Moving Towards Using Cloud Storage

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.

When a business started, the related data has been generated. Along with the development of the business, the data becomes larger and accumulates day by day. The accumulated data can be transferred to meaningful information for the managers’ decision makings. Storing and protecting the data is essential to the development of the enterprise business. Today, almost all enterprises use computer storage to store their data instead of the hard copy papers. In the past, hard copy papers stored the data for the enterprise, but it existed too many potential risks, such as data loss, data stolen, data destroy, or cannot sharing with others. In 1990s, more companies started to use computer hard drive to store their business data; this change impacted the later development of the storage strategies. Along with the technology development and the data becomes bigger and bigger, big data problems appear. How can enterprise store such large data and manage such large data effectively? Currently there are several classic storage strategies to help enterprise solve their data storage problems, such as spinning media, flash, and cloud. The enterprise also can select onsite or offsite option as their considerations based on their business environment. Security issues are popular discussion topics as well in this paper.

Cloud because of its wide range of applications it allows users to store data their data remotely in the cloud and enjoy the on-demand high quality cloud applications and reveal burden from the local storage, cost and maintenance. In this according to the user’s perspective, including both individuals (private) and enterprises like companies appealing the cloud benefits by storing data remotely into the cloud in a flexible on-demand manner and relief of the burden of storage management along with this he/she can also enjoy the universal data access which dependent geographical locations and avoidance of the capital expenditure, software, hardware and personnel management and maintenances and so on.

Laws and Regulations: One of the main difficulties with cloud storage, as it relates to private healthcare information, is there are many shareholders involved. Individual consumers look to keep information accessible and private. Healthcare providers look to provide quality care while maintaining a competitive advantage over other firms and staying within the bounds of the law. Healthcare insurance coverage providers must keep a competitive edge and must work with healthcare providers to gather and provide information, provide it to individuals and maintain competency under the law. Cloud storage providers must seek to capitalize on new technology while offering a relatively new service. They too must understand legal ramifications as related to the transmitting and storage of private health information. HIPAA offers two main shareholders: covered entities, and business associates. A covered entity is defined as a health plan, healthcare clearinghouse or a health care provider who transmits any health information in electronic form in connection with a transaction. A business associate is a person or entity “that creates, receives, maintains or transmits” PHI (private health information) on behalf of a covered entity”.

Customers, even if security risks are minimal, may themselves distrust cloud computing when transmitting personal data, such as doing online banking. If they only have a vague notion of what cloud computing is, the benefits and efficiencies may seem unclear and outweighed by the risks (Knorr & Gruman 2010). They too may shy away from patronizing businesses that have cloud-hosted data.

Technology continues to influence the direction taken by business entities in an apparent attempt to gain competitive advantage over the rest of its direct competitors. One of the innovations that best embodies the desire to gain an advantage over direct competitors is through the use of cloud computing to improve efficiency and effectiveness in customer satisfaction. Cloud computing essentially involves using a network stemming from remote servers on the internet to process and disseminate data. Cloud computing uses remote network servers instead of a personal computer or a local server and it use also includes managing and storing data for a variety of purposes that a business chooses to engage in at its pleasure (Armbrust 55). Although

Cloud computing has formed the basis for future computing. The global computing infrastructure is rapidly moving towards cloud computing. While it is important to take advantages of it by means of deploying it in diversified sectors, the security aspects in a cloud based computing environment should be considered (Ahmed, 2014). Cloud computing is still a new technology in many enterprises. Findings show that most organizations are reluctant to adopt it and the demand to reduce computing cost has led to this great innovation (Agarwal, 2012). A sample size of 150 technical IT people will be used for data collection through questionnaires and interviews and the data collected will be analyzed using SPSS. The purpose of this study is to identify the cloud computing concepts as well as security issues inherent within cloud infrastructure. The adoption of cloud computing is not as complex as many organizations have thought and by moving the applications and hardware out of the organization the user can focus on its core strategies.

