Leaks undermine cloud storage trust
High profile leaks from the cloud have undermined trust in the technology, according to Dr Kevin Curran, senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Dr Curran, a senior lecturer in computer science at the University of Ulster, argued that leaks of private photographs from iCloud and Snapchat have contributed to a loss of faith in cloud storage being safe.
Speaking to Computing, he explained it will be "some time" before trust returns to cloud storage providers because of the high profile leaks of recent months.
A-list stars such as Jennifer Lawrence were affected when thousands of celebrity nude photos were released on to the internet after hackers gained access to various iCloud accounts.
Dr Curran said: "Transparency will be listed on the front page of many cloud services due to the appalling manner in which the NSA has treated the US-based large cloud providers."
The IEEE representative noted that the rise of big data is leading to new issues for the cloud storage industry and as more businesses embrace big data, this trend will continue to grow.
He added: "Businesses will have to pay more attention to cloud security as legal repercussions creep in and the big data trend gathers pace. Big data is generally cloud-based - private or public cloud. Therefore all the recommended practices applicable to securing data in the cloud equally applies here."
Others are more positive about the adoption of cloud storage technology, including James Comfort, the general manager of cloud services for IBM. In an article for Forbes, he claimed that while security concerns about the cloud are understandable, "cloud technologies are providing the platform that companies need today to compete for business tomorrow".
Mr Comfort pointed out that at its best, the cloud provides safety, security, flexibility and scalability, making it an ideal choice for those businesses that are growing quickly and need an affordable solution for their storage needs.
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.
