The worldwide market for cloud intrusion protection software is projected to grow by $1.8 billion and have a compounded growth of 24.8 percent. This should surprise no one, considering the amount of core business assets that are being pushed to the cloud now, as well as the amount that security providers are spending on cloud.
This is really a matter of considering risk. What’s the risk in leaving the data where it is, versus moving it to a public cloud? Most importantly, what risk are you taking on by not moving the data?
The answer to that question has changed a great deal during the past few years, and it’s largely due to the fact that R&D spending for security technology providers has shifted wholeheartedly to the cloud. In other words, if you’re looking for a quickly evolving technology that’s up to date with the most current security features, the public cloud may be your only choice. This is not even considering the cost and agility advantages, which need to be baked into your hosting choices as well.
So, if you can’t force the market to shift one way or another you’re left with few options. It’s the public cloud followed by state-of-the-art security solutions that provide the protection that you’ll need. This accounts for the projected 24.8 percent compounded growth in that stuff, not including consulting, and other echo-system products that aid in cloud-based security but are often not counted.
What’s core here is rank-and-file enterprises becoming comfortable with the idea of moving data and leaving it in the cloud—moreover, all the work that needs to be done to assure that the data is and remains secure.
To be honest, I see the paranoia. Also, I expect some major cloud-based breaches in the near future. However, these breaches won’t be due to a lack of solid security technology; they will be caused by a lack of security talent. This is where the vulnerabilities are really appearing, and no amount of technology can solve that issue. “You can’t fix stupid.”
The shift is coming. Start preparing your people now, if you want to really make cloud security work.