Cloud misstep can cause serious security issues

Companies are increasingly turning to the cloud as part of their IT strategy, although security concerns remain around the technology.

New research conducted by cloud visibility firm Skyhigh Networks has found that workers are regularly accessing sites their IT departments have tried to block for safety reasons.

The European Cloud Adoption and Risk Report revealed that the number of cloud services in use by an average company has increased 23 per cent, even though less than 10 per cent of all cloud services currently meet the most stringent security requirements, such as strong password policies and data encryption.

Chief executive of Skyhigh Networks Rajiv Gupta stated that it is clear from the results of the research that businesses are increasingly seeing the benefits of the cloud.

He added: "On the other hand, the IT department needs to make sure that these services don’t put the organisation’s intellectual property at risk. This report analyses real-world cloud usage data to shine a light on the extent of Shadow IT."

The European Cloud Adoption and Risk Report found that more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of IT professionals do not know the scope of Shadow IT at their companies but they want to learn more about its impact.

Many websites that firms have tried to block remain open for staff to use. For example, almost half (44 per cent) of IT professionals taking part in the research stated that they intended to block YouTube, but just one per cent of organisations blocked the service comprehensively.

Mr Gupta added: "It only takes one misstep to cause a serious security or compliance threat to an organisation. As such, mechanisms should be in place not only to discover which cloud services are being used, but also to analyse the risk profile of these services and understand the true implications for enterprise data security."

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.