COMPUTING Data protection is essential for customer security and peace of mind (IPS), security reviews and penetration testing and has a proven track record in these specific areas if security is a concern for your business. CONVEYING TRUST You also need to take data protection and compliance into account. Being compliant will not only convey trust to but in some cases will clearly define what you should and shouldn't do with your customers' details and how they and you should protect them. If you are taking payments online for example, then something like PCI compliance is key as it details how to store and process customer data properly. An accreditation such as ISO27001 would inform a client that, as a business, you are managing and protecting your clients' valuable data and information assets. Also think about whether a fixedcost or pay-as-you-go model is best for your company. While pay-as-you-go can generally be very low cost, should you suddenly have a huge surge in the number of visitors to your website or application, for example, you could be left with an unexpected and possibly quite hefty bill. There's a lot to weigh up when it comes to the cloud. But with time, space and money to save once you're on it, for once it's worth having your head in the cloud. 127