There’s really nothing new about Cloud computing and Cloud storage. With most companies, it simply means some service is available over the Internet. And with that in mind, there isn’t much new. Now, that’s both good and bad.

One thing is for certain, there is nothing routine when it comes to protecting and sharing data. Every day, new methods arise for exploiting security holes in existing infrastructure, while the needs for sharing more and more information also increase.

This dilemma calls for simple-complexity, a seeming contradiction, but a need nonetheless. Increasing the functionality of a fewer number of components simplifies architecture and can even minimize infrastructure spending. But it can also help with the hardening of security. By combining a number of different products into a single appliance, we minimize the likelihood of data being intercepted because the information doesn’t have to hop from server to server. All communications become internalized. This is the first realization a customer typically has when they experience the rich functionality of a Cachengo Director. File Server, SAN, Disk-to-Disk Backup Software, Backup Server and Online Storage are all a part of a single, tightly coupled product as opposed to a collection of parts from different vendors.

Unlike most of competitors for online backup, we love to discuss our security model. We start with some of the strictest standards in the industry such as Common Criteria’s Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL 1 to 7) and start stripping away many elements of vulnerability that remain. And then we start adding in new elements that we believe will bolster our security. Take for example the following:

In our infrastructure, we limit the ability for additional applications to run. This includes simple scripts. Buffer Overflows are a common method for exploiting security holes. Similarly, too many protocols or open ports can also compromise security. And contrary to popular belief, an API isn’t a security model. It may rely on a security measures. But they are different things.

Each Cachengo account is isolated at the time of creation. This means that an account breach cannot act as a conduit to other accounts or even other appliances within an account. This was done with the thought that breaches can in fact happen. Next, we’ve gone ahead and implemented a series of automated counter measures. If we detect an intrusion, we immediately collapse all customer file systems, which are encrypted by default. This ensures that no data is still present to steal in the event of a breach.

These measures really represent the beginning of our security methodology.

When we coined the tag line cloud storage that’s grounded we did it with the intention of poking fun at some of the things being passed off for Cloud computing and storage that suggest there is going to be a migration from physical storage and computing to all virtual infrastructure. Cloud storage is less of a technological advancement and more of a recognition of economics and security.