Cloud Computing Security: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks?

Grazed from Midsize Insider.  Author: Kelley Katsanos.

Before midsize businesses reconsider using cloud services due to cloud computing security risks, they should assess security vulnerabilities and pinpoint core business activities potentially affected by cloud computing implementation. This will help determine if a move to the cloud is a step in the right direction, especially for those firms delaying cloud adoption due to security concerns.

Avoiding the Cloud

A recent study by the Ponemon Institute featured on Netskope indicates that 53 percent of European IT professionals feel that the chances of a data breach increase with the use of the cloud. A data breach can be costly, especially for midsize companies with limited budgets, and it may threaten a company’s competitive position and damage its reputation. Therefore, businesses need to ensure that proper security measures are in place in order to mitigate security risks…

However, according to the study, 64 percent of the respondents believe that the use of the cloud decreases their organization’s ability to protect sensitive information, and 72 percent do not trust cloud vendors to follow data protection laws and regulations. These factors create a roadblock to cloud adoption and are why many security experts firmly believe that storing data on-site is more secure than storing data in the cloud…

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