With all that is being written lately about the levels of security or lack thereof in cloud computing, I believe a recent article by Bill Brenner, Computerworld is worth reading. 

More precisely Bill Brenner writes about , “……just how perilous the cloud can be.”   In his article, he puts a focus on recent events in cloud computing where he points out ”….the security concerns smart people have been raising for a very long time” and then quotes other people he trusts that also share those concerns.  The article is a good quick read for summarizing the issues, risks, and concerns surrounding this quickly developing technology.

Click here to read this article.

David Coursey, a writer for PC World, writes that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently warned the U.S. Congress  that the American Global Positioning System (GPS) faces the possibility of failures and blackouts in 2010 and beyond.  The problem: Delays in launching replacement satellites, among other things.

Read more about what David summarized in his short article in PC World, or read the full GAO report to better understand the potential issues and probabilities of risk regarding the non-performance of our GPS System ….which the GAO claims is a technology ”essential to national security” …..and your organization(s).

For some time a debate has ensued regarding the development of a business continuity plan by an organization new to this process.  For the most part,  BC models begin by using a business impact analysis and risk assessment to determine the vulnerabilities that the business faces and the level of threat that these vulnerabilities present.  However, as David Honour, editor, Continuity Central states and asks in his writeup on this issue, “Do the standard BC models leave organizations that are developing their first plans vulnerable for too long?”

Please read David’s article along with the comments to the article for helping each of us determine the best answer to that question and review some of the important elements and points raised in that debate.