1.
Cloud Security
Solution Brief

2.
WindTalker™: set your data free www.windtalkersecurity.com
Introduction _____________________________________________________________________________________
The cloud has opened up numerous advantages for enterprises in the form of cost-savings, faster
adoption of new technology, enhanced collaboration and accessibility for mobile workers. The
benefits are so enticing, a recent global study by Morgan Stanley garnered “robust” predictions of
cloud adoption among survey participants, with over 50% expecting to use public clouds within 3
years.1
And yet, fully leveraging the cost-savings offered by the public cloud spurs frightened questions: How
will my cloud provider secure my information? Who will be liable if it is breached? How will I know if my
data is altered by malicious intent? How can I secure user-owned devices? And the worry is not
unfounded: in a real-life example of the vulnerability of the public cloud, cloud provider GoGrid
notified its customers in March 2011 that an unauthorized third party may have viewed their account
information.2
High Level Solution _____________________________________
The Cloud Security Alliance acknowledges that without the
perimeter defenses afforded by private networks, security
must reside within the data itself. Protection at the data level
overrides the limitations of network security policies or cloud
providers’ protection guarantees. Meanwhile, alterations to
the data can be tracked real-time. Even if hackers access the
cloud, stolen data is meaningless without the access
permissions to view it.
WindTalker™-enabled Cloud
Security__________________________________________________________________________________________
WindTalker™ creates self-protecting data™ within the native file format, and grants or revokes access
to that data to any user, any device, any time. By protecting the data from within, we protect the
cloud from within. Enterprises are free to harness the efficiencies of the public cloud, while users are
free to access the data they need to work and collaborate, regardless of device or location.
• Data level protection independent of network security – Data can roam the cloud freely,
because the protection comes from within the data itself.
• Role-based access security (RBAS) ™ -- Only the appropriate personnel can see only the
information that is relevant and appropriate for their job function and security level.
• A single file to serve them all -- Role-based redaction can be used within a single document or
file to eliminate the need for multiple versions of document for varying audiences.
• Persistent protection - Unauthorized data
modification can be flagged, identified, and
corrected. Stolen information is self-protecting, and
therefore cannot be used.
• Security independent of device – Security is not
device-centric, so while any key-bearing user can
access data on an authenticated device; loss or
theft of that device will not compromise the data.
Additionally, BYOD no longer poses an IT-security
management issue.
1 http://www.morganstanley.com/views/perspectives/cloud_computing.pdf
2 http://cloudsecurity.org/blog/2011/03/30/gogrid-security-breach.html.
"One
of
the
best
ways
to
leverage
the
cost
and
efficiency
benefits
of
the
cloud
and
virtualization
while
keeping
sensitive
information
secure,
is
to
protect
the
data
using
a
security
solution
that
delivers
data-­‐centric,
file-­‐level
encryption
that
is
portable
across
all
computing
platforms
and
operating
systems
and
works
within
a
private,
public
or
hybrid
cloud
computing
environment."
The
Security
Guidance
for
Critical
Areas
of
Focus
in
Cloud
Computing