Content

Topic 1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Literature Review 4. What is Cloud Computing 4.1 Types of Services provided by Cloud Computing 5. Cloud Computing Architecture 6. Cloud Computing Issues & Risk 7.1 Security 7.2 Reliability 7.3 Ownership 7.4 Data Backup and Recovery7.5 Data Portability and Conversion 7.6 Isolation of Data 7.7 Multiplatform Support

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7. Conclusion 8. References

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Abstract

Cloud Computing as an Internet-based computing; where resources, software and information are provided to computers on-demand, like a public utility; is emerging as a platform for sharing resources like infrastructure, software and various applications. The majority of cloud computing infrastructure consists of reliable services delivered through data centers and built on servers. Clouds often appear as single points of access for all consumers computing needs. Commercial offerings of the cloud are expected to meet quality of service guarantees for customer satisfaction and typically offer service level agreements. The deployment of cloud computing can be easily observed while working on Internet, be it Google Docs or Google Apps, YouTube Video sharing or Picassa Image sharing, Amazons Shopping Cart or eBays PayPal, the examples are numerous. This paper focuses on issues and risk of Cloud Computing, and its benefit.

1. Introduction

Most of our data is stored on local networks with servers that may be clustered and sharing storage. This approach has had time to be developed into stable architecture, and provide decent redundancy when deployed right. A newer emerging technology, cloud computing, has shown up demanding attention and quickly is changing the direction of the technology landscape. Whether it is Googles unique and scalable Google File System, or Amazons robust Amazon S3 cloud storage model, it is clear that cloud computing has arrived with much to be gleaned from. Cloud computing includes hosting several services over the Internet, divided into three categories: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-aService (IaaS). With Cloud Computing users can access database resources via the Internet from anywhere, for as long as they need, without worrying about any maintenance or management of actual resources. Besides, databases in cloud are very dynamic and scalable. The proposed benefits of using cloud architecture to build applications on top of, are immense.

2. Background
Cyber infrastructure:- The comprehensive infrastructure needed to capitalize on dramatic advances in information technology has been termed cyber infrastructure . The term "cyber infrastructure" describes the new research environments that support advanced data acquisition, data storage, data management, data integration, data mining, data visualization and other computing and information processing services over the Internet. Service Oriented Architecture:- SOA is a way of reorganizing a portfolio of previously siloed software applications and support infrastructure into an interconnected set of services, each accessible through standard interfaces and messaging protocols. This architectural approach is particularly applicable when multiple applications running on varied technologies and platforms need to communicate with each other. Virtualization:- is a framework or methodology of dividing the resources of a computer into multiple execution environments, by applying one or more concepts or technologies such as hardware and software partitioning, time-sharing, partial or complete machine simulation, emulation, quality of service, and many others.

Definition 1:- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) IaaS solutions provide users with physical or virtual resources that satisfy the requirements of the user applications in terms of CPU, memory, operating system and storage. Definition 2:- Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) PaaS delivers cloud-based application development tools in addition to services for testing, deploying, collaborating, hosting, and maintaining applications. Definition 3:- Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) SaaS is a model of software deployment where a provider delivers its software as a service to be used by customers on demand.

3. Literature Review

One report by McKinsey & Co. uncovered 22 distinct definitions of cloud computing. For this exercise, we will use the Gartner definition of cloud computing as a style of computing where massively scalable IT-enabled capabilities are delivered as a service to external customers using Internet technologies.1 McKinsey presents a typology of software-as-a-service that elaborates the Gartner definition and is characterized by: Delivery Platforms o Managed hostingcontracting with hosting provider to host or manage an infrastructure (IBM, OpSource) o Cloud computingusing an on-demand cloud-based infrastructure to deploy an infrastructure or o applications (Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud) Development Platforms o Cloud computingusing an on-demand cloud-based development environment to provide a o general-purpose programming language (Bungee Labs, Coghead) Application-led Platforms o SaaS applicationsusing platforms of popular SaaS applications to develop and deploy application (Salesforce.com, NetSuite, Cisco Webex)2

In its 2008 and 2009 hype cycles, Gartner characterizes cloud computing as a technology that is moving up toward the peak of inflated expectations. That said, Gartner predicts that by 2011, early technology adopters will forgo capital expenditures and instead purchase 40% of their IT infrastructures as a service.

