Introduction
Cloud computing is a technique whereby computing resources or services such as data storage, physical or virtual servers, databases, software, networking services, and networking tools are accessible and available over the internet. A cloud service provider manages these services. Cloud computing provides the capability of data being stored, managed, and processed in a remote database, and the data can be retrieved when needed. Individuals and businesses have opted for cloud computing due to the various benefits, such as increased productivity, cost savings, efficiency, improved performance, and security. Cloud computing is composed of three primary services, which are Platform as a Service (Paas), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) (Hayes, B. 2008). Software as a service is the providence of software applications to customers. Platform as a service refers to the providence of development platforms for use by various customers. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is a cloud computing service that allows businesses to lease servers in the cloud for computation and storage. Users can run any operating system or application on rented servers without incurring the fees of server maintenance and operation.
Positive Aspects.
Most organizations have preferred cloud computing due to the positive impacts, which help achieve organizational goals and increase business revenue. Organizations nowadays prefer using the cloud infrastructure and services instead of developing their own since cloud services are convenient. For companies to remain competitive in this technological era, the adoption of clouding is a thing to consider. The following are two positive aspects of cloud computing technology that motivate organizations to migrate from local infrastructure to cloud services.
Cost reduction is the main benefit and a positive aspect of cloud computing. Costs are reduced because an organization does not have to invest in physical hardware. Since the cloud service provider is in charge of maintenance, an organization does not spend much on maintenance only in cases of essential maintenance, which require minimal costs. The infrastructure in the cloud is leased or rented, which means it is cheaper than the actual purchasing. The IT infrastructure requires power to run, which causes the organization to spend more on electricity charges (Avram, M. G. 2014 p. 531). With cloud computing, there is a reduction in the electricity load since most of the infrastructure used in the organization is in the cloud only the infrastructure in the organization is to be powered. Capital expenses are reduced because an organization does not necessarily need to develop its infrastructure. They can lease them from the cloud at a cheaper cost than they would have incurred in developing their own. Installations of various infrastructures in the organization may take time, and costs are involved. The adoption of cloud computing infrastructure reduces the cost of labor for installation and saves time.
Reliability and availability are other positive aspects of cloud computing. Services, products, and tools in the cloud are available anywhere anytime to clients as long as they are connected to the internet, making them reliable. Data stored in the cloud can be backed up and recovered anytime when needed making it reliable. Cloud computing adds fault-tolerance into the organization’s infrastructure bringing in the reliability factor. A fault-tolerant system works so that in case of a failure of a component in the system, there is an automatic switch to the alternative component that performs the same role.
Negative Aspects
Despite the cloud having many positive aspects, it also has its negative aspects. Everything has its negative part, and cloud computing is not exceptional. Cloud computing depends on network connectivity, and for an organization to benefit from it, there must be network connectivity. All cloud services need an internet connection, including storing and retrieving data. When the organization uses infrastructure such as virtual machines from the cloud and network connectivity is lost, it means downtime for the organization.
There is a loss of control by the organization when they use cloud computing services which is a negative aspect. An organization has to trust the cloud to take care of their business-related files and data. Once you decide to store your data or use their infrastructure or software, the control of those services lies on their side. In case of a technical issue related to the cloud service, the organization cannot fix them. The cloud service providers are the ones to solve these technical issues, which may take ages, causing delays in the organizations’ activities.
Security Issues
Cloud security providers implement the relevant security standard and industry certifications to ensure the safety of the cloud environment. The storage of data and essential business files in the cloud opens up security risks and threats to the organization. Data stored in the cloud shows that it contains confidential and sensitive information. Data loss is one of the security issues apart from it being stolen. Data lost in an organization means a lot of damage to the organization since the attacker targeting specific data may also target the backup data, making the recovery process seem impossible (Hamlen, K., Kantarcioglu, M., Khan, L., & Thuraisingham, B. (2010 p. 40). Data loss may result from system failure, hacking, or a virus. Data loss in an organization may be prevented using the data loss prevention software that monitors and formulate policies and can detect security threats. The organization’s sensitive data may be protected and secured with this software.
The other security issue associated with cloud computing is insecure application programming interfaces (APIs). The use of API makes communication with the cloud easier but having insecure ones exposes environments to various threats. API is an interface or a link it is prone to security threats. Application Programming Interfaces are vulnerable to threats since they act as channels for exposing programs for third-party integration. APIs also give information on a service’s features and functionality and what is needed for one to execute them. This shows how vulnerable an insecure API may be, and API being the critical part of the cloud, an insecure one means insecurity of the whole cloud system (Tianfield, H. 2012, October p. 1085). This, therefore, brings the need for securing the APIs because an insecure one is prone and affected by more threats. To avoid these threats and security issues brought by insecure APIs, designing and developing APIs should consider authentication, access control, and encryption incorporated to minimize security issues and avoid insecure cloud APIs.
Conclusion
To conclude, cloud computing is essential for individuals or organizations due to its benefits. An organization having reduced costs on the total expenses is a good thing, and at the same time, the achievement of the organization’s goals becomes efficient and effective. The reliability and availability that come with the adoption of cloud computing is another positive aspect. Besides the many positive aspects, there are also negative aspects and security issues related to cloud computing. Cloud computing majorly relies on internet connectivity, which means a failed internet connection leads to the inaccessibility of cloud services. Many security issues such as data loss, data theft, and insecure APIs affect the effectiveness of cloud computing technology. There is a need to put appropriate measures to help reduce the security issues in place.
References
Avram, M. G. (2014). Advantages and challenges of adopting cloud computing from an enterprise perspective. Procedia Technology, 12, 529-534. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221201731300710X
Hamlen, K., Kantarcioglu, M., Khan, L., & Thuraisingham, B. (2010). Security issues for cloud computing. International Journal of Information Security and Privacy (IJISP), 4(2), 36-48. https://www.igi-global.com/article/security-issues-cloud-computing/46102
Hayes, B. (2008). Cloud computing. https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/1364782.1364786
Tianfield, H. (2012, October). Security issues in cloud computing. In 2012 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC) (pp. 1082-1089). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6377874/?casa_token=pfr2Na9GKNsAAAAA:r4qjPQQGAUyySSZqy6Kl97FTY7iFDLZ-WEzPe0qV2jEp7rC5Am1850bxUFV4e6SsQn5RhFXQII6k-pY
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