In the Cloud Computing – Are You Secure?

Microsoft came out with an excellent “Planning” guide to Cloud Security which everyone should read either before deciding to move their IT assets into “The Cloud”, or if you have already done so. Actually, if you have moved your assets into the Cloud then most likely you did your homework and deployed the appropriate security measures. This brief overview is to help small- and mid-size business owners better understand the security issues which need to be evaluated, and the steps taken to best secure your data and infrastructure before migrating into the cloud. The planning guide looks at how advanced server technologies—in particular, Intel® technologies—can help you build trust and compliance into your data center and set the foundation for cloud security.

Moving into The Cloud is not realistic for the average small business owner.

“Cloud computing security is a broad topic with hundreds of considerations—from protecting hardware and platform technologies in the data center to enabling regulatory compliance and defending cloud access through different end-point devices.  The focus of this planning guide is to provide you with suggestions and recommendations for strengthening data and platform protection in your cloud implementations.”

The seven steps in the “Cloud Planning Guide” include:
Step 1: Start Security Planning Early
Step 2: Identify Vulnerabilities for Your Selected Service(s)
Step 3: Four Things an IT Manager Can Do To Mitigate Security Vulnerabilities
Steps 4 -7 in the guide are based on the above four areas.
Step 4: Protect Data—in Motion, in Process, and at Rest
Step 5: Secure Your Platform
Step 6: Extend Trust across Federated Clouds
Step 7: Choose the Right Cloud Service Provider

Intel provided a great service with their guide... for the full details go to Cloud Planning Guide and please share with others to help keep everyone’s data secure.