Cloud Computing
Abstract
This analytic research paper will discuss several issues pertaining to cloud computing. A brief introduction which gives an overview of the cloud computing is given at the beginning of the research paper. After the introduction key issues surround cloud computing will be discussed in details. The paper will then give workable solutions to these issues and also that have been used in the past. A new solution will be proposed and an explanation on how it can be implemented be given.
Introduction
The term ‘cloud computing’ is still new to most people, the term only gained popularity in October 2007 following the announcement of Google and IBM collaboration in the sector (Atkins, 2003). Cloud computing is a result of researches which have been done for decades under virtualization distributed computing. In entails the concept of utility computing, networking web, software services and grid computing.
Cloud computing has been so relevant and in the field of information technology as it has made significant economical and valuable contribution to cyber infrastructure. It has enabled information technology over head for end users to be reduced considerably, it ensures a service oriented architecture, increased flexibility, reduced overall ownership cost and has also ensured more demand for the service (Atkins, 2003). Despite of these contributions in the cyber infrastructure there are key issues that still face cloud computing.
This paper aims to discuss the concept of cloud computing, the issues that cloud computing face and the workable solutions for this issue, it also proposes an alternative solution and its justification. Cloud computing though having several advantages have key problems that have not been resolved
Overview of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing entails sharing of resources in large scale, which is independent and cost effective. It is possible for the resources in the cloud to be used by the client and be deployed by the vendor. There are several companies that have made good use of the cloud technology including Amazon, IBM, Google, Zoho, Rockspace, Microsoft and Salesforce.com. Cloud computing ensures that customers do not necessarily have to purchase the resource from third party vendor. Customers can simply use the resource then make the payments as services, this saves on customers money and time (Erl, 2013). Though mostly used by multinational corporations cloud computing can also be used by medium and small enterprises.
Cloud computing architect involves several multi cloud components which interact with each other with specific data that they have. This interaction makes it possible for the user to get the needed data at a much faster rate. Cloud gives more focus to the frontend (the person in need of data) and the back ends (various devices for storing the data), sever which constitutes the cloud.
Categorization in cloud computing may also include other components such as undifferentiated hardware versus differentiated hardware, specialized software and software’s for general purpose, virtual images to environs, collection of service and workflow based environments among others (Yang, 2013).
One key concept for cloud computing involves virtualization which makes it possible for isolation and abstraction of lower level functionalities and the underlying hardware. By doing this it enables high level functions to be portable. It also enables aggregation and/or sharing of the physical resources.
IBM had separated the cloud in three kinds based on their usage. This sub groups include Hybrid cloud, public cloud and private cloud (Yang, 2013). Public clouds can be shared on large scale whereas private clouds are owned by a single organization. The advantage of private clouds is that it facilitates more flexibility and a better control. The hybrid cloud combines both the private cloud and public cloud and is currently being used by most companies.
Issues Facing Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is still an emergent field and various researches are still being conducted to see on how this system can be used more efficiently. The implementation of the cloud computing approach is still very challenging to the cloud developers and the management. Developers have been researching on a way in which they can construct complex environments of resources as well as complex control images used in the same resources. This comprises of the workflow oriented images. There has been a challenge on the spatial and the temporal feedback large scale work flows, this is underlined by the specific amount of the meta-data. Some of this data have permanent attachment to the image whereas others are dynamically attached. Still there are certain metadata which are kept in cloud management database.
Another issue with regards to cloud computing is provenance data and the general Meta data management (Atkins, 2003). The current cloud application categorizes data into cloud process provenance, cloud data provenance, cloud workflow provenance and environment or system provenance.
The main challenge on provenance include developing a way in which provenance information can be collected in standardized, seamless and yet with minimal overhead. It is also challenging for storage of this information in a permanent system such the information can be accessed at any time. Presentation of this information to users in a logical way is also still challenging as far as cloud computing is involved. Another image and service related issue for cloud computing include optimization of environment loading times and image. Image portability has also been a challenge for cloud developers and by the effects of image format.
Accountability of the cloud computing developers is also a challenge. Given the fact very few people have sufficient knowledge on cloud computing most customers are at a risk of being overcharged by the vendors.
