Abstract
Cloud computing
is a way of delivering information technology services by service providers to
consumers. In other words, it is a flexible and a cost-effective platform for
delivery of business or information technology services to consumers over the
Internet. However, it offers some risks because the services have outsourcing
to a third party meaning that it is hard to maintain the security and privacy
of that data, ensure data and service availability, and ensure compliance. A
cloud computing presents some security issues that makes it unreliable and
vulnerable to criticism by scholars. The paper contains various strategies for
implementing cloud computing as well as the issues that come with cloud
computing.
Introduction
The
implementation of cloud computing is receiving growth day by day in both the
industrial as well as the scientific communities. It enables ubiquitous,
on-demand as well as convenient access to shared computing resources that can
have rapid provisioning and release with minimum service provider integration
and management effort. Cloud computing has the objective to offer quick and
secure computing services as well as data storage services delivered over the
Internet. Cloud computing enhances agility, scalability; accelerate development
work, availability, collaboration and a potential reduction in cost via
optimized and efficient computing. Although there are benefits that accrue from
implementing cloud computing, there are also potential issues especially in the
area of security.
Strategies for implementing cloud
computing
Build
a business model
If an agency
wants to develop an agency to cloud-based services, there is a need to provide
a business context for this decision so as to ensure that there is a
well-scrutinized candidate cloud service solution. There should be the
conducting of a business analysis just like in the case of an outsourced
solution. There is a need to build a business model and then gather the
requirements to form the basis for the business case and other subsequent tasks
such as sourcing, implementation, and testing.
Assessing
the Risks
An organization
should then use the business model to conduct a threat and risk assessment.
They should have the knowledge of cloud computing better practice guides so as
to help them, identify potential risk and come up with suitable strategies for
addressing those risks. Some of the risk categories are those dealing with
quality, integration, compliance, and business continuity.
Capture
the Requirements
If an
organization is to determine the requirements, it has to use the business
model; and the risks assessment because they are the ones that offer the basis
for the same. The organization should determine the mandatory and desirable
requirements as this will provide a guideline for the services that they
require and the cloud service model suitable for them.
Select
a Provider
Just like in
procurement, selecting a cloud service provider should entail the verification
that the provider addresses all the business needs and security requirements.
The decision also should have a basis of the contractual arrangements and the
outcome based on the value of money principle. The elements that an agency
needs to include the assurance that pricing is transparent; confirm that the
cost model is suitable for them to be sure about the training, set up and
integration fees.
Issues with Implementing Cloud
Computing
Despite the many
benefits that can accrue from cloud computing implementation, some barriers to
its implementation do exist. Cloud computing is a relatively new computing
model and. Therefore, there is a great uncertainty that does exist in light of
security, privacy, legal matters, and compliance. The greatest uncertainty is
concerning security at all levels of such as the network, the application, and
the data levels. That uncertainty makes many executives consider security as
their number one worry with cloud computing. The concern for security is due to
the risk of external data storage; access takes place via the public Internet, minimal
control, and multi-tenancy. Cloud computing services have distribution in such
a way that there are many clients sharing the same resources. That may means
that there are no enough traditional security mechanism like identity,
authorization and authentication.
To take security
issues further, the cloud model does provide three types of services which
include Software as a Service, Platform as a Service and Infrastructure as a
service. For instance with Software as a Service, there is a high degree of
abstraction in functionality with minimal consumer control. Agencies have
minimum control in this type of cloud model and so security is a major concern.
Because the service provision is through the Internet, flaws on the Internet
may create vulnerabilities for this type of application. In the case of
Platform as a Service, the agencies do not have access to the underlying layers
and it is the responsibility of the providers to ensure security of underlying
infrastructure. The service providers are not sure that the development
environment tools offered by the PaaS services are secure.
Conclusion
Cloud computing
is new computing concept that offers many benefits for its consumers but it as
well presents some security concerns that may slow down its adoption.
Understanding ate threats and risks in cloud computing will help organizations
to make a wise decision in light of the implementation of cloud computing
service. The paper presented the strategies for implementing cloud computing
and also the security concerns for this application. Based on the information
presented in this paper, organizations can have a basis on which to base their
decisions regarding cloud computing adoption.
References
Carlin, S. & Curran, K. (2011) Cloud Computing
Security. International Journal of
Ambient Computing and Intelligence, 3(1):38-46


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Zhang, Y., Liu, S.
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Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in cheap term papers if you need a similar paper you can place your order from top research paper writing companies.
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