Cloud Computing- re:Security, cloud and concerns about our data
Charlie Bess, HP Fellow writing in HP's "The
Next Big Thing" blog, picked up my the recent white paper"Security and Cloud Services - Securing a business advantage" and posted some thoughts as "Security,
cloud and concerns about our data".
Good discussion points here where Charlie notes concerns around the potential that both benefits and challenges are "viewed with today's limited resource perspective". More specifically he notes that there are "significantly broader possibilities with a related increase in value
and concern".
No doubt about that.
Planning for the viability of unlimited resources (bandwidth, storage,
compute capacity, functional services etc) was not the purpose of the
paper however. Firstly, it is important to note that the paper is focused on how to deal with the benefits and risks of cloud services and cloud computing options today. The majority of customers and partners that I talk to are working to make the best use of what is available today, as well as understand how they can. More specifically, they want to know if the risk is real in what circumstances, and how can they manage the security aspects of cloud type solutions - public or private.
I would point out that like many previous technology adoptions, cloud computing is evolving. A clear difference in this instance is the speed with which that evolution is taking place, and the immense scope of changes that are possible in terms of business opportunities and business models. Risks associated with cloud solutions that span the globe can be pointed to with great concern, but perhaps just as importantly is the business risks of ignoring the opportunities.
Salesforce.com have shaken up the Sales Force Automation (SFA) for years by changing the business model for delivery. In the February 22nd, 2010 Data Center Knowledge article "How
Much Are Cloud Providers Making?", Linda Leung notes that:
In February 2009, chairman and CEO Marc Benioff boasted that Salesforce.com (CRM)
was the “first billion-dollar cloud computing company,” when the
company announced 2009 year-end revenue of $1.077 billion, a 44 percent
increase from 2008.
This during one of the most down market economies ever experienced. Leung also offers specifics and estimates for various other providers such as Amazon Web Services, Savvis, Rackspace, NetSuite and more.
For an example of a new business model, like it or not, Facebook is a huge business (one EOY estimate has Facebook approaching US$1B in 2009 revenue). Others are riding atop riding atop the Facebook platform and software services. Business Week in their Apr 22, 2010 article "Zynga and Facebook.
It's Complicated" estimated US$450M+ 2010 revenue for the social gaming company Zynga, which would not exist as it is today without Facebook, as well as the infrastructure to support their solutions.
In
the security vein however, Facebook are facing huge backlash as a result of
continuously changing tier privacy policies. As a result they have been hit
with a large amount of negative press and publicity ranging from from nation
states to privacy advocacy groups who are both considering legal challenges.
There are so many articles over the last couple years dedicated to this issue,
but for reference, here are some recent ones:
Facebook's Eroding Privacy Policy: A Timeline - The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Zuckerberg's Privacy Stance: Facebook CEO 'Doesn't Believe In Privacy' - The Huffington Post
Facebook privacy changes - where's the outrage? - NetworkWorld.com
This is just one small part of the security issues that are faced by customers and providers where speed and change are almost synonymous.
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