Re: Another one bites the dust...
Ok, let's deal with the bullet points:-
>Too large an attack surface and too much territory to defend
I cannot think of a bigger "attack surface" than the cloud.
>Lack of realistic training and regular, intense, high-performance testing of defenses
One of the reasons why there are so many cloud oopsies is because people are not trained in how to handle cloud security. One of the so-called advantages of the cloud is that you can shed a lot of technical staff. These are the people best placed to advise people on how cloud security works.
>Compartmentalized leadership that doesn't see the big picture or lead from the front
If you remove technical people from your boardroom mix then you may still have leadership, but you don't have the wheels with which to propel the vehicle forward. You still need the garage with the guy wielding the spanner.
>No allies, thereby trying to do everything yourself against a more powerful enemy who can cheaply automate their attacks
I wouldn't regard any cloud provider as an "ally". Because they are trying to maximise their economic returns, this means that low volume communications are frowned upon as they adversely affect the bottom line, so don't expect personalised attention. What I suspect will happen here is that a new breed of consultants will spring up, getting you to pay them for dealing with the administrative headaches you are having, such as liaising with the cloud company because you can't log in to your account, which techies of my generation will gladly dispense with as not being their core competency.
>Too little weapon's system automation relative to the enemy's ability to automate
If you want to be a sheep, be a sheep. What is your USP (Unique Selling Point)? "My" USP is that I passionately believe in On-Premises still, and those companies that are sceptical about The Cloud should come and have a chat with "me", at their premises, naturally. (Inverted commas because I am speaking for all of my peers here - a lot of them to be found on ElReg, if I'm not mistaken). Your USP? It is probably along the lines of wishing to stand out from The Cloud... oh, sorry, I meant The Crowd.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
