La seguridad del Cloud Computing, en el ojo del huracán

Núria Sánchez, la Marketing Manager de Claranet, develops how an IT technology provider can assure its clients quality and security in all its solutions, if it knows how to adapt to the needs of its client and provides some keys to understand how.

Cloud Computing is a concept widely used and discussed in the daily life of companies and individuals. It is a business model based on technological solutions that allow companies to optimally manage their operations. Supporters of cloud computing, highlight the undeniable advantages of this model such as the scalability of processes and systems, its flexibility as well as pay-per-use. They are very practical and agile tools both in their implementation and in their use by all company employees.

Indeed, Cloud Computing manages to centralize resources, knowledge, improves best practices and therefore, promotes productivity. However, detractors highlight a strong argument: la seguridad.

This is a point on which many cloud service providers emphasize. However, guaranteeing the security and quality of any IT service requires requirements that not everyone can meet. Claranet, que cuenta con más de 15 years of experience in managed services and IT solution deployment, pays great attention to this argument, which often hinders companies when it comes to moving their business to the cloud, becoming one of the main focuses of daily work and the company's competitive advantages. Cloud model services, must benefit from all the guarantees that the rest of the services have, such as security and service continuity, explains Josep Salom, Operations Director at Claranet. With this vision, the multinational, covers most of the risks that threaten the complex environment of communication networks and Cloud Computing platforms.

The two main guarantees that a cloud solutions provider company must offer to its clients are:

• Ease of content management.
• Perimeter security.

If we talk about content management, we must specify that it is fundamental to ensure the optimal performance of a network, asegurando que sus aplicaciones críticas dispongan del ancho de banda necesario para su correcto funcionamiento y el acceso a ellas de forma segura y eficiente. En algunos casos la implementación de políticas de calidad de servicio (QoS) en las líneas de conectividad es una ventaja para asegurarse un funcionamiento realmente óptimo. La plataforma tiene que facilitar a los usuarios tanto la carga como el acceso y la compartición de contenido. El objetivo es poder almacenar y recuperar fácilmente y de forma segura estos datos.

En caso de migración Cloud, es imprescindible planificarla y medir el ROI del proyecto y eso sólo lo puede ofrecer un proveedor de confianza. The advantage of choosing an independent provider not linked to any telecommunications operator guarantees access to a wide range of access technologies (ADSL, SHDSL, Ethernet, Fiber optic, 3G mobile connections, etc.).

And from a security point of view the arguments must be greater, Perimeter security must be designed to protect company data by blocking unauthorized traffic. Por esta razón, Firewalls, Data Backup and Antivirus / Antispam, must be managed and configured according to the client to avoid any problems, as well as online Backup services that guarantee the security and confidentiality of backups by outsourcing them. Regarding Antivirus and Antispam solutions, we must note that these are also tools that need to be taken into account when choosing an IT service provider, performing email redirects to high-capacity servers that provide thorough spam and virus filtering.

Ultimately, security in IT environments is the most important aspect when implementing processes, solutions and tools. However for organizations, the choice of a good provider can only be made by knowing its strengths as well as its weaknesses and ensuring that the provider can cover them. Por esta razón, if the platform is managed according to the definition of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) detailed and precise, and benefit from thorough monitoring in order to achieve the agreed performance, it is very interesting and safe. In addition, experience in hosting and network management is always a plus to be able to cover and solve any problem.

Núria Sánchez

Marketing Manager of Claranet