Benefits and Potential Pitfalls of Cloud Computing [Interview]

From small businesses to large enterprises, organizations are adopting cloud computing in a progressive way. Cloud computing has matured to a great extent, Many organizations are either adopting a cloud-focused or a cloud computing-only strategy. It is expected that organizations will continue to increase their investment in cloud, security and its applications. Of course, cloud computing makes organization more efficient and productive but the rapid adoption also drives security risks and challenges. In an exclusive talk with Rahul Kumar, Country Manager, India & SAARC at F-Secure Corporation, discusses the benefits and potential pitfalls of cloud computing.

CXOVoice: Why Cloud is so Adoptive, What are the Major Benefits of Cloud Computing?

Rahul Kumar: One benefit of cloud computing is the ease with which additional servers can be “spun up”. Each additional server is just another virtual instance of an up-to-date and properly configured computer, and updating the base image updates them all. This is far more manageable than running physical infrastructure.

My advice to companies is to “outsource” your Exchange server to Microsoft. This makes very good sense because no other organization is able to better secure that server. Microsoft doesn’t need to wait for security updates – it produces the security updates. Subscribing to that resource from the cloud rather than running your own server takes away a big time sink from a company’s IT department.

CXOVoice: What are the Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Cloud Provider?

Rahul Kumar: There are a few things that you must consider while choosing a cloud service provider. First, what are the security parameters adopted by the service provider to protect your data and applications?. Secondly, to what extent is it accountable if there’s an unwanted event, such as breach or data leakage?. You must also check the compliance of the cloud architecture with your in-house infrastructure, as well as work flow and compliance standards (such as GDPR, PCI DSS, etc.) that you follow.

Check what functions will have to be managed by you and whether or not your vital applications are supported by the cloud service provider. Lastly, always choose a cloud service provider that has proactive support. This will make sure that your support desk tickets are resolved in a timely fashion with minimal service disruption or security exposure.

CXOVoice: Is the Cloud Computing Growth Particular Industry Wise?

Rahul Kumar: As across-the-board businesses continue to digitize on a global level, cloud computing and the associated services haven’t been restricted to any particular industry. A SaaS-based cybersecurity product could be used by a logistics company; an accounting firm can use an on-demand computing platform, and so on. The advantages of cloud ecosystem at present can be enjoyed by virtually all market verticals.

CXOVoice: How Cloud Computing Empowering Indian business?

Rahul Kumar: Today, the availability of cloud services has enabled Indian businesses, especially the smaller ones, to leverage cutting-edge IT services without experiencing the related capital burden. This has brought them on a level-playing field with larger businesses that can easily deploy such IT resources on premises.

CXOVoice: What are Major Risk Associated with Cloud Computing?

Rahul Kumar: Shadow IT can easily be setup within a company’s domain space without informing the IT department. And that could be a problem if the developer forgets to spin down the test server or figures that security doesn’t matter because the code being developed isn’t publicly advertised. That’s a risk because domain spaces will be scanned and servers will be discovered whether they’re “public” or not. So, it’s important for IT to be aware of everything within the company’s domain.

CXOVoice: How Organizations Deal with High Level of Cyber Threat?

Rahul Kumar: There’s no single answer to this question. It depends on the size and needs of the organization. Some organizations may benefit from having incident response staff in-house, while many others will probably need to outsource this need to dedicated professional services companies. All organizations will want to provide their IT staff with better tools. Besides good endpoint protection, today’s IT teams need tools to assess risks, detect compromises, and to be able to respond. If experts are needed, they need to be on call.