It was considered to be an open secret and there have always been indicators that attested to it but now it is an established fact. The PRISM surveillance affair has caused a worldwide furore. Official agencies went so far as to say that it is something that must be accepted because it ultimately affects the national security of the United States. Against this background, many companies are asking themselves how the confidentiality of their business-critical data can be ensured with reference to their cloud computing strategies. Companies find themselves in a strongly dependent relationship with technology and communications solutions over which the cloud already exerts a considerable influence.

1. 2013 © All rights reserved – openQRM Enterprise GmbH, Cologne Page 1
A prism changes your way of looking at the world: how
PRISM affects your cloud strategy
Cologne, 11/06/2013 – It was considered to be an open secret and there have always been indica-
tors that attested to it but now it is an established fact. The PRISM surveillance affair has caused a
worldwide furore. Official agencies went so far as to say that it is something that must be accepted
because it ultimately affects the national security of the United States. Against this background,
many companies are asking themselves how the confidentiality of their business-critical data can
be ensured with reference to their cloud computing strategies. Companies find themselves in a
strongly dependent relationship with technology and communications solutions over which the
cloud already exerts a considerable influence.
Assuming that the US and its intelligence agencies continue their monitoring activities, the question
arises as to whether public cloud services should continue to be used. In terms of alternatives, is
setting up a private cloud the royal road to IT Mecca? The truth lies somewhere in between and
goes by the name of the hybrid cloud.
Keep track of your data
There are already voices claiming that, thanks to PRISM, the public cloud model is doomed to
failure. But that's only half of the truth. The fact is that it is about the data, processes and depend-
encies involved in whatever configuration a company outsources its cloud functionality. Generally,
it is important to include these considerations in the development of any cloud strategy. There are
certainly use case scenarios where the public cloud will retain its legitimacy and can be used free
of risk. In many other cases, however, there is no real alternative to the private cloud, especially
when it comes to mission-critical data. Information from the fields of research and development has
no place in the public cloud.
"The cloud has established itself in recent years as the supporting technology and business ena-
bler that ensures that we will all come to benefit from interconnectedness on a very large scale",
says cloud computing analyst René Büst. "Strictly speaking, however, the situation for cloud users
has not changed. With regard to their cloud strategy companies have always tended to separate
their business-critical data from information that is publicly available. For this purpose, different
cloud types and models are available."
In order to ensure a comfortable and seamless transition between the two worlds, it is advisable to
follow a hybrid cloud strategy right from the start. Only in this way is it possible to shift non-critical
data and processes from the private cloud to the public cloud when needed.

2. 2013 © All rights reserved – openQRM Enterprise GmbH, Cologne Page 2
Openness generates trust
In information technology, it is just like in any other good relationship. Everything should be openly
talked about and there should be no secrets from each other. The existence of PRISM now places
this circumstance, however, in a rather different light. According to US media reports, at least nine
US companies are directly or indirectly involved in the scandal. As for the number of unreported
cases, we will find this out in the coming months – if at all.
Companies are therefore encouraged, despite the promise that all data is stored and transmitted in
encrypted form, not to place 100% reliance on the provider they have chosen. In any case, it is
now necessary to perform due diligence in putting public cloud providers under the microscope.
René Büst: "From a technological perspective, it is considered advisable that companies rely on
vendors who are willing to show their hands from a technology point of view and thus deal openly
with their customers concerning the technologies used. Should public cloud solutions be rejected
for data protection reasons, open source private cloud solutions should be considered in the first
place. Here, access is given to the source code and professional audits may be carried out."
To a certain extent PRISM has harmed the cloud-computing model. However, the cloud is not
dead; it can be used with caution so long as it is not allowed to become a forgone conclusion. For
this purpose there are enough open – especially open source – and secure cloud solutions on the
market that need to be selected according to each company's security requirements.
Contact Us
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Author
Andre Westbunk is co-founder of
openQRM Enterprise GmbH,
supplier of the data centre man-
agement and cloud computing
suite of the same name. He looks
back on more than 15 years
experience in the areas of web
development, Web-/Cloud-Hosting and software
sales.