Chamber Insider Blog

Policing the Cloud: Event Preview

Thank you to Joel Scharlat for this blog post. Register for the event, “Policing the Cloud,” on October 29, 2018 here.

Cloud computing is not a new concept (as a matter of fact, we’ve moved beyond the cloud to ‘fog’ computing for some applications, but we can discuss that more later). Within the information technology (IT) and business community, the conversation about whether or not to move to the cloud is still as polarizing as ever.

On one side, some want to retain full control of their hardware, its configuration, and their data. Let’s call them traditionalists. For those aligning themselves with this thought process, the going argument is all about security. After all, control equates to better security, right?

In the other camp, you have an entirely different conversation occuring. Here, people either think the cloud is secure enough, or believe the benefits outweigh the risks. We’ll call them believers.

They can’t both be right, can they?

Neither traditionalist nor believers argue that cloud computing is without its share of risks, or that it is going away anytime soon. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam recently signed an Executive Order “directing the use of cloud technologies in the Commonwealth’s information technology (IT) services,” so even state (and federal) agencies are drawn to the value of the cloud. Yet there are countless stories of data breaches occurring due to improperly configured AWS buckets (what does that even mean??).

According to a 2017 IBM report, these and other types of data breaches previously cost an average of $3.6M per incident. How do you navigate the legal and technical requirements for keeping data safe? What are your responsibilities as a business owner if your cloud provider is hosting your data, application, or services? For help with these and other questions, join us at an upcoming panel discussion on this very topic.

The Loudoun Technology Coalition has brought together a panel of experts in the practice of cybersecurity for protecting your business. Cloud computing offers a huge advantage, especially to start-ups and other small businesses that can’t afford to dedicate resources to an IT infrastructure and the related support staff. But is the cloud safe? There are risks with any approach, so we’ve put this panel together to help businesses better understand those risks, their roles in sharing in those risks, and ways to help navigate this complex topic.

Our goal is to help you, whether you’re a traditionalist or a believer, walk away more informed so you’re ready to focus on your real job – growing your business. So come celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month with us on October 29th at 5:30 pm. We’ll do our best to not scare you so close to Halloween and we look forward to you joining in the conversation. You can register here.