Cloud computing has permeated ICT markets worldwide and Africa is no exception. While many organisations hesitate to join the bandwagon for fear of becoming vulnerable to security threats, we asked two experts from diverse backgrounds – software and mobile technologies – to speak up on cloud computing security.
Clifford Foster, Chief Technology Officer for IBM Sub-Saharan Africa
Cloud computing is an innovative computing approach that can assist organisations in responding to the opportunities and challenges of a smarter planet. However, innovations like this have unintended consequences, as the availability of ubiquitous information raises the likelihood that sensitive data will be stolen or infected.
Organisations will need to think about protecting their assets and services with more precision, whether these assets are stored and accessed within the enterprise or externally within a public cloud or network. As such, it is no longer sufficient to implement giant firewalls as the primary mechanism for protecting information. These “Great Wall of China” types of security are easily sidestepped and organizations will have to implement fine-grained control of assets.
Fine-grained control of assets should be policy driven, defining who can access what within a particular business context. In the case of an external cloud, it will be critical to include this level of security requirement, in addition to the other required service qualities, within the contract that is signed with the cloud service provider. But don’t stop there, demand the same from your own IT department in the case of an internal cloud or a network behind the corporate firewall.
In conclusion: safety within the cloud is your responsibility – determine the required service qualities (security, availability, performance amongst others) for assets and services; define these qualities within the contract; and select your providers accordingly.
Tim Walter, General Manager Products at Nashua Mobile
I think cloud computing to the desktop is a safe environment. For cloud computing though, the mobile device now and in the years to come will become the device of choice to access applications. Right now, I don’t believe there has been a serious breach in anybody’s networks from mobile device, but I think it’s becoming more and more an issue.
Something we are very closely looking at is how we can provide virus protection to mobile devices and secondly, if that device gets lost or stolen or compromised, how you can log into it and thirdly, as the device is an extension of the enterprises network, how can we manage the security and IT policies around it.
It’s safe, but on the mobile device side, particularly the handheld devices, there is so much to do still.
by Denisa Oosthuizen