Data integrity is one key issue that faces cloud computing. Data in the cloud can be accessed by just about any person from whichever location they are in. Currently the cloud is not able to differentiate between common data and those data that are sensitive. What this mean is that the sensitive data is left open and accessible to any person which is the key contributing factor for lack of data integrity in cloud computing.
Data stealing has also been a challenge in cloud computing. Most cloud vendors usually try leasing servers from other service providers instead of acquiring their own (Naone, 2007). They do this because leasing is much flexible for operation and is also cost effective. Meanwhile cloud computing customers may not know about these arrangements by the vendors. This makes it possible for some malicious users to steal data from the external server.
It is the responsibility of the vendor to ensure that the customer’s data, especially on personal information is well secured. Failure of the vendor to protect the customer’s personal information is likely to result in lack of privacy for the customer. Since most of the servers are external it is important for the vendor to always be up to date on the people accessing the data and those maintaining the serve (Yang, 2013). It is only when the vendor has been able to manage this that the customer can be ensured of privacy of the customer’s personal information.
Infected application has also been a major challenge for cloud users. This mostly occurs when the vendor lacks the complete access to the server for maintenance and monitoring. Failure for the vendor to have absolute access to the server gives room for malicious user to upload infectious applications in to the cloud (Naone, 2007). These viruses may cause severe effects to the cloud customers.
Data loss is another major issue with cloud computing. If for instances, the vendor is charged with legal issues that requires that the vendor closes then all the customers data is lost. The same also happens when the vendor closes due to financial issues. Loss off data can be very frustrating to the customers especially if it was important information only available on the cloud.
Use of cloud computing is also frustrating to the customers due to the location of the data. In cloud computing there is usually no transparency as far as data location is concerned. The location of the customers’ data is not directly available even for the customer. Usually vendors never reveal where storage of all data is located. It is possible that the customers’ data be located far away from his or her country of residence.
Another issue is based on data security for the vendor (Atkins, 2003). This implies challenges pertaining to security issues at vendor level. To ensure that there is security at the vendor level it is important for the vendor to ensure that all servers are well secured from any external threat. A good cloud computing system should allow for good security given by the vendor to the customers.
Lastly but not least cloud computing has the challenge of security at the customer level. The vendor may make all the necessary arrangements to give the customer a good security ground but customer can also expose the cloud data for some insecurities. It should b the responsibility of the customer to ensure that there is no tampering of information due to their negligence. The customer should at all times be considerate of other customers using the same cloud.
Solutions to the issues mentioned
Many researchers have been done to harmonize the economics of image construction and the economics of scale with an aim of solving cloud computing approach. Though much research has been done the developers are yet to construct sufficiently complex environments of resource complex images that they desire.
With regard to the mentioned provenance issues some solutions have already been established and are currently being applied with cloud computing developers. The Visual Computing laboratories (VLC) are currently using image snapshots that are standardized (Erl, 2013). This standardized image snapshots are operates system, hypervisor and platform specific enabling image exchange. This system however needs a much complex mapping and some additional storage.
The issue of accountability still remains a big challenge for cloud computing. Clients have no technical knowhow to understand if the charges being made on them are equivalent to the resources they have used in the cloud. However several measures are being taken in place to prevent exploitation of the clients. Some of this function for accountability is performed by the customer support center.
Since most of the issues affecting cloud computing has to do with security issues. Some measures have been put in place to ensure that some of these effects are completely curbed or at least they are reduced. One way that has been used curb these challenges include data protection. Some vendors have made it possible for customers to be able to access their data at whatever time. This solves the issue of difficulty for the customers to trace the location of the data.
Vendors have also tried the delivery of high performance for the customers. This should ensure efficiency of the data processing and also ensure that the customer’s data is not infected by viruses. Some vendors have also set up some detection system on the cloud. These systems detect any malicious activities occurring around the cloud. Some of the things that the detection system can monitor include uploading or downloading of data by unsupported users. It can also point on customers who try to access information from other customers or in locations where there data is not available. The detection system also ensures that vendors who lease the servers only use them for the agreed purpose and within the signed limits.
