A new initiative from the Cloud Security Alliance will see vendors publicly detail their network security provisions at a centralized clearinghouse for the information, the group announced recently. This will allow companies that have made extensive investment in their network security infrastructure to trumpet their success to the public.

CSA STAR, as the directory will be called, will allow cloud service providers to complete one of two options for self-assessment, the results of which will be published.

"CSA STAR represents a major leap forward in industry transparency, encouraging providers to make security capabilities a market differentiator," the group said in a statement.

According to the CSA, the system will be online sometime during the last three months of the year, but companies are urged to submit their questionnaires as soon as possible, in order to have a substantial knowledge base available to the public at launch.

Experts say that businesses can improve cloud security in a number of ways, but that the best option will depend on the type of cloud system in use.