"Cloud computing” is a catch-all term that refers to many different technologies and business models. But they are not all created equally. Some are turnkey; others roll-your-own. Some are secure; others easily exploited. Some are publicly accessible, others highly restricted. For cloud-based physical security applications, all of these characteristics are important to consider.
It’s bad enough when a commercial website gets hacked and personal or financial data is compromised, but it’s potentially life threatening when a physical security system is vulnerable. That’s why we must ask ourselves: If physical security is moving to the cloud where it can be accessed on demand by anyone anywhere (even with restrictions), how do we keep it secure?