Pictured above: Richard Carty of IT services business Netshield, says outsourcing can save businesses up to 30 percent on the bottom line

A recent report by the Information Security Forum (ISF) spotlights the critical nature of information security of cloud-based IT systems, a fact Midlands-based managed IT services business Netshield Limited has long been striving to highlight.

The company's Richard Carty, Commercial Director, explains: "The recent report by the ISF has identified the top-seven mistakes of businesses when undertaking implementation of cloud computing systems.

"This IT revolution gives businesses access to applications and infrastructure in real-time, and in-line with the changing way organisations are working today with more employees accessing IT systems from outside of the office, its use is on the rise," he says.

"However, it is vital businesses appreciate just how critical robust security of the information is to the backbone of any cloud computing system, so we welcome the findings by the ISF which we are sure will help businesses get to grips with this increasingly common practice."

Amongst the 'seven deadly sins' outlined in the ISF report is that businesses are ignorant of cloud services, and have little or no management knowledge. The report also finds that businesses are complacent, assuming that the service is available 24/7, which carries with it the potential for IT systems to be compromised, unless they conduct a detailed review of contracts with service providers before signing-up to an outsourced cloud-computing facility.

"Many businesses are leaving themselves exposed to hackers and IT security threats, through an inadvertent lack of security protection over their cloud computing, outsourced contract provision," says Richard.

"Businesses have a very real challenge in their implementation and day-to-day use of cloud-based computing and should conduct a comprehensive audit of service providers' policies before they deploy.

"Many cloud-based services are in fact often used unknowingly by organisations- for example applications such as Salesforce, Google apps, MessageLabs, Skype, and social networking sites including Twitter and LinkedIn, all operate on cloud-based services - and with a growing number of office workers operating remotely, accessing IT services and confidential information from a host of devices, comes a rise in the potential risk to the business. Such cloud-based services often lack appropriate security protection which could simply end in disaster for a business, unless they act quickly."

Two-factor password authentication is becoming the method of choice for more and more businesses taking a stand on IT security and system protection, as Richard explains: "It can take hackers no more than a few seconds to access a network, with 80 percent of passwords proven to be related to individual's interests, hobbies or personal information. By replacing passwords with a PIN and token which generates a one-time password, businesses can boost their security to the highest levels."

Netshield has pioneered a Managed Authentication Service, Netmas, a PIN and token-based system, which creates additional layers of security for a business in order to protect sensitive and confidential information.

Part of its portfolio of Managed Security services, Netmas works with an organisations' existing IT infrastructure and systems. It is a flexible and scalable solution, which delivers seamless integration into existing IT environments within a few hours of installation, and gives the widest range of innovative and non-expiring tokens at highly competitive pricing rates.

"The economy is changing the way businesses work today," says Richard. "Wherever staff are working from, businesses have a duty of care to ensure their own 'borders' are protected, and the nature of the third party relationship inherent in cloud computing means in-house security policies need an immediate review. There has been a lot of hype from IT vendors and service providers about what technology is on the horizon for the future, but existing IT systems and security risks are a very real consideration today and businesses must act now and make their IT security a priority."

Netshield Limited is based in Aldridge at the heart of the Midlands, and specialises in the delivery of complete managed serviced IT solutions, including data management and hosted services, including SaaS, IaaS and PaaS, with a particular focus on a Managed Authentication Service.