HR TECH OUTLOOK8 MAY 2019Speed is the Name of the Game1. How has your IT operating model in cloud changed during the last five years?As a security company, we have been thoughtfully embracing cloud over the past five years. For me the big shift is going from "Why cloud" to "Why not cloud" in everything we do. We're not only helping our customers by delivering solutions with a cloud-first orientation, as a company we're also embracing the many opportunities that come with using cloud technology. However, the introduction of cloud in any organization does require changes in the operating model in several areas. In infrastructure management, there needs to be a shift from racking, stacking, and building to designing, monitoring and optimizing for effective performance and cost management in the cloud. Identity and access control is also a crucial element for protecting company information, and this needs to be integrated and tightly managed with the corporate IAM policy for data protection and other compliance reasons. Capabilities like single sign-on become paramount to avoid multiple user ID and password scenarios. This is both a user experience issue and potential security threat, as users may record ID and passwords which could be easily compromised. Finally, every cloud vendor has varying levels of sophistication and access when it comes to security. Depending on the classification of the application/infrastructure, the security architecture needs to enforce the same rigor, level, and appropriate monitoring. 2. What do you think are the biggest obstacles that cloud technologists face in working in a more agile and outcomes based model?As the leading cyber security company, Forcepoint understands that there are inherent and important security issues that come with embracing the cloud. When considering cloud opportunities, security is first and foremost for us in its adoption and implementation. By definition, the cloud should enable more agility and speed. However, if designed incorrectly the cloud can become multiple islands of applications and infrastructure with very little information sharing. This suppresses business effectiveness significantly. Having a conceptual integration and information architecture is the key for a successful cloud implementation.In addition, not having a hybrid security architecture can stifle notably the agility and outcome in the cloud. Many assume the cloud in and of itself is safe, and additional security is unnecessary. The analogy I use is, being in AWS is like having a house in a gated community. Just being in a gated community doesn't guarantee security from burglars. It's crucial to design appropriate security and access controls in the cloud which meet company security objectives and standards.3. Moving from traditional IT to a service offering model requires a major mindset shift in cloud. How did you make that happen?Shifting to the cloud is both a blessing and curse in some ways. As an IT person, you lose access to some granular details; however it frees bandwidth to do more valuable things, like focusing on availability, monitoring, and performance. It's said "You are only as strong as the weakest link in the chain." With regard to availability, if the service you offer sources from multiple clouds or vendors, then understanding the dependency and ensuring the SLA requirements meet Meerah RajavelMeerah Rajavel, CIO, ForcepointByIn MyOpinion
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