Security in the Cloud

Some security companies, like McAfee, who traditionally have offered security software, are now offering security as a service. Such services are provided on the web for their client companies. In other words, the companies are outsourcing their security.

Intuitively, there are risks of outsourcing security to be managed by others on the web. But controls have improved over the years, and what once would have been unthinkable is now viable.

Not to say that all security should be outsourced. Companies are finding some security srvices are better placed in the cloud than others. For example, many companies have a history of successfully outsourcing their email filtering activities. Monitoring activities can be quite successful in the cloud as well. As can threat assessment, vulnerability identification, traffic monitoring, etc. Other, more personal activities, like password management, are less viable. Some managers argue that complete outsourcing of security is simpoly not viable. Nevertheless, there is a trend here - one that we can expect to continue.

There is a good article on the subject at Technology Review.