According to Reuters, Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corp,
recently addressed the concerns individuals have been having regarding the
security of business customer’s private data.
Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, revealed a PRISM surveillance
program had been in operation by the NSA since 2007. These revelations confirmed a fear held by
many individuals, a fear that the government could access data stored on any
U.S. server. Oracle “and other major
Silicon Valley companies are increasingly offering Internet-based business
service…in a trend known as cloud computing” (Randewich 1). This cloud computing can save companies a
great deal of money, as companies no longer have to maintain “there own servers
and other IT infrastructure” (Randewich 1).
Analysts say that these concerns regarding government involvement in
privacy, however, may cost technology vendors “billion of dollars in lost sales”
(Randewich 1). David Litchfield
reaffirmed individuals of the safety of Oracle’s product, stating “an Oracle
database hasn’t been broken into for a couple of decades by anybody” (Randewich
1).
There are
numerous benefits of utilizing cloud computing.
Utilizing a cloud to store information is cost efficient, relieves companies
of unnecessary hardware, and accessing and backing up information can be done
with incredible ease. The advantageous
of cloud computing are apparent, however, the question companies must begin to
ask themselves is whether or not these advantageous outweigh the noticeable
threat to information. The reality is
that clouds are not secure enough to hold the sensitive data being stored in
them from possible hackers, especially from government agencies.
If the NSA
can access data stored on any cloud, it is highly likely that other, foreign
governmental agencies possess the same capabilities with regards to accessing
data within a cloud. While utilizing
hardware to store information may be more expensive, outdated, less accessible,
and overall more of a hassle than clouds, one thing is certain; data stored in
hardware is secure, due to its lack of accessibility. If one were to extract data from hardware,
one would have to physically be at the storage location, creating difficulties
for those attempting to acquire information.
A cloud, conversely, may be accessed by anyone with an Internet
connection; therefore, an individual anywhere in the world may extract one’s
data.
Reverting
back to hardware is clearly not a viable solution to this dilemma; however,
companies must find new means of securing their cloud computing software, for
the sake of maintaining profits and securing valuable information. Oracle CEO spoke of Oracle’s security due to
the fact that David Litchfield, an established security expert, stated that
hackers gained access to Oracle systems “regularly” (Randwich 1). Oracle must now focus on improving security
of their cloud computing systems in order to remain competitive in the
market. A means, by which companies such
as Oracle may improve security of their clouds, is to implement scanning and
encryption procedures. By initially
scanning information in the cloud, companies can detect and take action to
solidify information by encrypting information deemed incredibly
important. Encrypting important
information can will provide an additional layer of security should a hacker
enter a cloud. In addition, a company
can encrypt information as it is being sent to the cloud, in order to prevent
an individual from intercepting data on its way to the cloud. Scanning and Encrypting information will not eliminate
security risks entirely from a cloud, however, these measures would reduce
security risks considerably.
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