Big Little Fish Blog

Cloud computing, it seems, is here to stay.  Leading publications such as the Economist & Financial Times continue to devote column inches introducing us to this dawning of a new technological age.  

Certainly most global technology companies, such as Cisco, Google and Microsoft, think so: Microsoft say they are ‘betting the company’ on a move to the cloud, but then they would, wouldn’t they?  Well, yes, but even Gartner, the leading technology research and advisory company, are telling us cloud

Image by: Staindrop

computing is, and will continue to be, big business, predicting growth from $46.4 billion to $150.1 billion between 2010 and 2013. 

Impressive… but is it secure?  Security tends to be the elephant in the room when the subject of cloud computing is broached but is it a white elephant… 

A false sense of security

Many companies that are considering adopting cloud computing raise concerns over the security of data being stored and accessed via the internet. Such concerns are perhaps understandable, but to add perspective to the topic of cloud computing security it’s also worth considering the flipside to these concerns.  That is: whether the physical tangibility of hosting your IT systems in-house really is more secure.  Believing that by virtue of being able to see and touch your IT systems renders them inherently more secure than a cloud based platform gives rise to complacency and may even create a false sense of security.

All good cloud computing vendors adhere to strict privacy policies and sophisticated security measures, it would be commercial suicide to take any other approach.  As a result, many cloud computing vendors offer greater data security and confidentiality than companies that choose to store their data in-house.  Having said that, not all vendors will offer the same level of security and so taking time to do your homework when reviewing vendors’ policies will go a long way towards ensuring you’re satisfied they comply with your requirements.

Due Diligence 

Gartner lists seven security issues to bear in mind when considering a particular vendor’s services.  I‘d go one step further and suggest that you review how your traditional, local IT deployment measures up against the very same list.  The comparison might be all you need to make an informed decision concerning whether or not to adopt the cloud computing methodology.

1. Privileged user access: enquire about who has access to data and about the hiring and management of these administrators;
2. Regulatory compliance: make sure a vendor is willing to undergo external audit and security certification;
3. Data location: ask if a provider allows for any control over the location of data;
4. Data segregation: make sure that encryption is available at all stages and that these encryption schemes were designed and tested by experienced professionals;
5. Recovery: find out what will happen to data in the case of a disaster; do they offer complete restoration and, if so, how long that would take;
6. Investigative support: enquire whether a vendor has the ability to investigate any inappropriate or illegal activity:
7. Long-term viability: ask what will happen to data if the company goes out of business; how will data be returned and in what format.
   

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Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

Generally, security is usually improved by keeping data in one centralised location. If that centralised location happens to be a high security data centre, then security is likely to be as good as or better than a more traditional, local IT deployment.  In part because the economies of scales of cloud computing enable providers to devote resources to solving security issues that many customers simply can’t afford. 

Cloud Computing has many benefits and if you take time to review your requirements against the policies of a particular cloud computing vendor you might just find that Security is one of them.

Big Little Fish is a cloud computing service provider specialising in providing solutions for small and growing businesses.  For more information please email jeremy.scally@biglittlefish.co.uk or visit http://www.biglittlefish.co.uk.  

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud is simply a metaphor for the internet. In a nutshell, cloud computing is when IT software and services are delivered over the web and through a browser.

by: bruce clay, inc

Cloud computing means businesses no longer need to purchase and look after their IT infrastructure in-house. This transfers the responsibility for IT maintenance, software upgrades and any system issues onto the service provider, allowing you to focus on your business instead of your IT infrastructure.

That’s why the cloud is especially appealing to small businesses, which have a smaller workforce and less capacity for time consuming and expensive IT maintenance. 

Why this is good news for small businesses?

Cloud computing benefits small business in a number of ways: it provides a more flexible model both technically and economically. With cloud computing, you don’t have your own servers/hardware or software. The cloud model lets you pay-as-you go, so you only pay for what you use. So on one hand you have lower startup costs because you don’t have to purchase expensive equipment when you are getting started. On the other hand, cloud computing provides great scalability, since you don’t have to keep buying servers every time you add an employee or a new software system. It’s the scalability of cloud computing that makes it especially effective with quickly growing small businesses.

Where a small business can take advantage of cloud computing is in purchasing basic software like CRM, help desk, document management, email and more. Instead of purchasing hardware, buying software and hiring an IT professional to setup the hardware and install that software a small business can purchase software over the internet, typically with no installation required. Usually this means that you’ve got a monthly contract instead of a big advance purchase, and again, you don’t need to buy a server to host the software.

Things to think about…

Cloud computing providers should provide details about how they protect data and ensure regulatory compliance, and they should explain their policies to provide you with your data if you decide to terminate the service or if they go out of business. If you pay for a service, you should also get a service level agreement  (SLA) from the cloud vendor. The SLA documents service requirements, supplies ongoing metrics to ensure these requirements are met, and provides remuneration should the vendor fail to deliver on the agreed metrics.

Big Litlle Fish is a cloud computing service provider specialising in solutions for small businesses.  For more information please email info@biglttlefish.co.uk or visit www.biglittlefish.co.uk