SECURITY is the major issue holding back the cloud computing revolution, new research has found.

Dec 1 2009 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

The EU’s cyber security agency, European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), commissioned a survey to address industry’s main concerns about moving into the cloud.

Almost nine out of ten (89.4%) respondents said privacy remained “very important” or a “showstopper” issue, while only 6.25% said confidentiality of corporate data was either not important or of medium importance. More than seven in ten (73.3%) thought a lack of cloud provider liability was either very important or a showstopper issue.

The report was commissioned to address the key risks and benefits of cloud computing to individuals and companies, particularly small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

Giles Hogben, an ENISA expert and editor of the report, said there was an “obvious” business case for cloud computing.

But he added: “The number one issue holding many people back is security - how can I know if it’s safe to trust the cloud provider with my data and in some cases my entire business infrastructure?”

However, brand specialist Mark Easby has not been deterred from entering the cloud. The MD of Stokesley-based brand agency Better - which has helped Onyx develop a new brand for its cloud computing service - stores e-mails and staff calendars on a virtual server hosted by a third party.

“We use cloud computing for convenience and productivity,” he says. “I’d be much more comfortable using data centres to host information than storing it on a big server in the corner of my office.”