#01 KNOW YOUR CLOUD
"What is the 'cloud'?" you ask, "And what do I get if I use it?" You may be using the cloud and don't even know it — if you use Google's gmail or Salesforce.com, you already have cloud computing experience, as both of these applications reside in that amorphous space. Take the time to learn what cloud computing is and how you can use it, because it might be a great model for your business to take advantage of.
#02 BE COMPLIANT
Compliance is a big deal. If your organisation processes credit card transactions, or stores medical records or customer data, then you have to abide by various compliance regulations. If you make any kind of move to the cloud, be sure to understand your compliance obligations and select a cloud vendor that fully supports them.
#03 ENHANCE YOUR SHAPE
The cloud can be almost anything you need it to be: your outsourced IT infrastructure, a platform for developing and deploying applications, and more. Before you use the cloud for anything, really think through the benefits you want to derive. Are you looking for revolutionary cost savings in your IT budget, or the ability to scale an application and number of users up or down almost instantly? The answers can help guide you to the right cloud vendor.
#04 PROACTIVELY ADDRESS RISK
While the benefits of the cloud will likely outweigh the risks, be proactive about identifying and addressing risk up-front. Whether you're worried about hackers accessing proprietary data or financial records, or afraid that your cloud vendor might suffer some unplanned downtime, be proactive about thinking through and taking measures to mitigate these potential risks.
#05 DO DUE DILIGENCE
You've identified the cloud computing model that meets your needs, defined the benefits you want to achieve, the risks you want to avoid... now do your due diligence on cloud vendors. There are many established and emerging cloud vendors out there — make sure you evaluate and select a provider who's going to be around for the long haul, and who has a stellar reputation for service, support and security. Check references!
#06 CHECK ON SECURITY
A move to the cloud means you've essentially extended your IT department. It is now comprised of your in-house staff and the team at your cloud vendor's organisation. Do they care as much about security as you do? What are the specific security measures they've put in place, and what kind of security guarantees are they willing to give? Be aggressive about finding all of this out.
#07 THINK SOFTWARE SECURITY
Hackers are smart: they long ago figured out how to catapult themselves over the moats of firewalls, spam filters and other security products protecting castles of data. But did you know that the majority of security breaches come through software? Put a solution in place that will help you identify, prioritise and fix security vulnerabilities in software, and insist that your cloud vendor do the same.
#08 PRACTISE SAFE COMPUTING
Software security isn't just a cloud concern. You need to make it a priority in your own IT environment, whether you use the cloud or not. Whether they're open source or outsourced, or developed in-house or by a third-party software vendor, applications are inherently vulnerable to attack unless security is made a priority during the development process.
#09 TAP EXISTING RESOURCES
The conclusion? Do your research on cloud computing, because it's not "one size fits all". And make sure you're up to speed on security best practices, so that regardless of where your IT department or applications live, you feel safe. If you need more information, the Cloud Security Alliance offers help on all matters relating to cloud security (cloudsecurityalliance.org).
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