The answer to this question is an unequivocal, “yes”.
Most self-proclaimed “experts” that are now on the new Cloud bandwagon completely ignore the legitimate concerns that any business should have when it comes to their information and network security. At Cywest, we’re not going to tell you that everything in the Cloud is all rainbows and unicorns, and depending on who you’re talking to, you may be putting your company at great risk.
This is especially true when firms get lax in doing their own research and just decide to go with large names like Google, or Amazon.
At Cywest, we did not go about creating a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approach to our cloud infrastructure. Rather, we wanted an environment that is flexible to meet the customized needs of our clients. However, we went about covering some of the obvious, like building in SAS 70 and PCI compliant datacenters, forcing background checks on individuals, incorporating multiple layers of security, and using our proprietary monitoring systems to detect network anomalies and/or breaches.
However, some serious questions that demand thorough answers should be vetted out and made part of your firm’s agreement with any Cloud vendor:
· How and where is your data routed?
· Where is your data stored?
· Disaster planning, can your data be recovered?
· Are other vendors involved, along with multiple data storage centers? Who are they, and where are they located?
· What vetting process do they use for employees, suppliers and resellers?
· If your vendor goes out of business, then what?
These are important questions that need to be addressed, and not simply cast aside by an eager Cloud vendor looking to close a deal. It is true that properly developed Cloud infrastructures have some clear advantages over most corporate in-house environments. However, at Cywest the above questions are part of the overall process that go into the customization of our client’s Virtual Data Centers, so that they have peace of mind moving forward.
