Cloud Computing

Introduction to Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is defined as "Web-based applications that are stored on remote servers and accessed via the ‘cloud' of the Internet using a standard Web browser" according to Laudon and Laudon, author of the textbook Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm. It offers two basic services: Software as a Service (SaaS) and utility computing defined as a "model of computing in which companies pay only for the information technology resources they actually use during a specified time period, also known as on-demand computing". Exactly what cloud computing is and what the services it are can be interpreted in many different ways but in short it offers access to data anywhere and anytime.

The top obstacles affecting the adoption, growth, policies and business of the Cloud:

➢ Business Continuity and Service Availability: Organizations are concerned whether utility-computing services will have adequate availability and the opportunity.

➢ Data Lock-In: Cloud is currently troubled with non-standardized APIs for storages so the customers cannot easily extract data and programs from one site and run on another.

➢ Security: Security is the prime concern even though data Confidentiality and auditability issues can be tackled by deploying encryptions, VLANs and Firewalls.

➢ Performance: Unpredictable issues which is caused by problems in network and disk I/O sharing cannot be diagnosed easily or easily avoided

In this article I will review the five articles that relate to the topic of "Cloud Computing Security" and then I will analyze the topic and give my subjective opinions on the topic. (Laudon and Laudon)

Top Five Cloud Computing Security Issues

This article by David Binning discusses how since depression many companies have realized that by simply subscribing to cloud they can gain fast access to all applications and boosts their infrastructure. With all the positives comes the negatives too and therefore every company should look into the following concerns before selecting to use software and infrastructure as a service via cloud:

1. Every breached security system was once thought infallible

Cloud service providers claim that the security in the cloud environment is tighter than in most enterprises but again we know for fact that every security system that has ever been breached was once thought infallible. Even big players like Google and Salesforce was prone to it so to assume that we are always safe is not a safe practice. The increasing use of cloud as a service leads to increased amount of data on the cloud and which in turns means more security measures needed to be taken for its protection from cyber crooks.

2. Understand