ISACA's Marc Vael says differences in cloud computing environments and cloud providers can pose security risks. But well thought-out contracts and risk-management plans can fill potential security gaps and ensure business continuity during outages and disasters.

Performing digital forensics in the cloud isn't necessarily a new discipline, says Rob Lee of SANS Institute. But the task definitely requires a whole new mindset and some new skills from investigators.

It is no longer enough for information security professionals to secure critical information. They also need to be asking about the legitimacy of where this information comes from, says John Colley, managing director of (ISC)2 in EMEA.

Dickie George of the National Security Agency has one word to describe the state of information security education today: "Spotty." And this state must improve if we hope to fill all the growing demand for security pros.

NIST's Ron Ross points out that its seminal security control guidance, Special Publication 800-53, contains only one privacy control, requiring agencies to conduct a privacy impact assessment. That will change by year's end.

You know your organization's social media policy is a good one when it starts sounding less like a checklist and more like common sense, says Sherrie Madia, social media expert and author.

Eddie Schwartz didn't shy away from the offer to become RSA's first chief security officer after the security firm experienced a sophisticated advanced-persistent-threat breach. Instead, Schwartz embraced the hack as the reason to take the job. (See RSA to Get Its First Chief Security Officer.)

Recent high-profile data breaches and heightened threats add up to one thing: a bright future for information security professionals who want to start or re-start a career in risk management.

RSA customers who feel victimized by last March's breach of the security vendor's computers have viable options that include continued use of the SecurID authentication tokens, those offered by competitors, or something entirely different: biometrics.

Insider fraud expert Shirley Inscoe says Citi is not the only financial institution that's doing a poor job of keeping up with employee misconduct. Few banking institutions grasp how damaging inside jobs actually are.