IT pros: Cloud apps are as secure as their on-premise counterparts

For the first time ever, the majority of cybersecurity professionals believe cloud-based apps are as secure as on-premise apps. Those are the results of a new survey conducted by Bitglass, among 2,200 cybersecurity experts.

According to the report, entitled The Rise of Purpose-Built Cloud Security, 52 percent of those surveyed said they found cloud-based apps as secure as their on-premise counterparts. The most interesting thing is that this percentage has jumped from 40 percent same time last year.

But just because apps are believed to be secure, it doesn’t mean businesses are. The report also says that user behavior, such as unauthorized access, or external sharing, exposes businesses to various risks.

Looking at how businesses could secure themselves, it was reported that traditional security infrastructure simply doesn’t cut it for the cloud, for 59 percent of those surveyed. A new approach is needed, instead. More than half (56 percent) plan on setting up and enforcing security policies across multiple cloud apps.

At the same time, shadow IT (the usage of unauthorized cloud apps for business) is not driving changes in policy, despite an increase in usage. Microsoft’s Office 365 is still the number one cloud app suite for collaboration, but Google Apps is struggling.

Almost two thirds (61 percent) of organizations either have or are planning Office 365 deployment, going up from 45 percent same time last year. Google Apps has fallen to 26 percent, from 29 percent same period last year.

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