Transparency: For the Good of Cloud
As a participant in the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), CSC feels very strongly about the importance of transparency for customers using cloud computing services. CSC's Director of Global Security Solutions, Ron Knode, even wrote a blog on the topic of visibility and management control in the cloud.
Below is an excerpt from the testimony by Michael Capellas, Chairman and CEO, VCE Company. He spoke at the House Technology and Innovation Subcommittee Hearing held September 21, 2011 on Cloud Computing at the TechAmerica CLOUD2, which he co-chaired.
"Recommendation 9 (Transparency): Industry should publicly disclose information about relevant operational aspects of their cloud services, including portability, interoperability, security, certifications, performance and reliability. Industry and government should support development of metrics designed to meet the needs of different user groups.
These metrics should be developed in an open and transparent environment, taking into account the global nature of cloud use. The Commission recognizes the need for information and tools that provide users with meaningful ways to evaluate the characteristics and performance of various cloud implementations. These users may be contemplating deployment or evaluating performance of their current services.
Development of metrics around key cloud attributes should be driven by user needs and provider capabilities. The government and commercial sector should collaborate on lessons learned, and each should be careful to avoid dominating the development of these metrics. Different government and business sectors will likely demand different measures and tools."