by Cloud OYE
Identical Clouds - Clouds are not identical or come with similar attributes. Cloud service providers have gone ahead and offer customized cloud solutions to the users. This is important to meet particular business requirements.
Cloud Virtualization - Virtualization is a core part of accepting cloud computing or hosting. It can be considered as one of the key aspects for cloud solutions, but these two do not mean same. Creating a private cloud environment requires a full proof plan and innovation.
Perilous applications are not for cloud - Many businesses have faith in that hosting critical data and perilous applications in third-party hosted environment can be harmful for maintaining the confidentiality of data. It is completely wrong. A large cloud space offers more security in compared to a traditional web hosting procedure.
Entering the Cloud
In the previous chapters, we have covered all cloud platforms and some cloud related Myths. Now lets move onto the various types of clouds.
Cloud computing services and related technological solutions are affordable and faster for businesses. With them, you do not need to invest on infrastructure. Even then you can avail massive computing resources and powerful software easily. Additionally, it reduces your business’s up-front costs and can solve management related difficulties.
Some Important Aspects While Considering the cloud
Cloud Computing: The Widely Adopted Concept
Rapid rise in the number of cloud adopters has overshadowed a few notable security concerns of cloud computing (mainly related to consumers; these included data tampering of the PlayStation Network in 2011). Big players such as Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft have already allowed enterprises and individuals to reap the benefits of this avant-garde technology.
Apple’s foray into cloud enables the firm to launch its latest iTunes product that allows users to store music, photos and data in the cloud, which are then linked to Apple devices for accessing or playing without bothering about data loss.
Which cloud is right for your business?
Every cloud model is unique because it comes with different computing services and solutions. So businesses can select the right kind of cloud computing as per their requirements. Thus, it is important to know about data security, data recovery, and data storage. So select the right cloud model and gain profits.
I.Public Cloud
A public cloud is a type of hosting that is constructed on the standard cloud computing model. A service provider creates resources like several applications and data storages which are accessible to the people over the Internet. A public cloud can be free or can be on a pay-per-use model.
How Public Cloud Works?
This above diagram portrays how public cloud works.
Features and Benefits:
Scalability: Public cloud is scalable and you can avail cloud resources on demand. You need to select your resources from a vast pool of public cloud allied services so that different applications running on public cloud can retort effortlessly.
Affordable: Public cloud is the right choice for economic benefits. It accommodates quality resource and it expands your business horizon. It actually saves your investments and offers several benefits. Cloud monitors and manages the resources which are shared as following cloud services; like servers.
Utility Style Expenses: Public cloud offers and frequently employs pay-as-you-go charging models. It helps the customers to avail the resources which they require for the betterment of the business. Customers only pay for what they use and save expenses.
Reliability: There are n-number of networks and servers that have been accommodated to form a public cloud. It helps when one component fails in the cloud service; it will remain uninterrupted with the help of other components. Cloud stores several data and makes sure that your data does not get lost. In some situations cloud picks resources from different data centers.
Flexibility: Myriad services like IaaS, PaaS and SaaS are available in the market; they follow the public cloud model. These deliverables can be accessed as a service from any internet enabled device so that they can work upon computing requirements. Ultimately this service helps and delivers several benefits to the enterprises as well as to SME’s.
Accessible from Different Locations: Users can access the public cloud services from any location through an internet connection. This provides irreplaceable opportunities to the enterprise and can avail remote access to IT infrastructure easily.
Who is using ‘Cloud’?
Few years back, cloud had emerged as a technology that replaced traditional data storage and accessibility infrastructure. Now it seems that cloud computing is entering every boardroom, with greater use of cloud services for business-critical applications.
II.Private Cloud
The phrase ‘Private Cloud’ depicts an exceptional cloud computing platform which is executed within an enterprise’s corporate firewall. It is managed by the IT department of the company.
How Private Cloud works?
Private cloud service offers features and doles that are similar to any other public cloud system. Yet, the basic design difference is that this service eradicates all the major cloud related complaints. But how does it do so?
By addressing issues such as enterprise control, customer data manipulation, security issues as well as regulatory compliance concerns, private cloud achieves this fete.
Private Cloud Computing Platform within an Enterprise-Level Firewall
Figure 1.DESIGN OF PRIVATE CLOUD
Let us now have a deeper look at the various skins of a private cloud.
As briefed above, implementation of this cloud service aims at the elimination of numerous cloud computing security issues. This is because private cloud setups are executed safely to cut down upon potential risks of data loss during calamities and natural disasters. It thus delivers efficient control over crucial business data and also safeguards security in the long run.
