Cloud Security > Your Network

The tech community at large has accepted the practical reality that storing data with reputable cloud providers is much safer than corporate networks and data-centers.  Seemingly, the legal industry has not.  The recently released AmLaw Tech Survey confirms security concerns remain the number one deterrent towards migrating critical business applications to the cloud.  This defies logic.  There is no comparison between the prospects for physical security or Internet security in the corporate network compared to the cloud.

Most businesses don’t even come close to adhering to the physical access procedures of the leading data center provisioners such as Amazon AWS and Rackspace.  This one is pretty obvious and any reputable cloud provider such as Amazon Web Services goes through regular audits.  ”AWS has in the past successfully completed multiple SAS70 Type II audits, and as of September 30, 2011 publishes a Service Organization Controls 1 (SOC 1) report, published under both the SSAE 16 and the ISAE 3402 professional standards.”  That’s not a realistic possibility for most IT departments.

In terms of internet security, firewalls and other software applications are responsible for preventing attacks.  And while you might think hosting in the cloud would make you more vulnerable, that’s just not the case.  As soon as a network is connected to the internet, the entire network is exposed.  In fact, the network and it’s data are protected the exact same way they are protected after being shipped to the cloud.  And when it comes to getting the best and most up-to-date software and firewalls for protecting your data, the big cloud shops are the place to turn.  They have A LOT of people dedicated full-time to this task.

Best-in-class physical and internet security are the most important goals without a question, but there are a few additional measures.  With all Nextpoint products, newly uploaded data is not only encrypted while in transit but also while at rest.  Every file is encrypted using the extremely strong block cipher AES-256.  This is protection far beyond what networked applications can provide.  Not sure?  Ask your IT department if the data is encrypted on your servers, laptops, and mobile devices.

Security is a constant battle and one that cloud service providers are dedicated toward continuing to fight on a daily basis.  Improving security is an iterative process where perfection truly isn’t attainable.  The best approach is to make constant improvements to the security of your data and applications without going down the dead-end pursuit of perfection.  You can’t leave your data in jeopardy while you wait for something that is unattainable.  The cloud is the safest place for your data right now and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

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