The cloud and content streaming continue to grow as a connectivity mechanism for delivering applications and services. Netflix now accounts for almost 30 percent of downstream internet traffic during peak times according to Sandvine’s Global Internet Phenomena Report. Microsoft and Amazon are entering into the online storage market. But given Sony’s recent experience with the security of their PlayStation and Online Entertainment services, is the cloud safe enough, especially when new exploits are being uncovered in their network even as they bring those services back online?

When I started working, I was exposed to a subtle but powerful concept that is relevant to deciding if and when the cloud is safe enough to use, and that lesson has stayed with me ever since. One of my first jobs was supporting a computing operations group and one of their functions was managing the central printing services. Some of the printers they managed were huge impact printers that weighed many hundreds of pounds each. A senior operator explained to me that there was a way to greatly accelerate the wear and tear on these printers merely by sending a print job with the correct but completely legal sequences of text.

This opened my eyes to the fact that even when a device or system is being used “correctly,” unintended consequences can occur unless the proper safeguards are added to the design of that system. This realization has served me well in countless projects because it taught me to focus on mitigating legal but unintended operating scenarios so that these systems were robust.

An example that affects consumers more directly is exploding cell phone batteries a few years back. In some of those cases, the way the charge was delivered to the battery weakened the batteries; however, if a smarter regulator was placed between the charge input and the battery input, charge scenarios that are known to damage a battery could be isolated by the charge regulator instead of being allowed to pass through in ignorance. This is a function that adds cost and complexity to the design of the device and worse yet, does not necessarily justify an increase in the price that the buyer is willing to pay. However, the cost of allowing batteries to age prematurely or to explode is significant enough that it is possible to justify the extra cost of a smart charge regulator.

I question whether the cloud infrastructure, which is significantly more complicated than a mere stand-alone device or function, is robust enough to act as a central access point because it currently represents a single point of failure that can have huge ramifications from a single flaw, exploit, or weakness in its implementation. Do you think the cloud is safe enough to bet your product and/or company on?