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Research: Security Concerns Still Limit Broader Public Cloud Adoption

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Tim Jefferson
Barracuda's Tim Jefferson

Security concerns still prevent even broader cloud adoption, according to a survey of 300 IT decision-makers conducted by network security company Barracuda Networks.

Key findings from the Barracuda "Unlocking the Public Cloud — Benefits, Strategies, Challenges and Solutions" survey included:

  • 30 percent of respondents noted their organizations have not incorporated additional security layers into their public cloud deployments.
  • 44 percent currently run their infrastructure in the public cloud.
  • 74 percent said security concerns restrict their organizations' migration to the public cloud.
  • 77 percent indicated they believe public cloud providers are responsible for securing customer data in the cloud, and 68 percent were under the impression that cloud providers are responsible for securing customer applications.
  • The percentage of organizations to run their infrastructure in the public cloud is expected to double over the next five years.

Ultimately, the survey indicated that security remains a concern for organizations evaluating public cloud, Barracuda Vice President of Public Cloud Tim Jefferson said in a prepared statement.

It also showed that there is confusion over the "shared responsibility model" between public cloud providers and their customers, Jefferson noted.

MSSPs and other third-party vendors could help organizations enhance and simplify their cloud security, Barracuda stated.

Barracuda offered the following recommendations to help organizations select the right third-party vendors to deliver cloud security support:

  • Partner with third-party security vendors that support a wide range of ecosystems with similar solutions. That way, organizations can minimize costs and streamline their cloud security.
  • Choose third parties that offer licensing options that meet an organization's layered security needs for centralized cloud management.
  • Select vendors that can provide a common management scheme —either in their solutions or using public cloud security infrastructure— to streamline security management and monitoring.

Third-party security vendors frequently invest more into cloud security controls than organizations could on their own, Jefferson said.

As such, organizations that benefit most from cloud deployments generally are those that work with MSSPs or other third-party security vendors, according to Jefferson.

Dan Kobialka

Dan Kobialka is senior contributing editor, MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E. He covers IT security, IT service provider business strategies and partner programs. Dan holds a M.A. in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University. In his free time, Dan enjoys jogging, traveling, playing sports, touring breweries and watching football.