Amazon to offer cloud security systems

Amazon to offer cloud security systems

Amazon Web Services is set to offer new security applications in the cloud, including hosted intrusion protection appliances and extended encryption features, reports say.

Amazon has worked hard to reassure businesses about their cloud concerns. Stephen Schmidt, chief information security officer at Amazon Web Services, is quoted as saying, "For example, they [enterprises] are concerned about access control; network perimeter device control; and the ability to construct networks in ways that are consistent with their particular compliance or enforcement requirements.”

He added, “In most cases we find that not only can they do what they are doing right now in the cloud, but have more granular controls."

Amazon is now understood to be working with third party partners to allow business customers to move security appliances to the cloud, including virtual appliances for intrusion detection and prevention. Schmidt says that enterprises will welcome the move, especially those worried about denial of service attacks using up bandwidth.
Firms will be able to take advantage of Amazon’s powerful internet connectivity and networks.

He said that Amazon will also work on strengthening its encryption services and begin offering these for increasingly granular data items. The tech giant’s moves to boost encryption have in fact already begun with the recent addition of Oracle Transparent Data Encryption to Amazon's Relational Database Service (RDS). It has also introduced the CloudHSM service which uses a separate appliance to protect cryptographic keys used for encryption.

Schmidt said, “You can see there is a theme here. Give the customers the tools to create an encryption infrastructure that allows them to ensure only the people they want to, whether it's in their organisation or ours, have access to that data.”

Businesses looking to move services into the cloud, should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.