For the records, a private cloud model is same as any traditional cluster of discrete local access networks (LANs). So it renders virtualisation to an enterprise.
Features and Benefits
It makes use of techniques such as individual pools of resources that allow restricted access behind an organisation’s firewall. Additionally onsite internal hosting and dedicated leased lines ensure that user operations stay discrete.
Since it is accessed by a single organisation, configuration and management are tailored to suit a network solution well.
Improved allocation of resources leads to the availability of resources in all the individual branches/business functions. So all users can directly and flexibly respond to business related demands as well as efficiently use computing resources as compared to traditional LANs. This ultimately reduces an organisation’s carbon footprint.
Resources such as servers and networks are internally hosted through virtualised operating environments. So the network automatically becomes more resilient to individual failures in physical infrastructures.
Employment of cloud bursting in a private cloud allows the service provider to change non-sensitive functions. This leads to the freeing up of space in the private cloud; sensitive functions can utilise this memory.
Together with public cloud services, well-integrated hybrid clouds can be formed.
Figure 2. KEY BENEFITS
These are a few major reasons why companies across the globe have been initiating private cloud projects. That is why the IT infrastructure today is more capable and well-adapted. Thus businesses are able to evolve at a faster pace and requirements are met within a stipulated time frame.
By now it is evident that private cloud computing is inexpensive, fast and eco-friendly. So any business that opts for this service can avail its benefits without indulging into a substantial infrastructure investment. Besides this, a firm gets to leverage the power of up-to-date software and vast computing resources within very little time. Further on, it render
s pay-as-you-go benefits that eventually promises reduction in the number and cost of setting up gigantic data centres. Thus cloud computing guarantees low up-front costs and also results in fewer management hassles
III.Hybrid Cloud
A hybrid cloud is a virtualized computing model that allows an organization to store and manage their mission critical data in-house and less significant data externally. To be precise, hybrid cloud is a combination of two or more types of cloud (private, public or community) that exhibit variation in features but are composed together, offering the benefits of several deployment models. This cloud computing model is capable of connecting to collocation, managed and/or dedicated services with cloud resources.
For instance, an enterprise migrating its IT infrastructure to hybrid cloud can benefit from scalability and cost-effectiveness because of the integration of public cloud computing model in this approach. The storage and management of mission-critical applications and data in hybrid cloud is so secure that no third party vulnerability is reported.
How Hybrid Cloud Works
The hybrid cloud contains two elements: Cloud File Server and Local Cloud. Local cloud is connected to on-premise storage (computer hard drive, network-attached storage, virtual appliance running on unified storage) to integrate files and cloud file server allows users to access those files anytime, anywhere at blazing speed. Mobile access and greater file sharing capabilities are main attributes of this cloud computing model that can meet the needs of organizations, irrespective of size and business nature.
Features and Benefits
Existence of scalability increases the need for hybrid cloud as companies are capable of increasing or decreasing the bandwidth of servers in compliance with their needs. If your in-house server fail to accommodate heavy projects, they can be shifted to another cloud platform, saving the extra cost of purchasing exclusive server hardware.
Remote access to mission-critical applications and data allows businesses to capture the global market at the least time possible. Also, this technology maintains uptime network connectivity, enabling you to run applications, share files and access data even in case of outages.
This cloud model is highly cost-effective, ensuring companies to reap the benefit of reduced operational costs, minimized upfront investment in deploying software or integrating hardware, and concentrating on core competencies instead of managing and maintaining IT infrastructure.
Who is using ‘Cloud’?
Few years back will be recalled as years when cloud was emerged as a technology to replace traditional data storage and accessibility infrastructure. Now it seems that cloud computing is entering every boardroom and bedroom, with greater use of cloud services for business-critical applications.
Cloud Computing: The Widely Adopted Concept
Rapid rise in the number of cloud adopters has overshadowed a few notable security concerns of cloud computing (mainly related to consumers and these included data tampering of the PlayStation Network in 2011), with big players like Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft have already allowed enterprises and individuals to reap the benefits of this avant-garde technology.
Apple’s foray into cloud enables the firm to launch its latest iTunes product that allows users to store music, photos and data in the cloud, which are then linked to any Apple devices for accessing or playing without bothering of data loss.
