Given the revelations over the past year of the extent to which government agencies have been monitoring and gaining access to sensitive data, not to mention tapping directly into the pipes connecting global organisations such as Google and Yahoo, CIOs would be forgiven if their paranoia levels have notched up a level or two.

“There are no such things as guarantees that data will not be compromised,” says Andrew Kirkland, country manager for managed security services company Trustwave. “At the end of the day, assurances are not enough, but what can be done is due diligence. Sales people will lead you down a path that looks rosy, but once you jump on board, that may not be the reality.”

This may be rather unsettling news for organisations that have or are considering storing or processing some of their corporate information in the cloud. And with pressures for IT executives to provide 24-hour access, from anywhere and on practically any device or platform, the options may suddenly seem diminished.