Joyent & GuardTime bring us a breakthrough in Cloud security
Could this be the advancement in cloud computing security we have been waiting and hoping for?
GuardTime’s keyless signature concept and Joyent’s one-of-a-kind SmartDataCenter (with its “double-hulled” virtualization technology) have come together to produce an entirely new approach to cloud security. In fact, many people feel that this merger isn’t simply another offering, but is actually a major “game changer”. Taken separately, these two technologies are both highly functional and useful, but when combined they are able to provide cloud provider customers with an entirely new layer of security.
This is a really big deal, actually. Employing this technology basically ensures that all electronic data in the cloud (and that which is moving to and from it) is authentic. In the past, maintaining constant security in the face of manipulation and unknown 3rd party participants. It seems that this new approach will finally allow providers and clients alike to focus more intently on specific business and remove the need for reliance on virtually unknown groups.
How the technology works
The concept behind this technology is actually quite simple; everything that occurs within a user’s cloud is detailed and can be independently verified and accessed. This of course allows one to clearly see whether or not strings of data have been tampered with. Additionally, it may be easier to determine who is attempting to manipulate data and where they originate from. The technology driving Joyent’s double-hulled virtualization is itself, extremely secure; it has been called the most secure form of virtualization in existence. By combining GuardTime’s keyless signature technology with that of Joyent’s virtualization, you essentially have what is an already extremely secure component being backed-up by a rock-solid “Paper trail” / data trail which can further verify the integrity of all data. It’s a very ingenious solution to what has been one of the most frustrating issues with regards to cloud security.
Will this development alleviate fears and spur increased cloud adoption?
Because there’s science and evidence present which can clearly promote the claims of increased cloud security through the use of this emerging strategic partnership, it is likely that more and more businesses will jump into the cloud race. Simply put, the single biggest fear of the last few years in cloud computing has been security.
Organizations that fear the cloud tend to see a disproportionate amount of risk vs. benefit. In other words, despite the many things cloud computing may be able to offer them, they see the security issues associated with typical cloud provider services and the fear overtakes them. You can’t really blame them however; the lifeblood of a great deal of businesses is their (internal) data and that of their customers. Corporate espionage, business plan leaks, long-term strategy leaks, customer / employee private data theft, and just regular malicious attacks can cause profits to plunge and destroy the ability of businesses to carry out their normal operations.
However, finally…for the first time, we have an approach to cloud data security that can be adapted across all subsequent technologies. This Joyent – GuardTime collaboration will help to make cloud computing hacking, fraud, theft and attack extremely rare; if it is properly applied, that is. The end result of a decreasing rate of cloud crime will certainly be (without a doubt), increased adoption and transition. Given that cloud computing is cheaper, more powerful and more efficient than any other infrastructure model in existence, a major jump in security will finally prove to businesses once-and-for-all that that cloud computing is absolutely the best approach on the market.
…But before your organization begins the process of cloud transition
Initializing a dedicated cloud computing operation might not be as simple as signing up however. You’re still going to need your own qualified IT personnel to ensure that your cloud service is solid and secure. Additionally, only those organizations with their own cloud experts are going to be able to devise inventive new ways of utilizing emerging cloud technologies. How can this be easily and affordably achieved you might ask? Through cloud computing certification and e-learning, virtually anyone can gain greater insight into how cloud computing works. Furthermore, it is highly advisable that companies with their own IT departments make an effort to push their employees to achieve some form of cloud certification.
This sort of breakthrough will bring additional businesses to the cloud
There’s simply no doubt about it, once this new security technology has been applied to conventional cloud provider services and more people catch wind of how effective it is, a slew of businesses will clamor to cloud. Even if cloud adoption rates don’t immediately increase as a result of this, time is on the side of the cloud providers. Once the track records of organizations that have incorporated the technology are made public, people will be able to clearly see the benefits of incorporating this new security technology. After the security stigma associated with cloud computing is eliminated, there will be nothing left to prevent or slow down businesses from signing up for cloud services.