15 November 2013

HP and Pulsant have become the first firms to be awarded STAR certification under the BSI and Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) scheme set up in September.

BSI risk management specialist Suzanne Fribbins says that by gaining accreditation, HP and Pulsant have demonstrated their dedication to providing a secure cloud service. “Obtaining this certification creates a transparency in the industry that will help consumers and businesses to evaluate the performance of a cloud service provider and offer reassurance that specific cloud security risks have been addressed.”

To gain STAR certification, a service provider has to have achieved ISO/ IEC 27001. It is then is assessed using 11 control areas (as specified in the CSA Cloud Control Matrix) and judged for maturity levels according to five management principles.

HP and Pulsant each attained a Silver level following the BSI’s independent assessments. The highest level is Gold. As with all STAR certified firms, the two companies will now be listed on the CSA STAR Registry of approved organisations.

The BSI points out that no certification can ever guarantee information is 100 per cent secure. But it adds that ISO/IEC 27001 combined with STAR Certification ensures a cloud provider has an appropriate system for the type of data it is handling.