8 ways cloud providers save you money


After completing my blog on how you would move to the cloud I started thinking about some compelling reasons to adopt cloud computing. Here are 8 immediate cost benefits moving to the cloud for a start-ups or small or mid-sized company. 


1. Established ISMS
Information Security Management System:  Many companies talk about setting up an ISO27002 based ISMS but struggle. That’s because it take lots of people resources, and money. The major cloud providers have this already built out, and tested. 
2. Gates, fortified walls, guards, fences
Facility Security:  Cloud providers help restrict access by role, and by granting access to small sets of trusted staff members. Most cloud providers have well established facility security including gates, fences, guards, lighting, and many other security measures.
3. Tested backup and recovery solutions
Data Retention Policy:  Cloud providers should have a plan for data retention and storage that includes redundancy can ensure shorter down-time in case of an incident. Cloud providers typically maintain a data backup and recovery framework that is consistent with industry practices. 
4. Established data destruction methods  
Secure Data Disposal:  All disposed media needs to be truly disposed of.  Hard disk drives should be wiped securely or physically destroyed.  Documents must be shredded.  Most cloud providers subject all stored data to strong disposal policies. 
5. Invest in understanding threats
Risk Assessment and Management:  Cloud providers can centrally manage risk with the “plan, do, check, act" (PDCA) approach.  These four pillars are:  Plan for bad events; Do verify the plan; Check back sometimes; Act when things go bad with your plan.
6. Plan for natural disasters
Resilience Management:  Cloud providers must have a disaster recovery plan in place so operations can continue running when an incident occurs.  Most cloud providers have plans in place that assign responsibilities, define objectives; delineate information, and provide training.
7. Means to handle an online rush (or high load)  
Capacity / Resource Planning: Cloud providers can effectively plan capacity and resources around your business fluctuations to keep things running smoothly.
8. Protect against worms, DDOS, and other malware attacks
Information Security protections:  Cloud providers are aware of the threat landscape, and provide protections against DDOS, Worms, and malware in general.


Does your cloud providers stack up?
Interested in following up to see if your provider can address these issues? If so I’d recommend taking a look at the  Cloud Security Alliance’s Security, Trust & Assurance Registry (STAR) registry which hosts almost 100 companies answers to these and many more pertinent questions for moving to the cloud.


UPDATE:
This week I will be presenting at SecureWorldExpo in Seattle.

Moving to the Cloud: How to Be Secure on the 12th at 3:00 PM

Interested in the show take a look at my discount codes.

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