With security improving for cloud computing services such as cloud-based email, the industry can't start to back down. The Guardian quotes Chris Ulliott, deputy technical director for CESG at the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, who told the Socitm conference that technical elements will help security services become certifiated before they reach the market.

"Putting all your corporate data on a home PC is not a good thing," he said to the conference, noting that the cloud can be a safer option. "You've only got to look at the number of home PCs that are compromised to see that is a bad thing."

Ulliott said CESG is working on issues including user access to data, jurisdictions, location of the cloud and where boundaries lie. He said the big challenge in the next year will be governance issues and whether government officials will weigh in on the public sector. He said they are instead focusing on pushing the cloud security methods forward technologically.

Michael Shaw, a professor of business development, told R&D Magazine's website that cloud computing security is as much of a risk as anything else in business. He said businesses need to take responsibility for their information and make sure they have ways to secure the cloud they use just like any other platform.