4. What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. The Cloud itself is a virtualisation of resources networks, servers, applications, data storage and services which the end user has on-demand access to. These resources can be provided with minimal management or service provider interaction. Cloud computing offers the end user resources without the requirement of having knowledge of the systems that deliver it. Additionally, the cloud can provide the user with a far greater range of applications and services. Therefore the cloud enables users and business scalable and tailored services. A cloud service has three distinct characteristics that differentiate it from traditional hosting. It is sold on demand, typically by the minute or the hour; it is elastic -- a user can have as much or as little of a service as they want at any given time; and the service is fully managed by the provider (the consumer needs nothing but a personal computer and Internet access).

A cloud can be private or public. A public cloud sells services to anyone on the Internet. A private cloud is a proprietary network or a data center that supplies hosted services to a limited number of people. When a service provider uses public cloud resources to create their private cloud, the result is called a virtual private cloud. Hybrid Cloud :- A hybrid cloud is a composition of at least one private cloud and at least one public cloud. A hybrid cloud is typically offered in one of two ways: a vendor has a private cloud and forms a partnership with a public cloud provider, or a public cloud provider forms a partnership with a vendor that provides private cloud platforms.

4.1 Types of Services provided by Cloud Computing :1. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) 2. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and 3. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
In Infrastructure-as-a-Service cloud computing allows a company to pay for only as much capacity as is needed, and bring more online as soon as required. Because this pay-for-whatyou-use model resembles the way electricity, fuel and water are consumed; it's sometimes referred to as utility computing.

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
Platform-as-a-service in the cloud is defined as a set of software and product development tools hosted on the provider's infrastructure. Developers create applications on the provider's platform over the Internet. PaaS providers may use APIs, website portals or gateway software installed on the customer's computer. Google Apps are examples of PaaS.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
In the software-as-a-service cloud model, the vendor supplies the hardware infrastructure, the software product and interacts with the user through a front-end portal. SaaS is a very broad market. Services can be anything from Web-based email to inventory control and database processing. Because the service provider hosts both the application and the data, the end user is free to use the service from anywhere.

5. Cloud Computing Architecture

When talking about a cloud computing system, it's helpful to divide it into two sections: the front end and the back end. They connect to each other through a network, usually the Internet. The front end is the side the computer user, or client, sees. The back end is the "cloud" section of the system.

The front end includes the client's computer (or computer network) and the application required to access the cloud computing system. Not all cloud computing systems have the same user interface. Services like Web-based e-mail programs leverage existing Web browsers like Internet Explorer or Firefox. Other systems have unique applications that provide network access to clients. On the back end of the system are the various computers, servers and data storage systems that create the "cloud" of computing services. In theory, a cloud computing system could include practically any computer program you can imagine, from data processing to video games. Usually, each application will have its own dedicated server. A central server administers the system, monitoring traffic and client demands to ensure everything runs smoothly. It follows a set of rules called protocols and uses a special kind of software called middleware. Middleware allows networked computers to communicate with each other.

6. Cloud Computing Issues & Risk

There are Several Issues & Risk of Cloud Computing:6.1 Security 6.2 Reliability 6.3 Ownership 6.4 Data Backup and Recovery 6.5 Data Portability and Conversion 6.6 Multiplatform Support 6.7 Isolation of Data

6.1 SecurityThere are numerous security issues for cloud computing as it encompasses many technologies including networks, databases, operating systems, virtualization, resource scheduling, transaction management, load balancing, concurrency control and memory management. Therefore, security issues for many of these systems and technologies are applicable to cloud computing. For example, the network that interconnects the systems in a cloud has to be secure. Furthermore, virtualization paradigm in cloud computing results in several security concerns. For example, mapping the virtual machines to the physical machines has to be carried out securely. Data security involves encrypting the data as well as ensuring that appropriate policies are enforced for data sharing. In addition, resource allocation and memory management algorithms have to be secure. Finally, data mining techniques may be applicable to malware detection in clouds.

6.1.1

Third Party Secure Data Publication Applied to Cloud :-

It uses a technique for third party publication of data in a secure manner. It assumes that the data is represented as an XML document. The idea is to have untrusted third party publishers. The owner of a document specifies access control polices for the subjects. Subjects get the policies from the owner when they subscribe to a document. In the cloud environment, the third party publisher is the machine that stored the sensitive data in the cloud. This data has to be protected and the techniques have to be applied to that, authenticity and completeness can be maintained.

