Security in the Cloud

I was interviewed last week by a journalist from Computer Weekly for an article that he is writing about Cloud Computing, and security.
One trend that I have noticed in recent months is that some of our bigger clients are blocking access to file sharing services like YouSendIt and DropBox. The driver behind this I assume is to try to prevent staff from using these services to circumvent information security policies. This, for me, is typical “wash ups and midgets” behaviour (especially when, as a result, clients become totally reliant on extranet services that are provided by my team that have only limited bandwidth because of the way in which they are currently hosted.
Information, to coin a cliché, is like water. If you ignore its passage, it will find a way out somehow. Best to provide adequate pipes and channels to prevent leaks springing up inconveniently. The problem with blacklisting services like YouSendIt is simple – there are more services like it springing up every day, and companies who try to block these channels will be chasing their tails.
What companies do need to do is provide adequate training, policy and guidance to all of their staff about how they can share information in safe and secure ways.