Speakers Emphasize Security as Cloud Expo Gets Into Full Swing

Silicon Valley is playing host to one of the hottest sectors in information technology this week as the 9th Cloud Expo trade show gets underway at the Santa Clara Convention Center. With a very enthusiastic group of attendees ready to celebrate all things related to cloud computing, one of the early themes to emerge here this week are large enterprises migrating to the cloud as security improves.

Rex Wang, Oracle Corp.’s vice president of infrastructure and management, noted in a keynote presentation Monday, for instance, that 30 percent of Oracle customers are now using private cloud solutions, compared with just 21 percent using the public cloud. Perhaps that’s just a reflection of Oracle’s customers, but it also seems to suggest that at least some IT users are tiptoeing carefully into this brave new world of cloud computing.

Rackspace CTO John Engates echoed this cautionary theme in another keynote speechtoday by suggesting that companies should take their time moving applications into the cloud. “Don't be an early adopter too early,” he said, adding that “software-as-a-service is for everyone, not for everything.”

The truth is, not everything in a company’s IT portfolio ought to be moved into the public cloud. Some things – such as sensitive database information, online payment processes or mission-critical operations – probably warrant more careful oversight in a private cloud environment. That’s why at StrataScale we offer a wide array of public and private cloud servers, dedicated servers, co-location and hybrid hosting services.

World’s biggest cloud

Another interesting observation by Rackspace’s John Engates was that the largest cloud system implemented to date was the 2008 Conficker computer virus, which infected and began drawing computing power from at least 6 million computers worldwide before it was eventually (for the most part) neutralized. In comparison, even Amazon’s huge cloud server network currently harnesses only about half a million host computers.

Network security remains a real concern for cloud users, which is almost certainly one reason that so many enterprise users are being cautious in moving to the cloud. It's no wonder, then, that numerous announcements around this week’s show – from the likes of CloudPassage, Dome9 Security, McAfeeand others– related to security products and services.

Some cloud hosting vendors may tell you their only responsibility is to provide maximum bandwidth and processor time at the lowest possible price. But let me suggest that effective security is another item worth considering when selecting a hosting company. Not all suppliers’ security measures are equally effective, and the price for cutting corners could be losing your valuable data, or having your system broken into and turned into a “zombie” network.

On that cheerful note, let me sign off for now. Watch this space for more reports from the Cloud Expo!