An Introduction To Securing a Cloud Environment

While Cloud services offer flexibility, scalability and economies of scale, there have been commensurate concerns about security. As more data moves from centrally located server storage to the Cloud, the potential for personal and private data to be compromised will increase. Confidentiality, availability and integrity of data are at risk if appropriate measures are not put in place prior to selecting a Cloud vendor or implementing your own cloud and migrating to Cloud services. Cloud services such as Software as a service, Platform as a service or Infrastructure as a service will each have their own security concerns that need to be addressed. This paper reviews the best practices to secure Cloud services and data, including conventional security techniques and working with vendors to ensure proper Service Level Agreements exist.