Former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley: 'We Can’t Be Afraid Of New Frontiers Like Cloud'

Martha Coakley, Partner at Foley Hoag LLP and this year's keynote speaker at the Mass Bay Security Summit in Wellesley, Massachusetts, calls the use of cloud in enterprise an "educational issue." In a private conversation with CRNtv, Coakley likened the ability to code to the ability to read and write. She said that, in this day and age, its important to stay abreast of the changes being made in technology in order to use them to our advantage - and not the other way around. "So much of what we do and are able to do is based upon this language and the capabilities that it gives us. You don't have to be a computer or IT expert to understand the basics of it so that you can use it and not be afraid of it," said Coakley. She admitted that with the cloud comes some risk, but that when it is used and "cared for" correctly, it can do far more good than harm. "This fear of the unknown has been true for any new form of technology over the years, and I think that having a common sense approach will allow us to employ our native intelligence and balance the potential threats with the many benefits." At the Summit, she encouraged audience members, saying they shouldn't be afraid of new technologies and where they might take us.