Here’s a surprise: Cloud is more secure, say SMEs

• Malaysian SMEs on the cloud say they are more secure
• Non-users still cite security concerns as a barrier, however

WHILE many companies are wary of moving to cloud computing, citing security as a main concern, new research by comScore showed that actual users are spending less time and money on managing security, while achieving higher levels of it.

The research was commissioned by Microsoft Corp and conducted on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across five markets – Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States. SMEs in this case were defined as companies managing between 100 and 250 personal computers in their organization.

“In Malaysia, 50 cloud users and 43 non-users were surveyed independently by comScore in March and April this year,” said Adrienne Hall (pic), general manager of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group. “The respondents were unaware that the survey was commissioned by Microsoft.”

The key findings in Malaysia:

• * 56% of the SMEs said they spent less time managing security since adopting the cloud;
• * Over the last three years, SMEs on the cloud were twice more likely to have decreased what they spent on managing security, as a percentage of the overall IT budget, than SMEs that had not adopted the cloud;
• * 52% of Malaysian SMEs said their business was more secure as a result of moving to the cloud;
• * 46% said they were more confident of their company’s regulatory compliance; and
• * 46% said they found it easier to integrate new systems or technologies than to being on the cloud

This contrasted deeply with the perceptions of SMEs that had yet to adopt the cloud, Hall noted, with 51% citing security concerns as the reason why they had not moved to cloud computing.

“Also, 53% cited the perceived cost of transitioning to the cloud as a barrier to adoption,” she told a media briefing at Microsoft’s office in Kuala Lumpur on May 22.

“This really dispels some of the myths surrounding cloud computing and its adoption,” said Mohit Pande (pic), general manager of Microsoft Malaysia’s Small and Mid-Market Solutions & Partners Group.

He said he believed that some of the lack of confidence shown by non-cloud users probably stemmed from a reluctance to relinquish control of their data.

According to the survey findings, 68% of Malaysian SMEs that do not use the cloud said that industry standards for cloud security would go a long way in giving them greater confidence, while 63% said that vendors needed to be more transparent about the security measures and levels in their cloud offerings.

Hall said this was among the reasons why Microsoft is one of the 40 members of the Cloud Security Alliance, which involves industry-recognized certification and accreditation, as well as independent audits by third parties.
 
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