6.1.2

Encrypted Data Storage for Cloud :-

Since data in the cloud will be placed anywhere, it is important that the data is encrypted. We are using secure coprocessor as part of the cloud infrastructure to enable efficient encrypted storage of sensitive data.

6.2 Reliability- Some people worry also about whether a cloud service provider is financially stable and whether their data storage system is trustworthy. Most cloud providers attempt to mollify this concern by using redundant storage techniques, but it is still possible that a service could crash or go out of business, leaving users with limited or no access to their data. A diversification of providers can help alleviate this concern, albeit at a higher cost.

6.3 Ownership- Once data has been relegated to the Cloud; some people worry that they Cloud lose some or all of their rights or be unable to protect the rights of their customers. Many cloud providers are addressing this issue with well-crafted user-sided agreements. That said, users would be wise to seek advice from their favorite legal representative. Never use a provider who, in their terms of service, lays any kind of ownership claim over your data.

6.4 Data Backup and Recovery- In Cloud Infrastructure you are unaware of your data safety in terms of disaster, and also the provision for your data recovery. Customer is fully unaware where the data is, a Cloud service provider should keep you informed about your data in case of a disaster. Data should be present at multiple locations to make it accessible and can be recovered at disaster. There should be time duration of backup not at the time of execution. Cloud providers employ redundant servers and routine data backup processes. Many providers are now offering data dumps onto media or allowing users to back up data through regular downloads.

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6.5 Data Portability and Conversion- Some people are concerned that, should they wish to switch providers, they may have difficulty transferring data. Porting and converting data is highly dependent on the nature of the cloud providers data retrieval format, particular in cases where the format cannot be easily discovered. As service competition grows and open standards become established, the data portability issue will ease, and conversion processes will become available supporting the more popular cloud providers. Worst case, a cloud subscriber will have to pay for some custom data conversion.

6.6 Multiplatform Support - More an issue for IT departments using managed services is how the cloud-based service integrates across different platforms and operating systems, e.g. OS X, Windows, Linux and thin-clients. Usually, some customized adaption of the service takes care of any problem. Multiplatform support requirements will ease as more user interfaces become web-based.

6.7 Isolation of Data- The Cloud infrastructure is typically in a shared environment. Though the customers data would be in an encryption form but not purely safe at all. Since data security is dependent of encryption. Many of the questions arises from data perspective, that the data is fully secure in form of encryption and what all algorithm are using for encryption, also who is holding the maintenance of encrypted keys. Any damage to encrypted data makes it unused.

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7. Conclusion
Cloud computing is an emerging computing paradigm that is increasingly popular. Leaders in the industry, such as Microsoft, Google, and IBM, have provided their initiatives in promoting cloud computing. Cloud computing and storage, benefit from years of development and testing of large scale infrastructure. The most important take away is cloud storage is for everyone and every organization. From big to small, groups to individual, the use of grid infrastructure can be deployed for maximum return and efficiency. Big IT companies are also building their own version of cloud. But still there are many question have left without an answer and indeed the most important one is security. Security is one of the biggest issue and risk in Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is the next big wave in computing. It has many benefits, such as better hardware management, since all the computers are the same and run the same hardware. It also provides for better and easier management of data security, since all the data is located on a central server, so administrators can control who has and doesn't have access to the files.

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8. References
1. International journal of computer science and information technology- Manorama Bhoi 2. http://www.dataplex.com/blog/index.php/2010/01/07/cloud-computing-issues/ 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing 4. http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240089111/Top-five-cloud-computingsecurity-issues 5. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-computing1.htm 6. http://www.itskeptic.org/top-seven-issues-cloud-computing 7. http://searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com/definition/cloud-computing 8. http://www.fiercecio.com/story/bandwidth-risk-cloud-computing/2012-01-04 9. http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/cloud-computing.aspx 10. http://lifehacker.com/5325169/the-hidden-risks-of-cloud-computing 11. http://progressforge.com/brief-introduction-to-cloud-computing/ 12. http://wikisites.cityu.edu.hk/sites/netcomp/articles/Pages/BackgroundofCloudComputin g.aspx

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