Business avoids cloud over fear of government snooping

Almost half of IT professionals are deterred from keeping sensitive data in the cloud because they fear government intervention and possible legal action, a survey has revealed.

The finding highlights underlying uncertainty about whether their organisation’s sensitive data is adequately protected, according to Lieberman Software, which polled 300 IT professionals.

There are a number of reasons IT professionals might be apprehensive about storing data in the cloud, but government surveillance and compliance are the key issues, said Philip Lieberman, president and CEO of Lieberman Software.

“IT managers fear that they will put their data at risk by moving to a cloud provider as they are unsure the provider will keep the data properly protected, which could ultimately affect their job and their business,” he said.

The other issue is around legislation in the cloud and the fact that IT managers do not want governments snooping around in their corporate data, said Lieberman.

“If a government or official body wanted to see what data a company was holding in the cloud, the cloud host involved would be legally obliged to provide them with access.

“This means there is very limited privacy in cloud environments. IT managers know it is much easier to hide data within their own private networks,” he said.

The survey also revealed that 88% of respondents think there is a chance that data hosted in the cloud could be lost, corrupted or vulnerable to unauthorised access.

Some 86% said they did not trust the cloud for their organisation’s more sensitive data and 51% of those surveyed do not trust the cloud for any of their personal data.

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