmless-looking software – constituted 80 percent of the attacks that led to data loss for organizations.