MOVING TO CLOUD: According to a survey of 1,300 of Trend Micro's customers in the Asia Pacific region, 42.2% have already begun their cloud computing journey, says Goh.
By JO TIMBUONG
bytz@thestar.com.my
PETALING JAYA: The first steps into any venture can be the most apprehensive, and any organisation's migration to cloud computing is no exception, according to one industry player.
Computer security service provider Trend Micro said that although cloud computing is not new to most organisations now, security is still the primary issue among those that have yet to embrace it.
It said that while many organisations understand the cost savings and business agility they can gain from moving their business processes online, some are hesitant because of issues like data security and sovereignty.
They are also worried about managing the applications and data in the cloud, and managing the accessibility of such data through mobile devices.
Such fears are further elevated by business peers suggesting that cloud computing may not be the safest option.
Trend Micro said some cloud computing vendors are also to blame for the paranoia because they rarely talk about offering cloud security features.
Ken Low, Trend Micro director of enterprise security, said organisations have nothing to fear if they took the time to learn about the cloud and what solutions are available to address their security issues.
"The fear is excessive and many of the claims are exaggerated. Computer hackers see the cloud like any other network system that is made up of hardware and software. So the same security steps apply," he said.
Trend Micro is making an effort to help businesses gain more understanding about cloud computing and the security issues by organising events like its CloudSec conferences.
This, Low said, could help organisations "get a view (that is) not clouded by fear." Trend Micro said cloud adoption in the region has been encouraging, despite the concerns over security.
Goh Chee Hoh, managing director of Trend Micro South-East Asia, said a survey of 1,300 of its customers in the Asia Pacific region, showed that 42.2% have already begun their cloud computing journey by installing server virtualisation technologies.
The study also showed that 57.2% have migrated some of their operations to the cloud and are considering solutions that address their security concerns.