V3 Cloud Summit: Lingering security worries slow cloud uptake

Business uptake of cloud computing services has been slowed by security worries, despite the best efforts of vendors and industry evangelists, according to new V3 research.

The study found that 87 per cent of enterprises are concerned about security in the cloud, while businesses that do use cloud computing platforms store just 20 per cent of their information in the cloud.

"It points to a central concern of IT administrators in that they want to go to the cloud, but have to recognise that data is the crown jewels of the organisation," said V3 news editor Phil Muncaster.

"They're saying: 'We want to reap the benefits, but we don't want to risk putting our data there if it is going to be breached.'"

Security has long been a top concern for cloud computing services. A number of previous studies have suggested that a lack of trust in cloud platforms is a major hurdle to their adoption in the enterprise.

Cloud providers and security vendors have pushed a number of offerings in recent months designed to improve security and confidence in the cloud, including the hybrid approach.

Marc Olesen, senior vice president and general manager for cloud and content security at McAfee, argued that companies combining on-premise and cloud systems can enjoy the benefits of the cloud while ensuring data security.

"We have companies that will protect their home office with on-premise security and then protect their branch offices with a cloud-based solution," he said.

"It is very economical because they don't have to deploy an appliance for every branch office and at the same time they don't have to backhaul all their traffic through a corporate facility."

The V3 Virtual Cloud Summit is taking place all day on Tuesday 27 September, so if you haven't already, register here to attend the other sessions.