Via Wall Street Journal: Cloud Continues to Move Into the Mainstream
Large organizations are adopting cloud technology for many of the same reasons smaller organizations have been attracted to the idea of renting rather than owning computing resources — greater flexibility and cost savings, resiliency in the event of natural disasters, and the ability to try new technologies without having to commit to them. And while they acknowledge concerns about cybersecurity, they believe they can safely pursue their cloud strategies while taking appropriate precautions.
“For every application, we look at whether the cloud can be used, and at that moment we look at all aspects, including security. When all criteria are met we will launch on the cloud and therefore we believe that the cloud is secure enough for a number of scenarios,” said Johan Krebbers, Shell group IT architect and lead architect for the Projects and Technology Business.
Joe AbiDaoud, CIO of Hudbay Minerals Inc., says security is of course “a big deal,” but says customers of cloud computing can take steps to ensure security. He says the company only works with reputable vendors, that can provide the “level of service that’s required.” He also says he’ll only work with applications that support single sign-on using Active Directory, which allows employees to access approved cloud services by signing on to a single, federated system.