ID theft named top cloud business concern

New study names biggest business risks associated with web-based application deployments

Cloud risks: ID theft and the accidental disclosure of sensitive material were among business leaders' top concerns

The risk of identity theft has been cited as the top cause of concern for bosses when it comes to adopting cloud-based business applications.

According to the findings of an online study involving 474 business decision makers from the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Brazil, 65 per cent expressed concerns about the risks involved with relying on the internet for business activities.

The top three causes for concern cited by respondents were data/identity theft, reduced customer satisfaction and the accidental disclosure of sensitive information.

The inability to identify and resolve service problems and the risk of revenue loss because of slow or dropped transactions came in fourth and fifth place respectively.

The survey, carried out by analyst IDC, was commissioned by application monitoring specialist Compuware.

Michael Allen, application performance management solutions director at Compuware, said improved access to real-time information involving web-based applications would help to ease the fears raised by the survey.

“You need visibility across the enterprise, internet and datacentre delivery chain, otherwise any problems could be catastrophic,” said Allen. “Internet customer loyalty is wafer thin so visitors not receiving the service they expect will end up frustrated and potentially fall into the clutches of a competitor.”