| Cloud computing is a style of computing in | | | | Vmware, Sun Microsystems, IBM, Amazon, |
| which dynamically scalable and often virtualized | | | | Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are some of the major |
| resources are provided as a service over the | | | | cloud computing service providers. Cloud services are |
| Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, | | | | being adopted by individual users through large |
| expertise in, or control over the technology | | | | enterprises including vmware, General Electric and |
| infrastructure in the "cloud" that supports them. Cloud | | | | Procter & Gamble. |
| computing is a method of delivering hosted services | | | | Cloud computing types |
| -- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), | | | | Public cloud |
| Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and | | | | Public cloud or external cloud describes cloud |
| Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – over the Internet | | | | computing in the traditional mainstream sense, |
| in a fast, cost-effective way. The technology has | | | | whereby resources are dynamically provisioned on a |
| gained popularity in a weakened economy as | | | | fine-grained, self-service basis over the Internet, via |
| enterprises seek ways to save money, but as | | | | web applications/web services, from an off-site |
| always, this emerging technology presents certain | | | | third-party provider who shares resources and bills on |
| risks, and it could open an organization to security | | | | a fine-grained utility computing basis. |
| vulnerabilities and threats. | | | | Hybrid cloud |
| The concept generally incorporates | | | | A hybrid cloud environment consisting of |
| combinations of infrastructure as a service (IaaS) , | | | | multiple internal and/or external providers "will be |
| platform as a service (PaaS), software as a service | | | | typical for most enterprises". |
| (SaaS) . Cloud computing services often provide | | | | Private cloud |
| common business applications online that are | | | | Private cloud and internal cloud are neologisms |
| accessed from a web browser, while the software | | | | that some vendors have recently used to describe |
| and data are stored on the servers. Cloud computing | | | | offerings that emulate cloud computing on private |
| can be confused with Grid computing which is a | | | | networks. These (typically virtualization automation) |
| form of distributed computing whereby a 'super and | | | | products claim to "deliver some benefits of cloud |
| virtual computer' is composed of a cluster of | | | | computing without the pitfalls", capitalising on data |
| networked, loosely-coupled computers, acting in | | | | security, corporate governance, and reliability |
| concert to perform very large tasks and Utility | | | | concerns. They have been criticised on the basis that |
| computing – the packaging of computing | | | | users "still have to buy, build, and manage them" and |
| resources, such as computation and storage, as a | | | | as such do not benefit from lower up-front capital |
| metered service similar to a traditional public utility | | | | costs and less hands-on management, essentially |
| such as electricity | | | | "[lacking] the economic model that makes cloud |
| Characteristics | | | | computing such an intriguing concept". |
| Cloud computing customers do not generally | | | | Cloud Computing and Security Issues |
| own the physical infrastructure serving as host to the | | | | The benefits of virtualization and cloud |
| software platform in question. Instead, they avoid | | | | computing are transforming the way we look at IT |
| capital expenditure by renting usage from a | | | | outsourcing for development, testing, and |
| third-party provider. They consume resources as a | | | | production. Existing skills, processes, and projects |
| service and pay only for resources that they use. | | | | seem to translate naturally to a virtualized |
| Many cloud-computing offerings employ the utility | | | | environment, and few obstacles seem to impede the |
| computing model, which is analogous to how | | | | adoption of the cloud model for production. |
| traditional utility services (such as electricity) are | | | | Practitioners and the media alike have touted the |
| consumed, while others bill on a subscription basis. | | | | potential security issues of virtualization. The cloud |
| Sharing "perishable and intangible" computing power | | | | brings with it a layer of additional security |
| among multiple tenants can improve utilization rates, | | | | considerations, in terms of both technology and |
| as servers are not unnecessarily left idle (which can | | | | process. |
| reduce costs significantly while increasing the speed | | | | This layer of additional security isn’t |
| of application development). A side effect of this | | | | necessarily scary or complicated. But right now, |
| approach is that overall computer usage rises | | | | trust in the security of cloud computing is the number |
| dramatically, as customers do not have to engineer | | | | one impediment to its growth. This article takes a |
| for peak load limits. Additionally, "increased high-speed | | | | look at the cloud from various points of view. I will |
| bandwidth" makes it possible to receive the same | | | | compare real-world examples to look at security |
| response times from centralized infrastructure at | | | | implications of the Cloud, and show how they |
| other sites. | | | | integrate with traditional security processes. |
| Companies | | | | |