IT Challenges Pt. 2 : Smbs And IT Security : An Analysis

Cloud computing offers many advantages to both end users and businesses of all sizes. The advantages of cloud

However, research focusing on the adoption of cloud computing technology and its impact on business operation is limited. This trend may be explained by cloud computing being a relatively new field. Available research on the structures, processes, security measures surrounding the cloud services are still at an early stage.

Cloud computing has set a trend in the information technology arena that has sparked the interest of all who utilize the internet on purpose and unsuspectingly. Initially, the primary purpose of cloud computing was to provide a centralized data bank that organizations could use for quick data access. Its use has been quickly adapted, however, beyond business use to become the first option for personal use. The advantages and disadvantages of implementing such a shift from business to personal are varied, yet, statistically, according to the CISCO Global Cloud Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2014-2019 White Paper, its public use is on the rise. The report notes that “by 2019, 56 percent of the cloud workloads will be in public cloud data centers, up from 30 percent in 2014 and by 2019, 44 percent of the cloud workloads will be in private cloud data centers, down from 70 percent in 2014”. Though disadvantages with regard to data security is prominent, users have deemed that its implementation will still promote greater benefits than loss.

The majority of us have been found out about the most cloud security disappointments in which all the cloud innovation organizations are kept on developing, despite everything they endure a similar kind of issues in-house infrastructure's. Distributed computing has turned into a greatest market in the present innovation. In a report of 2016, experts at Gartner anticipated that exchanging to cloud will influence $1 Trillion in Information innovation in the following five years. Cloud administrations showcase has developed to a degree level that it was not a striking level of aggregate it is spending, which was creating new innovations and new businesses which are conceived in the cloud. At the point when cloud administrations are going

Cloud computing is an on-demand service which has achieved great demand in corporate data centers. The cloud facilitate the data center to work as the Internet and computing resources to be promoted and shared as virtual resources in a secure and extensible manner (X). Most small business owners shifted to use the new technological trend by adopt cloud based information system (SMH).

Vivek Kundra, former federal CIO of the United States, said, “Cloud computing is often far more secure than traditional computing, because companies like Google and Amazon can attract and retain cyber-security personnel of a higher quality than many governmental agencies.” The use and functionality of the cloud is quickly growing. Cloud computing has already gained a lot of popularity and is considered the future in the IT industry. For people who are not familiar with cloud computing, it is the practice that involves usage of network servers that are remotely located. Users can access the remote servers via the Internet to manage, store and process relevant data, rather than on the personal computer of a local server. Businesses are switching to cloud computing because it usually turns out to be cheaper, faster and easier to maintain than doing it locally. Cloud computing has accelerated with the wide use of the Internet services as well as development of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Many people carry their portable devices when not on their desk and easily access their documents, media and pictures on cloud storage via the Internet. Cloud computing is a great alternative to local computing because it’s cheaper, faster, and easier to maintain.

The reason for the author selecting to look at literature regarding cloud security within this review is because of how it ties in with a Computing Science degree currently being worked towards at Staffordshire University. One of the modules being studied involves the creation of a database system, with the client formally requesting a cloud-based data centre as part of their system. Therefore, it would interesting to take an in-depth look at the security concerns surrounding what is a technology that is still within its infancy stage.

Abstract—With the increasing trend of technological advancements, the deployment of business applications and processes has greater reliance on the paradigm of cloud computing. The tenants are facilitated on a “pay-as-you-go” approach with respect to the infrastructure, software and platform services. The acceptance of cloud computing model among the consumers is based on its cost-effectiveness in terms of maintenance of the resources along with the flexibility and efficient performance. Nonetheless, certain concerns associated with the data security and credibility of the services are still there that are required to be eradicated for its sustained acceptance within the ICT industry.

The main driving forces of cloud data storage are reputable companies such as Amazon and Google building comprehensive computing infrastructures (Google, 2009). These infrastructures are removing the complexity of in-house data storage and ultimately reducing costs of limited networked data centres (Hitachi, 2010). The traditional inefficient model of purchasing servers every time you need to accommodate for high use or growth is now being replaced by internet based systems that replicate your data centres but without the big overheads (Google, 2009). This flexibility assists in the ever changing business world and its continuous improvement initiatives to remove waste, improve efficiency, and ultimately reduce costs. Another key driving

“Cloud computing is a term used to describe a set of IT services provided to a customer over a network on a leased basis and with the ability to scale up or down their service requirements. Usually cloud computing services are delivered by a third party provider who owns the infrastructure” [1]. Cloud computing has enabled its users to make computing resources a utility. In the near future, people will be able to get all the resources they need by connecting to the cloud via an Internet connection. In addition, storage, process power and memory capacity will be scaled on demand. The merits of cloud computing are plenty and so are its drawbacks. Of the most important concerns linked to cloud computing are these around its security risks.

The problem statement of report denotes the security issues in Cloud infrastructure accentuating as major constraints in the adoption of the technology. With the sophistication of the cyber attacks, the security infrastructure of cloud does not promise the expected robustness and efficiency in order to prevent the different kinds of threats and attacks. Hence the report shall deal with the security issues of Cloud and how must it be addressed in order to ensure the technology’s adoption at a larger scale.

Whenever a customer gives you personal or classified information to complete an application, transaction, or another request, you owe them protection and privacy. If data you have in your possession is leaked whether on purpose or carelessly, you could be held accountable. One of the distinguished biggest mistakes small businesses make is using a shared server to keep their files in. It makes sense why shared servers are chosen, they’re cheap and very acceptable, but when you look at the future consequences, it becomes clear that the upfront savings aren’t worth the long-term risks. Even if you need to cut costs in other areas to make it happen, it’s critically important that you switch your business over to a dedicated server. When you use a dedicated server, you no longer must run your websites, programs, and scripts on the same machine as other companies and individuals. This means you instantly increase your security and don’t have to deal with the risk of being hacked by an outside party within your own server. Few things are as important as data encryption in today’s cyber security field. While it’s best to prevent hackers from gaining access to your systems in the first place, encryption technology essentially renders your data useless, should it wind up in the wrong hands. Be sure to set up a regular schedule to update your data encryption so that you’re always using the most advanced

Enterprises, both big and small, are evaluating cloud computing and moving IT infrastructure to the cloud. To achieve the financial goals of the any organization and be prosperous in today’s highly aggressive market; therefore businesses must have services that are secure, reliable, scalable and available anywhere at any given time, on any device – all while it lowers cost and minimizes integration complexity.

This approach provides the SME a better opportunity to obtain a competitive advantage through cloud technology, and potentially makes these benefits more valuable, as services residing on the cloud reduce or even eliminate many of the overhead expenses associated with software solutions. The benefit is these overhead costs can be evaded to let the provider handle those aspects of the applications. In turn, the SME can focus completely on the benefits without having to deal with the problem of maintenance.

Just as mitigating risks can affect the IT practices of a company, the place where a business stores its data holds major significance in an era in which the majority of work is done online. A business has two main options: it can store its data in a data center or in a cloud. A data center is an onsite hardware that stores a business’ information on a local network. On the other hand, a cloud is an off-site location where a service provider owns and manages infrastructure with cloud users, accessing slices of shared hardware resources via the Internet . Each of these options serve different purposes and benefit or disadvantage a company in different ways. For example, a data center is more suitable for companies that run many applications; however, it has a limited