Four cloud compliance best practices for CIOs

If you think the phrase "It's in the cloud" means that your data resides on the internet and is thus accessible everywhere equally, think again. Most infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) cloud services share the same residence model as traditional hosting and outsourcing deployments - they live in specific datacentres in specific geographies. This means that customer data is generated and most likely stored in this physical location, giving it legal and privacy implications.

Unfortunately, Forrester's conversations with end users and vendors suggest that many organisations simply aren't aware of where their cloud datacentres reside. This lack of information can be quite risky when the location of the datacentre triggers a number of privacy and data security requirements that - if not met - may just land you in jail, facing a stiff fine, or at least navigating cumbersome compliance requirements. While cloud can be a catalyst for the IT-to-business technology (BT) transformation, it can also be the most expensive project your company embarks on if you don't have a solid strategy in place first.

Security ultimately rests with you, the business - not the cloud provider. While most IaaS providers strive to secure their public datacentre cloud environment, they're not likely to take responsibility for data protection and compliance. In fact, they take no responsibility for what you do atop their virtualized infrastructures and services. Infrastructure and operations professionals should expect to have to carry this burden when partnering with a cloud provider.

The mesh of privacy laws might seem daunting, but they can be managed by realising that they are rules of engagement rather than business prevention tactics. They don't prohibit you from using IaaS cloud computing; these laws simply require you to pay attention to where these clouds are actually located and choose providers that will help you meet your constraints.