Steve Hanna

A recent article in Government Computer News raised the topic of FISMA reporting, specifically describing the "pessimism" of many USG agencies over meeting the September 2012 deadline for "using continuous monitoring to meet Federal Information Security Management Act reporting requirements." The article cites a survey of over 200 government IT professionals, conducted by RedSeal Networks, in which 55% of respondents felt they won't be ready, or don't know if they will be ready, by the deadline. One can certainly debate the significance of the number of agencies expressing concern over meeting the deadline, and the reasons given would likely drag the conversation to arguing over the validity of a deadline set by government for something that is far more complex than "flipping a switch." But set that aside for the moment. More interesting is the fact that, when you... (more)

Cloud Security Questions?

Cloud Security Track at Cloud Expo For companies considering a transition to cloud computing (CC), one of the major concerns is (or should be) security. If addressed properly while selecting a cloud computing provider or cloud provider (CP), security can actually improve for many companies. For many firms, a cloud computing provider can provide better security than their in-house facilities. This is because the CPs are devoting huge resources to making security a non-issue for customers and, in fact, a selling point versus other CPs. With billions of dollars of potential busines... (more)

A Security Analysis of Cloud Computing

Security Pavillion at Cloud Expo With its ability to provide users dynamically scalable, shared resources over the Internet and avoid large upfront fixed costs, cloud computing promises to change the future of computing. However, storing a lot of data creates a situation similar to storing a lot of money, attracting more frequent assaults by increasingly skilled and highly motivated attackers. As a result, security is one - if not the - top issue that users have when considering cloud computing. Cloud Security Concerns Storing critical data on a cloud computing provider's servers... (more)