Cloud computing has dominated blogs, conferences and the minds of CIOs around the world in recent days, bringing the promise of agility, scalability, and cost advantages to waiting markets. Although nearly all potential users can see the benefits of the concept, one key issue is slowing or preventing more from jumping on board. Even a partial transition from a tangible, visible world into a multi-tenant virtual environment can feel more like a leap of faith than a viable business decision. Users want to know that their processes will continue to function, that their data will be protected and kept confidential, and that they will still have the same level of governance in the widespread, data-everywhere cloud environment as they do in the data center next door. They have contracts, assurances, and descriptions of a litany of tools designed to protect data, promote confidentiality, and audit performance. Still something is missing.
That something is trust.
Countless papers have been written on hypervisor firewalls, redundancy, and cloud computing technology itself, yet the fear factor remains unchanged. ACS has a different perspective on building trust in the virtual world. In our minds, although the security safeguards and base technology are vitally important, no one really trusts a computer or a cloud. Even in the virtual world, it all comes down to people making the computers, networks, and storage solutions work. So the question becomes not “what will make you trust cloud,” but rather, “who do you trust to manage your cloud environment on your behalf?”
Assigning Trust is a Scientific Process
By definition, trust is reliance on the integrity or justice of a person, or confidence in some quality, feature or attribute of a person or thing; a person on which one relies. Although it may feel instinctual, trust is something most human beings are conditioned to assess, based on context and other factors, in what has proven to be a very scientific way.
Let’s step outside of cloud into real, everyday life for a moment. You’re at home and someone comes to your door and knocks. How you react depends on what you see when you look out of the peephole.
For example, if you see a good friend, you’ll probably swing open the door and invite him or her in. If you see a neighborhood kid selling popcorn or the UPS delivery person with that e-reader you’ve been waiting for, you’ll probably open the door without trepidation. Chances are you’ll react differently if you see someone you don’t recognize at your door. Maybe you’ll open the door with the safety latch on – or not open the door at all. Now, if that stranger is standing there with a bouquet of flowers, and there’s a delivery van emblazoned with the logo of a local florist visibly parked on the street, you’ll have a different reaction still.
Trust isn’t stagnant. It’s something that’s continually accessed and built over time, and also something that can be lost in an instant. For example, let’s say you’re looking for a great new restaurant. You might look at the newspaper, some on-line reviews or seek out the recommendation of a co-worker whose culinary opinion you trust. A good experience builds trust and keeps you coming back. But, if one night, that now-favorite restaurant becomes the cause of food poisoning, the trust quickly diminishes or disappears.
In your personal world and in the business world, there is a direct correlation between trust and risk. Going back to the stranger at the door example, if that person is standing there with a delivery or floral arrangement, you’ll probably assign a lower risk level to the situation than if there’s a stranger at the door, standing there empty-handed.
When CIOs look at cloud computing, they see that stranger at the door – the potential for risk. So, after looking at the background, track record and approach of potential cloud services providers, the deciding factor has to come down to who has the capability to best manage your risk in the cloud environment? That’s the provider you can trust to transform your organization into a cloud.
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