Are there Clouds on the horizon?
How do web and cloud technologies facilitate compliance? This is a question I keep asking my developer colleagues here at Qualsys HQ. The cloud does seem to be an important development and something, as a qualified lead auditor, whose implications I need to understand within a compliance scenario.
Firstly, a definition of cloud computing as taken from Wikipedia: ‘Cloud computing is the provision of a service over the internet on a utility basis. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the ‘cloud’ that supports them.’ To be a true web-enabled application, all that is needed to facilitate the working process is a browser and a web connection. This is a truly liberating experience: you can access your Hotmail account, edit and save Google documents, upload photographs to Flickr and update your profile on Facebook, all securely through any browser on any computer. With improvements in in-flight internet connectivity this means you can work literally in the clouds, 40,000ft up on a transatlantic plane flight! Now that’s cloud computing.
With this independence in mind I come to my major concern with cloud computing. Where are the files stored? Wearing my auditor hat for a moment; organisations that are complying with data protection standards and legislation have to be confident that any digital data stored is done so in a secure and stable environment. Outside of the EU the same rigorous adherence to data protection legislation may not be as necessary. Normally suppliers of web applications and file storage solutions will be certified to comply with the relevant regulations, for example the Data Protection Act of 1998 in the UK. The integrity of a service provider needs checking. This is something that external auditors, as part of an initial fact-finding session, can test before you entrust your documentation to a cloud service supplier.
Once an organisation has its documentation securely online what benefits can be expected? The financial ones are often cited as a major reason for migration to cloud computing and give its progress inevitability. Organisations no longer need to invest so heavily in hardware and IT staff. Ongoing IT costs can be kept to a predictable and manageable level. External product support means that application updates can be done without the end user being affected. With the business-crucial IT applications being managed elsewhere it also means that organisations can be assured that their data is always going to be accessible on a 24/7 basis without any of the potential shift, overtime or holiday issues which go with this level of service delivered by their own resources.
As an effective management channel across multi-sited organisations, a web-enabled application has benefits. Reports, training manuals, standard operating procedures can all be shared. With a cloud storage solution, a Quality Manager within an organisation can maintain documentation in a ‘virtual’ location that all employees can access with the knowledge that they are viewing the most current version. Our customers are finding that this access to documentation 24/7 via their own corporate hosted environment or a software as a service cloud instance is aiding the management of their compliance and communication.
Access to documents can be extended to include external auditors. I have been party to a number of audits where inspection of a quality manual, SOPS, health & safety records and non-conformances has meant a lengthy and expensive visit from the auditors. With all the documentation available online an auditor can assess the situation from a remote situation, negating the need for a site visit entirely.
The benefits of cloud computing are plain to see. For practical and financial reasons a move to a fully hosted and supported third party solution seems inevitable for some, if not all, of an organisation’s documentation, but, as with all advancements in technology, a certain amount of caution needs to be shown.
James Bywood. Contact James at: james.bywood@qualsys.co.uk
For information about Qualsys contact Robert Oakley on +44 (0)114 282 3338.
Email robert.oakley@qualsys.co.uk
5th November 2009
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