The Cloud is used more by larger businesses
Meanwhile, Google, Microsoft and Amazon have also joined the league for delivering best in class cloud services. For instance, Google’s Cloud Storage and App Engine tools, Microsoft’s Office 365 Suite and Amazon’s Kindle demonstrate the potential of cloud in both business and pleasure.
The time is suitable for organizations to reap the benefits of consolidation, virtualization and automation, which are the striking features of cloud computing that many industry players reckon.
“Predecessors of cloud computing didn’t take off because the user experience was not there and the management tools were not fantastic,” says CK Lam, Enterprise Solutions Manager, Asia Pacific of Juniper Networks (Link). “Now I am convinced that it will take off. The economic advantage is just huge.”
Though, the percentage of cloud adoption among large companies is higher as compared to medium and small-sized firms, but its service keeps on growing, encouraging corporations, small businesses, families, commuters, gamers and everyone in between to take the advantage of virtualization.
Why Should You Move to ‘Cloud’?
Cloud computing boasts about the way in which it has paved way for aparadigm transition in the evolution of IT. Notable benefits such as lower costs, greater agility and better resource utilization have increased the rate of adoption. Meanwhile, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) models of cloud enable organizations to derive insights for better business decisions.
Let’s take a more detailed look on why moving to cloud is beneficial for enterprises without regard to size and nature of business:
Greater Flexibility: The cloud-based services are capable of promptly meet business demands because of scalable in nature. Of late, organizations focus not just on saving money, but they also give priority to scale up their operations as soon as their businesses demand, and scale down just as quickly if resources are futile.
Easy and Quick to Deploy Applications:Installation, configuration and running of applications of any size is simple and fast in cloud environment. Creating and removing platforms for new applications is done at a great speed, allowing your human resource to focus more on their core expertise to improve the revenue of your organization.
Disaster Recovery: When companies migrating to cloud, they needn’t to worry for data loss or data theft. This is because disaster recovery plan of cloud-based service is designed keeping in the mind the significance of applications and data and both can be restored much faster if lost. A research study reveals that companies using cloud have the ability to address issues in an average of 2.1 hours, nearly four times quicker than those still relying traditional server infrastructure (8 hours).
Reduced Head Count: With fewer servers to maintain in a virtualized, automated environment, you will realize that you need fewer IT staff. In fact, enterprises using cloud start reducing the headcount of IT department by nearly 50%.
Free from Capital Expenditure: All service models of cloud computing allow users to pay for services they actually use. In fact, pay-as-you-go concept exists in cloud computing and as a result, there is no need for capital expenditure at all.
Work from Anywhere:As cited, virtualization is the striking feature of cloud-based service, running and accessing mission-critical applications from anywhere is possible provided that the user’s web-enabled or mobile device is connected with the Internet.
The aforesaid points clearly indicate that companies, intending to slash IT infrastructure and staffing costs without affecting the performance of their productivity, tend to move to cloud in order for leveraging their existing IT environment.
Cloud Security and Risks
Cloud computing is gaining traction with businesses, but before you decide to jump into the cloud, you should know about some of the key security risks it triggers. It has matchless attributes that do entail risk analysis and management in areas, such as data integrity, recovery, and confidentiality, and an assessment of legitimate concerns in areas, such as e-discovery, monitoring, and appraising.
Moreover, the line-of-business users are now at a faster pace creating applications and moving their mission critical data to the cloud without understanding all the security implications.
Let’s have a closer look at some of the perceived security risk in cloud computing and how these risks can be mitigated to develop a secure and holistic IT infrastructure.
Key security risk concerns related to cloud:
Data breaches:Online data breaches lead to the loss of per
sonal and credit card information of individuals is one of a series of staggering thefts that usually take place at the time of normal online transaction and data storage. Cloud computing has substantially introduced new possibilities of attack. The extensive security of hypervisor and VM operations is still under a big question mark.
A cloud basically constitutes of business critical applications and data, and if any invader penetrates far enough, then no one knows how many sensitive pieces of information will be exposed. Besides this, if a multi-tenant cloud service database is not appropriately intended, a snag in one user’s application could let an invader access not only to that user’s data, but every other user’s data also. Integration of encryption key do protects data at rest, but you are liable to lose your data in case you lose of the encryption key unexpectedly.
Data Loss:Data loss may occur unexpectedly through data corruption, deletion (human error), and theft or hardware failure. Plus, when the owner of encrypted data forgets or mislays the key that unlocks it. Irrefutably, the thought of losing one's data permanently is terrifying for both individuals and businesses. However, there are numerous techniques to thwart such type of data loss.