An Introduction to the Technology and Ethics of Cloud Computing Jack Newton Co founder and President Themis Solutions Inc. (Clio)
what is software-as-a-service?
traditional computing model The Internet Local Area Network
cloud computing model The Internet Local Area Network
traditional software distribution
cloud computing distribution
why software-as-a-service?
freedom
available from any device
security
terminology Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Industry standard protocol for securing Internet communications Banks, e commerce sites (Amazon.com, etc.) all use SSL for secure communications
without ssl Information exchanged is insecure Please give me my bank account balance $2,031.34 Your Computer Your Bank s Server
with ssl Information exchanged is encrypted for security 01101010001010110101010100101010 11010001110 Your Computer Your Bank s Server
verifying ssl connections A sealed lock icon indicates a secure connection Internet Explorer: Firefox: Safari:
server security Are third party audits being performed?
server security
server security
privacy
privacy Does the SaaS provider have a published privacy policy? Need to ensure you own your data The private client information stored with your SaaS provider cannot be used for any other purposes
facebook privacy policy You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings. You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content.
TRUSTe How is sensitive information being handled? TRUSTe s program requirements are based upon the Fair Information Principles and OCED Guidelines around notice, choice, access, security, and redress the core foundations of privacy and building trust. Sealholders are required to undergo a rigorous review process to assess the accuracy of privacy disclosures and compliance with TRUSTe s requirements in order to obtain certification.
data availability
internal backup policies How many times per day is data backed up? Is data backed up to multiple offsite locations?
external backup provisions Can you perform an export of your data? Comma Separated Values (CSV) Extensible Markup Language (XML) Microsoft Excel (XLS)
business continuity What if the SaaS provider goes out of business?
option 1: data export Comma Separated Values (CSV) Extensible Markup Language (XML) Microsoft Excel (XLS) Cross your fingers and hope you re up to date
newton s first law of backups: If it isn t automated you ll forget to do it
option 2: data escrow saasprovider escrow provider saas user
terms of service / service level agreement
terms of service ToS Outlines the conditions under which you agree to use the service Ensure you ve reviewed and accepted your provider s terms of service
service level agreement SLA Outlines guaranteed uptime percentages E.g. 99.9% Usually providers for some kind of compensation if downtime exceeds SLA guarantee
total cost of ownership
TCO total cost of ownership Assessment of both direct and indirect costs associated with software and hardware solutions
traditional desktop software tco original software purchase annual software renewal technical support contract
traditional desktop software tco original hardware purchase networking / virtual private network backups/ data redundancy
traditional desktop software tco
saas tco
google apps vs. exchange cost comparison Discovered the business community is largely unaware of the costs of running an e mail account Many companies surveyed gave guesses from $2 to $11 per user, although a detailed accounting showed that the costs were often several times that
google apps vs. exchange cost comparison
ethics of cloud computing
North Carolina Ethics Inquiry First ethics opinion in North America specifically focused on use of cloud computing in a law firm Hot off the presses committee met April 15th
North Carolina Ethics Inquiry Is it within the Rules of Professional Conduct for an attorney/law firm to use online ("cloud computing") practice management programs (e.g., the Clio program) as part of the practice of law? These are instances where the software program is accessed online with a password and is not software installed on a computer within the firm's office.
North Carolina Proposed Formal Ethics Opinion Yes, provided steps are taken effectively to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of confidential client information and to protect client property, including file information, from risk of loss.
North Carolina Proposed Formal Ethics Opinion Yes, provided steps are taken effectively to minimize the risk of inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of confidential client information and to protect client property, including file information, from risk of loss.
North Carolina Proposed Formal Ethics Opinion Although a lawyer has a professional obligation to protect confidential information from unauthorized disclosure, the Ethics Committee has long held that this duty does not compel any particular mode of handling confidential information nor does it prohibit the employment of vendors whose services may involve the handling of documents or data containing client information. See RPC 133 (no requirement that firm s waste paper be shredded if lawyer ascertains that persons or entities responsible for the disposal employ procedures that effectively minimize the risk that confidential information may be disclosed). Moreover, the committee has held that, while the duty of confidentiality extends to the use of technology to communicate, this obligation does not require that a lawyer use only infallibly secure methods of communication. RPC 215. Rather, the lawyer must use reasonable care to select a mode of communication that, in light of the circumstances, will best protect confidential communications and the lawyer must advise effected parties if there is reason to believe that the chosen communications technology presents an unreasonable risk to confidentiality.
www.goclio.com jack@goclio.com twitter: @goclio