Encrypted local storage is more secure than cloud computing 
(25/08/2009)
It has been reported that researchers at the Black Hat security briefings in Las Vegas have demonstrated flaws in Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud and Microsoft's online version of Office. Many believe that cloud computing has to demonstrate a higher level of security to satisfy enterprise users.
This comes as no surprise, says Andy Cordial, Origin Storage's managing director. "Password resetting and other security mechanisms in the cloud are always going to be a weak link, as long as user-friendliness comes ahead of security in the cloud computing beauty stakes," he said. "Expecting regular joes to whip out a two-factor authentication device for use with a cloud-driven service just isn't realistic. It's not going to happen," he added.
According to Cordial, developing a transparent security system for use in the cloud is going to be a seriously uphill task for developers. Even if the developers succeed in creating a viable and transparent authentication system that can be used on a notebook in a coffee shop in the real world, getting that technology to be accepted on a widespread scale is going to take time, he explained.
On the other hand, he said, installing a user-transparent but high-security hard drive or cluster of hard drives, in an office environment is very easy to implement. So easy, he noted, that most users need not be aware of the fact their data is being encrypted - and decrypted - to military standards in the background and on-the-fly.
"Secure cloud computing will definitely be the norm for most users in about ten years' time. Until then, encrypted local storage will meet users' needs," he said. "And the encrypted hard drive technology that is available today can also be acquired for a lot less than you might think," he added.
Related topics: Data management and data security Encryption Internet and Web security
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