Many still fear the cloud.

• Position: DATA SECURITY - Brief article

The benefits of cloud computing have received lots of hype, but security concerns just won't go away. A 2009 CIO.com survey of IT professionals who make technology purchasing decisions revealed that fears related to security, data management, cost of ownership, regulatory and compliance issues, and vendor lock-in have increased as compared to results from a similar 2008 survey.

In a July 2009 survey, "CIO Technology Priorities Survey," 60% of nearly 800 IT buyers and decision-makers said cloud computing services were "on my radar" or they were "actively researching" them.

However, another 2009 survey, "CIO...