Beyond the Breach -- Security in the Cloud

There are two types of people – those who know they’ve been hacked, and those who don’t. Federal agencies, companies, and individuals are under attack every day from hackers, and our wealth of data is the ultimate prize. With outdated government data centers taking much of the blame in recent attacks, agencies are increasingly turning to the cloud for security. Still, no defense is impenetrable, and it’s only a matter of time until the next breach. Perceived or not, the concern over the security standards of cloud environments continues to be a focus for agency executives, legislators focused on critical cyber and information sharing initiatives, and appropriators looking at the cost benefits of the cloud revolution across government. 

• How can the cloud decrease the chances of the next big breach – and when that breach does inevitably occur, what can cloud service providers offer in the way of mitigating damage?
• How can agencies address the security flaws of a future breach without prematurely blaming the cloud environment? 
• What security improvements can agencies gain from moving to the cloud?