Cisco: \'Security won\'t stop the cloud\'

It's time to embrace SaaS applications and find easy methods to lead them to secure in your enterprise, in accordance with the firm's content security executive.

Security concerns may well be paramount, but they will not halt the on-going transition to cloud technologies.

This was the statement from Kevin Kennedy, director of content security at Cisco, during a presentation at this week's Infosecurity Europe conference in London, claiming the IT department could now not shout "security" to forestall more cloud services coming onto the company network.

“Cloud is totally changing the safety landscape and the actuality is, whether we would like it to or not, cloud goes to happen,” he said.

“Security will not stop it. Yes, it slowed it in a few places, however it can't stop it entirely.”

Once IT departments accept the inevitability of the cloud, they should take a look at the Software as a Service (SaaS) applications making their way into their organisations.

Kennedy claimed many desired to ignore the infiltration of those cloud services into their corporate networks, but taking this head-in-the-sand approach would only result in more security issues.

“Hands up if there's anybody in the market who doesn't have an employee using Dropbox, if it is authorised or not?” he asked the packed audience, with not one attendee raising their hand.

Admitting he used Dropbox, Kennedy added: “I don't do it out of any ill will or malicious intent. I do it because i need to do my job.”

SaaS apps are section of the enterprise landscape now, however the director believes it may still gain back some control in the event that they pin down one offering and secure it for his or her users.

“What it comes all the way down to is at first visibility,” said Kennedy. “Once you already know what [employees] are doing and what tools they have to do their jobs, you can also make decisions about what apps you should use and integrate them into your workloads.”

He suggested picking one option and blocking the entire others would ensure it might control the cloud service, but still give users an method to make their jobs easier.

“Then you could have the stick of control,” Kennedy added. “If you lock everything down, it won't happen. It's good to let users do their jobs and supply them with the appropriate tools, or they're going to find them themselves.”

SC Magazine asked the administrative which SaaS apps he felt were the safest to recommend. Although he refused to “promote his competitors”, he advised customers to seem around the board and find those that suited their business.

“It depends upon your small business needs,” concluded Kennedy. “It is ready your compliance concerns, your worries… with some decisions geographical and a few vertical.”

“Take the time to pick out those you would like and what's your only option on your business.”