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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Cloud Computing and Hacking

Hacks such as that which took place against Gmail and the Sony Playstation gaming network are threatening to dampen the take off of Cloud Computing. Such set backs will slow the growth of the ever-expanding Cloud market which is expected to exceed $55 billion by 2014 according to IDC. 

The outstanding security issues with Cloud Computing will need to be addressed accordingly if users are going to trust its implementation. This is especially apparent when considering the corporate space and it doesn’t bode well when consumer data is being lost left, right and centre. 

“Many enterprises have reservations about the security of cloud computing because of the multi-tenant architecture and the fact that cloud providers are big targets” Steve Hodgkinson, IT research director at UK-based research firm Ovum. 

Cloud providers have a huge incentive to put in place the very best security and such measures may make them arguably more secure than most corporate networks. 

It is thought that hardware based security is the route to go with regards to high levels of protection. Software based security is not as effective according to analysts. 

“We have to do a combination of mitigating things like building more and more security in the infrastructure.” Boyd Davis, speaking at the chipmaker Intel Corp Computex computer show in Taipei this week. 

Despite software and hardware vendors alike working tirelessly in order to make the cloud infrastructure more simplified, secure and efficient there are crippling issues with compatibility. 

Apple’s iCloud may prove to be a rare exception however because they are a vertical organisation and build everything in-house. There is no cross pollination of tech meaning that applications can talk to each other. 

A delicate balance must be struck between having a high level of compatibility and not creating an environment where it actually becomes easier for hackers to gain access.

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