I have had a lot of conversations about how secure Cloud computing is or isn’t. I have given briefings to Audit Committees and Boards.

One of my points has been that in most cases it can be more secure than traditional IT infrastructure. For some, that has not been the conventional way to see it.

Think about the benefits of security in the cloud in addition to the risks. This type of balanced approach may tip the scales for you.

Conventional wisdom says clouds are inherently insecure.

But are they? Or are clouds actually more secure than conventional IT environments? A growing number of technologists are making that argument. And they’re not cloud vendors or marketers or startups who have placed their bet on the cloud. They’re some of the senior-most technology officials in government, including those from intelligence agencies and the military, which might be the last place you’d expect to hear such talk.

Cloud Security: Better Than We Think? – Government – Cloud/SaaS

 So, can you really trust your data in the cloud? There are two important points here.

• Cloud providers operate comprehensive data security programs so you don’t have to. On-premises infrastructure is prone to the kind of small mistakes that determined cyberattackers can exploit. The main public cloud providers, however, are able to provide advanced data security controls, including data encryption, database monitoring, and access control.
• That said, security continues to be a legitimate concern, and companies would rightly (and often for legal reasons) refrain, for example, from putting sensitive consumer or healthcare data in the public cloud. Most companies are addressing the desire to work through the cloud without exposing certain data to risk of exposure by turning to a hybrid model of public and private cloud operations. The latter allows businesses to keep control over their most sensitive information.