Support system for customers has also been very relevant in reducing the challenges faced by cloud computing. The customer support system ensures that customers can report any threat on their data. For example if they suspect that their data has been stolen the customer support centre should be able to trace if there was any unauthorized person who pirated on the customers data and stole it. Legal actions against such persons can then be undertaken. The customer support centre is also very important when the customer loses their data. Take for example if the vendor for that specific customer was faced with legal issue which led to the closure of the cloud account. The customers for this vendor should by no means suffer due to ignorance and negligence of the server provider. The customer support team come in and ensures that all customers get their information back.
Where stealing of data is involved it is always important to provide encryption. Different encryption strategies should be combined such that malicious users are completing unable to acquire this data. Most vendors are now converting data into ciphertext forms which are note easily understood by unauthorized users. This system has greatly reduced theft in the cloud computing systems. Ciphertext has also ensured that cloud customers enjoy privacy on personal information (Erl, 2013).
It is clear that even though there are a lot of researches of making cloud computing more effective by solving the key issues there is still much that has not been achieved. There are still a lot of security issues that are yet to be addressed. Cloud computing lacks a good accountability system and is subject to customers exploitation.
Proposed solution for accountability and security challenge
In order to form a much secured cloud computing system which is also accountable there are several things that need to be put in place. This research proposes a design that will combine use of relevant policies and a network storage service.
An act that guides and govern all the ethical and legal responsibilities should be drafted and be made available to all cloud computing users and the potential users. This will ensure that no person claims ignorance of the system and therefore the customers can understand how their money is utilized. A list of all resources and expenditure incurred on managers and developers of cloud computing should be put in place. The act should also give the punishment for every person that maliciously uses cloud computing.
A network storage device will be useful when used in conjunction with the policies. This network storage will make it possible for the customers to access shared objects that have been maintained by the server while at the same time ensuing strong accountability. Every request made will contain a digital signature that serves two purposes. First it ensures that the sender can easily be identified and secondly the message is secured.
This collection of digital signature technique is referred to as action history. During the audit request the digital signature can then be used. This way no customer or vendor can deny having requested for that information later on. Server accountability all servers will have to generate a different version of a data object for each write request on that object issued by the customer. The server will then organize the total data objects in a system as the Merkle hash tree. Customers can then make sure that they keep in touch in order to observe the requests made by any of them. If incase they notice that the serve does not indicate history of a given customer then immediately they can make reports about it.
Justification for the proposed solution
This solution will go a long way in combating the security issues and ensuring accountability both on the charges and the data. If laws are put in place and are well implemented even in a state setting people are bound to avoid getting themselves on the wrong side of the law. This can be translated in cloud computing and it will function very well.
Providing all customers with the basic knowledge and resources available for cloud computing is very relevant as it ensures customers can have increased bargaining powers. They will no longer be overcharged by vendors who do not uphold integrity.
The idea of digital signatures unique for every individual just like figure prints are is very important. This will ensure data accountability. Every thief will be caught because the digital signatures are unique and cannot lie. Since people fear facing legal charges this system will scare away all the malicious users.
It is important that the server also provides a history of all requests that have been made. This history should indicate biographic data of customers, the unique digital signature and the request made. With this any person with a malicious intention will be traced down even before they access the data that they had wrongfully requested.
Conclusion
The idea of cloud computing when initially invented became so appealing to Information and Technology corporations. This is due to the fact that it offered many advantages such as large data storage facility cost effectiveness, offered increased flexibility among other outstanding advantages (Erl,2013). Every good invention has its pit falls and cloud computing have had lots of disadvantages. This paper discussed some of the key issues facing cloud computing and the present solutions to this challenges. The solutions that are currently available for reducing these issues are considerably insufficient. At the end this paper offered a proposed system of a better solution that can be implemented to prevent some of the major issues.
References
Atkins D.E. (2003), Revolutionizing science and engineering through cyber infrastructure: Report of the National Science Foundation Blue-ribbon Advisory Panel on Cyber infrastructure,, http://www.nsf.gov/od/oci/ reports/atkins.pdf
Erl, T., Mahmood, Z., & Puttini, R. (2013). Cloud computing: Concepts, technology & architecture. Upper Saddle River, NJ: ServiceTech Press.
Naone E. (2007) Computer in the Cloud, Technology, Review, MIT, http://www.technologyreview.com/printer friendly article.aspx?id=19397
Yang, X., & Liu, L. (2013). Principles, methodologies, and service-oriented approaches for cloud computing.
