Security Key Concern in Cloud Computing, Unisys Survey Finds

A recent survey by Unisys is reinforcing what others have found: that security remains the top issue of enterprises when considering cloud computing.

Survey results released by Unisys Sept. 15 found that of 312 respondents, 51 percent cited security and data privacy as their top concern regarding the cloud.

The other major issues were integrating cloud-based applications with existing systems, the ability to bring systems back in-house, and regulatory and compliance concerns, according to the survey.

"These poll results confirm what we continue to hear from our clients as well as industry analysts," Sam Gross, vice president of global IT outsourcing solutions, said in a statement. "Until they are convinced that there is 'industrial-strength' security in the cloud, CIOs will remain reluctant to move more than development and test systems into that environment."

The responses to Unisys’ survey echo those that were received in similar studies. For example, a survey of 500 IT professionals from around the world conducted by IT consultancy Avanade found that, by a 5-1 ratio, respondents trusted in-house systems to those in the cloud because of security and loss-of-control issues.

Application delivery networking vendor F5 Networks in August released survey results that found that 99 percent of the 250 IT professionals surveyed were either discussing or implementing a public or private compute cloud, but respondents also said access control and security were key technologies necessary for cloud adoption.

Vendors—including Unisys—are trying to bulk up the security for the burgeoning computing model. In June, Unisys unveiled a cloud computing strategy that includes a patent-pending security technology code-named “Stealth.” Unisys initially created Stealth several years ago for government agencies looking to secure their data and now is aiming that technology at private, public and hybrid clouds.