7 Things You Should Know About Cloud Security

Cloud computing promises to provide considerable benefits for colleges and universities, including increased reliability and flexibility, with lower or more transparent costs. At the same time, cloud computing complicates or exacerbates a range of security concerns due to the loss of control that it involves. Cloud security involves the same fundamental issues as any computer security program, but these questions take on new facets and considerations when data and services are stored off-campus. Concerns about security are a limiting the implementation of cloud computing in higher education, and, to a large extent, the solutions to cloud issues are rooted in policy, not in technology. A number of organizations have begun offering resources and services to help institutions understand the security risks of cloud computing, conduct effective risk assessments of third-party providers, and develop appropriate contracts to support cloud-based initiatives.