* Verizon Business' upcoming cloud service comes with a fistful of security credentials
When Verizon Business wheels out its cloud computing service this June, it will have a fistful of security credentials to give customers confidence.
The security plan is to treat the Verizon cloud as if it is a sensitive data center, says Dr. Peter Tippett, vice-president of research and technology for Verizon Business Security Solutions. Verizon talked some about the impending service at a recent conference , but Tippett recently shed more light on the offering in an in interview.
To Verizon and to its customers, the cloud not a concept, it is a place, actually several places, where hardware and software have been assembled and housed and secured. They will have cages for physical security, virtual systems with patched operating systems, access controls, and security management tools, he says.
Customers will want assurances their sensitive data is safe, so Verizon will be prepared to walk them through the security. The plan is for ICSA labs to certify the security of cloud elements and have ICSA Labs, an independent division of Verizon Business, certify that the elements of the security of the Verizon cloud, says Tippett.
The cloud will also undergo third-party evaluations that will be documented in detail for customer review, he says.
Verizon Business’ cloud service will have three levels of security from top security for the most sensitive data, to enterprise-class designed to meet regulatory standards and a standard level for all other types of computing, Tippet says. Each level will have separate pricing in proportion to the security offered.
Verizon’s plan tries to cove what businesses will expect and the security measures it comes up with will be important because there is a great deal of attention being paid to how cloud computing services should be secured. This effort may offer a template around which others can build industry best practices.
