Certification Programs Are Making it Easier to Know All About a Cloud Vendor

Computerworld — Cloud computing continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and two recent developments are good news for cloud customers who want to be sure that their vendor is all it says it is.

Over a year ago, in November 2011, I wrote a column addressing the question of how customers can verify a cloud vendor's claimed infrastructure and security mechanisms. One way, I noted, is to contractually require the cloud vendor to engage in a standardized certification process, essentially providing third-party confirmation of the cloud vendor's claims.

Standardized certification processes benefit both cloud vendors and cloud customers. The vendor engages in the process once instead of submitting to a separate assessment and monitoring process for each customer engagement. Both the vendor and its customers thus save money, time and staff resources. This approach also increases transparency between the vendor and the customer, ideally leading to improved quality of service.