Cyber Security Considerations When Moving to Public Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has the capability to level the playing field for small and medium sized businesses that find it difficult to acquire and operate the type of information technology found in large organizations. Public cloud computing, the focus of this paper, describes the situation whereby resources are dynamically provided over the Internet via web applications/web services from an off-site third-party provider who shares resources. Public cloud computing provides immense benefits but introduces huge security and privacy risks which makes some organizations apprehensive. This paper examines the potential and possibility of data security concerns to derail the future of public cloud computing. The results of the study reveal that data security concern is the single greatest concern when moving into the cloud