Despite security concerns sparked by the prism scandal, a recent Claranet study found that cloud adoption increased by 20% between 2011 and 2013. 72% of IT professionals surveyed stated that data privacy and security was still a concern and 53% stated data sovereignty affected migration to the cloud.
Data sovereignty and security concerns have clearly not impeded cloud adoption but rather highlighted the importance of a reputable UK based provider. Cloud computing has not only been implemented by a variety of organisations, it’s been integrated into our personal lives too.
Gartner said that the personal cloud will replace the personal computer as the centre of user’s digital lives in 2014. Some businesses may think this will work to their advantage as employees will be more comfortable using cloud platforms, but it can pose a security threat for company data.
Shadow IT and BYOD
Employees who are increasingly confident with cloud computing may seek to streamline their workload with public cloud services, without the permission of the IT department. The growing concern of shadow IT and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) have the potential to be an open door to your business’s confidential data.
A CSO magazine Cloud Quick Poll found that 37% of respondents believe individual or business units at their organisations are deploying applications or putting data in the cloud without consulting IT. Shadow IT can quickly undermine the efforts of your IT department by proving an easy route in for hackers, regardless of how much you invest in data security.
Some organisations have reacted by banning BYOD, but that simply drives unauthorised device usage further into secrecy where IT have even less visibility. Other businesses have fully embraced cloud computing so employees have no need for public cloud solutions, providing more control over company data.
Plans to deal with cloud computing will be unique to your business but make no mistake, the era of personal cloud is here and your employees are probably already using it.
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