One of the main benefits of cloud computing is that the company’s resources are used in other different ways and reduce the overall costs. It eliminates the need for a physical hardware computer and replace it with an online storage or a software delivered over the internet. For instance, government agencies are shifting its government IT infrastructure into the cloud and launch mobile and e-services for citizens and businesses. As an example of cloud applications in some countries: In China a company named Wang Fu Jing has deployed cloud services to share supply chain information and implement B2B e-commerce with suppliers (Kshetri, N. ,2011). Another example is in South Korea: IBM’s cloud computing centre provides architecture, skills and pilot projects for banking, telecommunications, and IT hosting services (Kshetri, N. ,2011). An Indian bank named ICICI’s uses Zoho’s applications to develop services such as personalised insurance for diabetes (Kshetri, N. ,2011). Cloud computing offers many services to companies and government agencies; applications, operating systems and data are secured in the cloud environment rather than on a physical computer that is exposed to the risk of lost, stolen or hardware failure. Compared to client-based computing, cloud-based software is easier to install, maintain and upgrade. Furthermore, mobile applications based on cloud computing are becoming increasingly popular. Ericsson estimates that there

Over the last several years, there has been a shift in how technology is designed, produced, and utilized. Historically, technology was produced in low quantities for a high cost, limiting the customer base to corporations and few wealthy individuals. Today, many technologies are produced in high quantities for a cost that is affordable to individual consumers (Banerjee, 2012). As these technologies become increasingly affordable, more are beginning to originate in the consumer sector. Consumers soon found uses for these technologies in business, and over time, these personal products have been increasingly infiltrating the corporate environment. This trend is referred to as “Consumerization” (Weiß and Leimeister). Consumerization

Services such as, data storage and security, are provided by cloud computing over the internet. In cloud computing, users can pay for what they consume (Bisong & Rahman, An Overview of the Securtiy Concerns in Enterprise Cloud Computing, 2011). Cloud computing is an emerging information technology, which can make it easier for the users to manage their data. Cloud computing allows businesses to expand as new cloud-based models are being discussed and implemented as solutions (Bamiah & Brohi, 2011).

The popularity of mobile devices is growing rapidly in the business world. To be able to have the software needed downloaded on the mobile devices, as needed, will be a huge benefit to businesses. Cloud computing will also help companies that have several different locations throughout the world connect to the same network, using the same software, when needed. Security will always be a concern, whether the data is stored in-house or at an off-site location. Reputable companies are quickly joining the cloud computing business and although there still may be breaches, the more reputable the company, the better the consumer feels about storing their data off-site. Cloud computing will be a huge benefit to businesses as technology continues to change and grow.

Cloud computing is a topic of which much is assumed. The average person recognizes the term “cloud computing” as having to do with their storage from their iPad or iPhone on the online storage area which syncs their Apple devices to their computer. This common cloud is called the iCloud. That is where common knowledge ends about this topic. However, upon further exploration, a deeper understanding is gained with greater explanation, and it is realized that cloud computing is something that is used all of the time on many levels of everyday technology. While the terminology remains cryptic to the mind of most people, the concepts behind the practical uses of cloud computing become quite clear. It is relatable and understandable. Upon this revelation, the iCloud is recognized as the tip of the preverbal iceberg when speaking about cloud computing. It is important to discuss and further understand the many types of cloud computing as well as the various applications to life through technology. This affects how information is stored online, computers are protected, information is secured, emails are processed, and many other factors that are taken for granted in the world of technology. Cloud computing is a general term used to describe how information is stored, utilized, and accessed over the internet. There is no cloud, but the word cloud gives the connotation of an abstract place which is known to exist but is too vast to touch or contain (Griffith,

The National Institute of Standards and Technology describes cloud storage as a model for enabling ubiquitous, on-demand network access to a shared configurable computing resources that can be swiftly accessed and released with minimal effort or service provider collaboration. It is comprised of a collection of hardware and software that allows the infrastructure of the cloud to work in a seamless, unified effort. Depending on the classification of information and the service provider the remote servers can be located within the same facility. The stored data is