posted by on June 21, 2010 11:40 PM

How often do you hear about the latest Microsoft worm? Take, for example, the Conficker worm of 2009 that infected over 15 million machines, giving “back door” access to hackers, and making mission critical data completely insecure. The fact of the matter is that PC security breaches happen all the time, but don’t fret, there may be a solution.

With the advent of cloud computing, there has also been an increase in the security capabilities of everyone who takes advantage of cloud computing. The reason for this is quite simple – the providers of cloud computing services concentrate far more resources towards the security of the services they provide than the average PC user ever could. Why? For one, they have to in order to survive. But also, by definition, cloud computing service providers must utilize an assortment of technology that resides within specialized datacenters. In turn, these datacenters are built from the ground up with security and reliability as the foremost objectives.

Take for example TrackVia. The datacenter we utilize not only has 24x7 armed guards and continuous video surveillance, but also has blast walls, concrete bunkers, multiple levels of backup generators and even a dry moat! Even with a tank it would be tough to breach our security. How many PC users have that kind of security? How many corporate internal IT systems have that kind of security? The answer is obvious. And for Trackvia, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

After all, security isn’t merely the physical landscape - it also involves numerous layers of security on a technical level. TrackVia applies layers such as network security, infrastructure security, application-level security, and user access and management. These layers include features such as a 24/7 managed firewall with intrusion detection, stringent password and rotation requirements, encrypted database field types, IP filtering, and so much more.

You might wonder with all this security, if it’s a real pain to switch over to a system that sounds so complex. As a matter of fact, it’s easier, faster, and cheaper. The use of TrackVia, for example, is not limited to software engineers. Rather, TrackVia’s services are targeted directly towards the average business user. Furthermore, the implementation period for a new application can literally be as short as minutes. Compare that to the weeks, months, or even years often required for internal IT to pump something out. Finally, the cost savings are tremendous when you consider everything from a smaller IT labor force, to increased efficiency, to less spending on equipment.

The cloud computing revolution isn’t just a new way to go about managing your IT operations. It’s also a more secure, more efficient, and less expensive way of doing business.