Small businesses and the cloud: How to mitigate the risks

Grazed from Help-Net Security.  Author:  Jim Hietala.

Security concerns are still preventing many small businesses from using new technology methods to accelerate growth. The cloud is one major example of a “hot topic” that has perpetuated the news cycle as something that could help small businesses, but new and unsolved old risks are blocking a mass uptake in cloud-based services.

Revelations from such major events as the Snowden incident last summer have greatly set back the adoption of cloud services. There are a number of industry surveys (including this one commissioned by NTT Communications) that support the idea that potential customers are taking a more cautious approach to the cloud. With these stories only building, there is no question that the public image of the cloud has suffered, but are the dangers real for small businesses?…


Unfortunately, the cloud security dangers for small businesses are very real. In a case that came to light in April of 2013, a systems administrator of a hosting company in Texas installed a root kit enabling remote access to 2,700 hosted servers. The case highlights the need for security controls at the cloud service provider, and for transparency from service provider to customers about those controls…

Read more from the source @ http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=2022