Cloud Computing and Government Security

Posted by: Christopher Smith | Posted on: February 15th, 2012 | 0 Comments

Cloud computing is used by the government to both help make public services more accessible and to keep certain secrets permanently off-limits. The “G Cloud” is a virtual marketplace being created by the UK government for use by its people, while the National Security Agency in the U.S. uses the cloud for state secret storage. The security of the cloud is predicated largely on how accessible it is, the relative stability of its physical hosting environment, and a series of system configuration issues. The more “private” a cloud is, the more secure the information.

Public clouds can fall victim to hackers if they are too accessible. Some governments have started to draft guidelines on what sorts of technologies should be used in conjunction with cloud computing in order to guarantee an acceptable level of security. Depending on how these measures are adopted, a government cloud can either be very secure or very insecure.

As an example, government information is generally more secure when it is stored in a cloud than when it is stored on an employee’s easily accessible PC hard drive. However, if the cloud is not adequately protected, hackers can potentially steal far more information from a cloud than from a PC if the cloud is exceptionally large. In each case, the scale, scope and protective measures in place determine the security of the cloud. As cloud computing enters its second decade of existence, programmers have been able to road-test different techniques for accessibility, configuration and hosting stability. Those techniques that have been proven to work can therefore guarantee security for a particular cloud.

Information that is extremely sensitive, such as a citizen’s medical records, should be stored on a private cloud. This ensures that only those with specific access clearance will be able to view the information. Public clouds, on the other hand, should host information that is meant to be viewed by everyone. In each case, the government must determine what type of information it is hosting and who should view that information in order to guarantee the highest security.

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Cloud Computing and Government Security (CSEDEV.com)