RSA looks to ease cloud fears with security platform

RSA has announced plans to launch a security platform designed to build trust in cloud computing services.

The company said that its Cloud Trust Authority will launch soon in beta with the goal of providing a single comprehensive set of protections for multiple cloud computing services.

"Forcing enterprises to develop trusted relationships individually with each cloud service provider they wish to use is cumbersome and will not scale," said RSA executive chairman Art Coviello.

"New thinking in security and compliance is required to provide a future in which organisations can consume services from a wide variety of cloud service providers on-demand and for all their application needs."

Set for launch in the second half of this year, the beta will offer businesses combined identity management and compliance offerings.

The identity service will allow for the creation and management of a single log-in credential for users on cloud services, and will allow managers to set and revoke permissions on multiple services when users are added or removed.

The compliance service will use a set of benchmarks and testing methods which RSA said will allow organisations to view the security profiles on multiple cloud computing platforms and create a better overall picture of strengths and weaknesses.

The services are the first two components of what RSA hopes will be a platform that can begin to ease fears over the security of cloud computing.

While many non-vital applications have seen steady migration into the cloud, some organisations have been reluctant to consider moving mission-critical applications to cloud platforms.

RSA cloud security director Nirav Mehta told V3.co.uk that the lack of trust is due in part to the absence of a single set of benchmarks and standards.

"We haven't quite seen an ecosystem approach. Every vendor standing and seeing we can do this on our own is not a sufficient approach," he said.

Mehta added that the beta service will hopefully become the foundation for a larger security platform that develops a clear set of standards that administrators can understand and trust when considering cloud computing services.

"It is not just another technology, it's a new approach," he said.