Identifying a True Cloud Security System

Not all physical security industry cloud offerings are true cloud systems. A true cloud system is specifically engineered for cloud computing. It provides valuable capabilities that premises-based systems can’t. They are constrained by cost factors and the fixed computing and storage capacities of on-premises servers. Yet some companies install traditional client-server software on a cloud-hosted server and call it a “cloud-based system”. This wrongly implies that the software is designed to utilize cloud computing capabilities. Cloud systems engineering is very different from traditional client-server software engineering.

A true cloud system’s architecture makes maximum use of modern cloud computing technology, through a “pay only for what you use” subscription model. A true cloud system affordably and securely provides scalable capabilities that can’t possibly be achieved in client-server on-premises systems.

Some end-users, security design consultants, and systems integrators remain cautious about cloud-based security applications. The physical security industry does not have a history of timely and flawless adoption of information technology and IT practices. This led to suspicions (in some cases discoveries) that not all solutions promoted as “cloud-based” are true cloud offerings.

However, true cloud security applications do exist. Given the business world’s accelerating adoption of cloud computing, more organizations are open to deploying cloud-based security applications than many security practitioners and security technology specifiers generally realize. This makes it especially important to be able to identify well-engineered physical security cloud applications.