Security concerns still make businesses wary of the cloud. Whilst companies are aware of its benefits – speed of deployment, scalability, capital expenditure savings, flexibility and technological innovation offered by service providers – reservations and scepticism still remain.

The fear is understandable – businesses typically like to be able to see and touch their own servers and know exactly where their data is being held, whereas cloud services are by definition intangible. Businesses are unsure how safe it is – so much so that a past LinkedIn survey revealed that 54 per cent of IT decision makers cite data security as the key inhibitor to cloud adoption.

Essentially, an organisation’s cloud security strategy should not be fundamentally different than that of their physical infrastructure. An effective security management policy requires a holistic approach and by following best practice guidelines, businesses can distil their own cloud security concerns and make sure their chosen cloud provider has the right approach to data protection. This will enable organisations to enjoy the savings and flexibility offered by the cloud without compromising their own security requirements.