Expert predicts rise in cloud security spending
Spending on cloud security is set to rise, according to an industry expert.
Kris Lovejoy, general manager of IBM's security services division, stated that the increasing adoption of SaaS-based services will mean budgets have to rise.
He explained that the continued shifting of data centre resources into the cloud will mean organisations have to spend more money on cloud security than before.
Speaking to CRN, Mr Lovejoy stated that the arrival of new technology paradigms will mean that there is a need for a skilled partner ecosystem of systems integrators and consultants, as well as regional managed services providers with strong security practices.
Mr Lovejoy was responding to a new poll of security chiefs that predicted cloud security budgets will be increased within the next three to five years.
David Sockol, president and chief executive of security consulting firm Emagined Security, added that organisations are becoming increasingly attuned to the need to protect themselves when operating in the cloud.
He said: "Customers are seeing through all these breaches that their data is vulnerable, especially in the cloud where they often don’t have as much control over data and processes. They're starting to put protections in place around their cloud assets."
The research coincides with an announcement that the vendor has launched the industry’s first intelligent security portfolio for protecting people, data and applications in the cloud.
Brendan Hannigan, general manager at IBM Security Systems, explained that critical workloads are being moved by companies to the cloud and they expect enterprise grade security to move with it.
He added: "We have pivoted our entire security portfolio to the cloud to help customers lock down user access, control data and maintain visibility. With the right visibility into threats, enterprises can more securely connect their people, data and processes to the cloud."
The company's study found that 85 per cent of organisations are currently seeking to move operations into the cloud, while almost half stated that they expect a major cloud provider to experience a security breach.
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.
