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IT security professionals need to know the cloud-based solutions their company is using are secure from threats and disaster. Microsoft's cloud solutions pride themselves on their reputation for reliability, availability and performance. They are protected by always-up-to-date antivirus and anti-spam solutions and feature enterprise-grade reliability and disaster recovery with multiple datacenters and automatic failovers.
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Dan Muse
Editor In Chief
Internet.com
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Dan Muse is editor in chief of Internet.com. In addition to his current role, he has held senior editorial positions with IDG, McGraw-Hill, Disney and Ziff Davis.
Twitter: @dmuse
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Q: What are the basic concerns that IT security pros have when it comes to the adoption of cloud computing by their business?
A: When it comes to implementing a cloud-based service, the most basic questions (i.e., the ones you should ask first) are where will your data be stored, who will have access to it and what is the service provider's plan for business continuity in the case disaster strikes. Also, you should ask about how data is destroyed when you delete it and about what the cloud provider internal audit policy is. You should also ask it to disclose a list of service providers it uses.
Q: Are security concerns more likely to keep certain applications or certain industries from using the cloud in the near future?
A: The nature of cloud computing makes it inherently more complicated from a compliance perspective, so any business in an industry that is heavily regulated (for example, financial services and government) has to give pause before moving to cloud-based services. In fact, some industries may be prohibited from using third-party service providers. Encrypting data would help alleviate some concerns, but that also poses challenges in terms of commonly accessed data. So while security concerns may not keep certain industries from moving to the cloud, they are slowing the process in some cases.
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more resources for IT security pros
When it comes to the cloud, what you don't know can hurt you. While the benefits of Internet-based data storage, processing and services more commonly referred to as cloud computing are well known, less understood are the investments in security that cloud computing giants like Microsoft make every day.
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This document describes the array of security controls implemented within Windows Azure, so customers can evaluate if these capabilities and controls are suitable for their unique requirements.
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What are the new challenges of security and data protection in the world of cloud computing? Dan Reed, Corporate VP Microsoft Research discusses how Microsoft's advanced research team is ensuring security across cloud computing scenarios.
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Garth Fort, General Manager, Management and Security, Microsoft Server and Tools Division, talks about how management tools in Windows will revolutionize the role of IT professionals as they lead their organizations cloud computing.
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SQL Azure Database is a cloud database service from Microsoft. SQL Azure provides Web-facing database functionality as a utility service. This document provides an overview of security guidelines for customers who connect to SQL Azure Database, and who build secure applications on SQL Azure.
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The Windows Intune cloud service delivers management and security capabilities through a single Web-based console so you can keep your computers and users operating at peak performance from anywhere. See how your business can get big tech results with a small tech investment.
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Watch these videos to see how organizations are using Windows InTune to make PC security and management easier.
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Microsoft Office 365 for enterprises brings together cloud versions of Microsoft's trusted communications and collaboration software with its familiar Office Professional Plus desktop suite. It is designed to help meet your IT needs for robust security, reliability, and user productivity.
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There are a number of issues surrounding cloud computing as well, including security, privacy, compliance and vendor lock-in. Cloud computing security is an off-cited reason for wariness toward cloud services.
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Businesses can opt to put only low-sensitivity data in the cloud, but this limits cloud utility and increases complexity, since some controls will be required to ensure medium and high-sensitivity data is not sent to the cloud by accident.
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More and more traditional software security vendors are developing and enhancing their service based offerings. These offerings typically include protection against Web and email threats, monitoring of inbound and outbound network traffic, and assessing an externally facing website for potential vulnerabilities.
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Although specific cloud security requirements are likely to vary from organization to organization, here are some questions you'll want to ask.
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