Market research firm Gartner is sounding the alarm about customer dissatisfaction with some cloud computing services. Specifically, enterprises are concerned about contract ambiguities related to the maintenance of data confidentiality, data integrity and recovery after a data loss incident.”
“We continue to see frustration among cloud services users over the form and degree of transparency they are able to obtain from prospective and current service providers,” stated Gartner’s Alexa Bona. “As more buyers demand it, and as the standards mature, it will become increasingly common practice to perform assessments in a variety of ways, including reviewing responses to a questionnaire, reviewing third-party audit statements, conducting an on-site audit and/or monitoring the cloud services provider.”
The firm recommends that SaaS customers should look for contracts that allow for an annual security audit and certification by a third party.