Cloud Computing

INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
WHAT IS CLOUD COMPUTING
DEFINITION
CLOUD ARCHITECTURE
ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS
PARTICIPANTS IN CLOUD COMPUTING
USAGE SCENARIOS
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES
CLOUD COMPUTING SECURITY
SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS FOR CLOUD COMPUTING
WHY CLOUD COMPUTING
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES

Introduction
Cloud computing has become the latest buzzword in the giant organizations all over the
globe. It looks to be the next big leap of technology which will be changing the way
businesses work and manage their work.
Simply defined, the technology of cloud computing is a well managed computing system
which is based on sound co-relation of the computing system and the underlying
architecture which includes the servers, the databases, the networks and more.
The cloud in cloud computing can be defined as the set of hardware, networks, storage,
services, and interfaces that combine to deliver aspects of computing as a service.
Cloud Services include the delivery of software, infrastructure, and storage over the
Internet (either as separate components or a complete platform) based on user demand.
Cloud computing is offered in different forms: public clouds, private clouds, and hybrid
clouds, which combine both public and private.

Overview
For organizations to stay ahead of the competitions, constant innovation and improvement
at low cost of operation is needed.
Cloud computing allows IT related organizations to optimize on the operation cost by being
an alternate delivery and acquisition model. Clouds often appear as single points of access
for all consumers' computing needs.
In today's global competitive market, companies must innovate and get the most from its
resources to succeed. This requires enabling its employees, business partners, and users
with the platforms and collaboration tools that promote innovation. Cloud computing
infrastructures are next generation platforms that can provide tremendous value to
companies of any size. They can help companies achieve more efficient use of their IT
hardware and software investments and provide a means to accelerate the adoption of
innovations. Cloud computing increases profitability by improving resource utilization.
Costs are driven down by delivering appropriate resources only for the time those
resources are needed.
Cloud computing has enabled teams and organizations to streamline lengthy procurement
processes. Cloud computing enables innovation by alleviating the need of innovators to
find resources to develop, test, and make their innovations available to the user
community. Innovators are free to focus on the innovation rather than the logistics of finding
and managing resources that enable the innovation.

What is Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software
and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand, like
electricity.
A technology used to access services offered on the Internet cloud. On-demand selfservice Internet infrastructure where you pay-as-you-go and use only what you need,
all managed by a browser, application or API. Cloud computing is broken up into
multiple segments including:
Cloud Infrastructure,
Cloud Platforms and
Cloud Applications.

Basic Servers of cloud

Software as a service:
Software as a service also referred to as "software on demand," is software that is
deployed over the internet and/or is deployed to run behind a firewall on a local area
network or personal computer. With SaaS, a provider licenses an application to
customers either as a service on demand, through a subscription, in a "pay-as-you-go"
model, or (increasingly) at no charge. This approach to application delivery is part of the
utility computing model where all of the technology is in the "cloud" accessed over the
Internet as a service.
Platform as Service
Platform as a service deliver a computing platform and/or solution stack as a service,
often consuming cloud infrastructure and sustaining cloud applications. It facilitates
deployment of applications without the cost and complexity of buying and managing the
underlying hardware and software layers.

Infrastructure as a service
Infrastructure as a Service, delivers computer infrastructure - typically a platform
virtualization environment - as a service. Rather than purchasing servers, software, datacenter space or network equipment, clients instead buy those resources as a fully
outsourced service. Suppliers typically bill such services on a utility computing basis and
amount of resources consumed (and therefore the cost) will typically reflect the level of
activity. IaaS evolved from virtual private server offerings.

Deployments of Cloud
Public cloud
Public cloud or external cloud describes cloud computing in the traditional
mainstream sense, whereby resources are dynamically provisioned on a
fine-grained, self-service basis over the Internet
Community cloud
A community cloud may be established where several organizations have similar
requirements and seek to share infrastructure so as to realize some of the benefits of
cloud computing. With the costs spread over fewer users than a public cloud (but more
than a single tenant) this option is more expensive but may offer a higher level of
privacy, security and/or policy compliance.
Hybrid cloud
A hybrid cloud environment consisting of multiple internal and/or external providers
"will be typical for most enterprises".
A hybrid storage cloud uses a combination of public and private storage clouds. Hybrid
storage clouds are often useful for archiving and backup functions, allowing local data
to be replicated to a public cloud.

Private cloud
Private cloud and internal cloud have been described as neologisms however
the concepts themselves pre-date the term cloud by 40 years. Even within
modern utility industries, hybrid models still exist despite the formation of
reasonably well-functioning markets and the ability to combine multiple
providers.
It is the new generation of computing that utilizes distant servers for data
storage and management, allowing the device to use smaller and more
efficient chips that consume less energy than standard computers. It refers to
accessing computing resources that are typically owned and operated by a
third-party provider on a consolidated basis in data center locations
Computing in the cloud may refer to a company's own network, but it
typically refers to the Internet and the use of Web browser-based or rich client
applications. In these applications, the software comes from the Web
Servers, and the data may be saved on the servers as well.

Definition
A cloud is a pool of virtualized computer resources. A cloud can:
Host a variety of different workloads, including batch-style back-end jobs
and interactive, user-facing applications
Allow workloads to be deployed and scaled-out quickly through the rapid
provisioning of virtual machines or physical machines
Support redundant, self-recovering, highly scalable programming models
that allow workloads to recover from many unavoidable hardware/software
failures
Monitor resource use in real time to enable rebalancing of allocations
when needed.
Clouds also support non grid environments, such as a three-tier Web
architecture running standard or Web 2.0 applications. A cloud is more
than a collection of computer resources because a cloud provides a
mechanism to manage those resources.
Management includes provisioning, change requests, reimaging, workload
rebalancing, de-provisioning, and monitoring.

History
The concept of cloud computing dates back to 1960s, when John McCarthy opined that
"computation may someday be organized as a Public Utility ".
The actual term "cloud" borrows from telephony in that telecommunications companies,
who until the 1990s primarily offered dedicated point-to-point data circuits, began offering
Virtual Private Network (VPN) services with comparable quality of service but at a much
lower cost. By switching traffic to balance utilization as they saw fit they were able to utilise
their overall network bandwidth more effectively. The cloud symbol was used to denote the
demarcation point between that which was the responsibility of the provider from that of
the user. Cloud computing extends this boundary to cover servers as well as the network
infrastructure.
Amazon played a key role in the development of cloud computing by modernizing their
data centres. Having found that the new cloud architecture resulted in significant internal
efficiency improvements, Amazon initiated a new product development effort to provide
cloud computing to external customers and launched Amazon Web Services in 2006.
In early 2008, Eucalyptus became the first open source AWS API compatible platform for
deploying private clouds.

Cloud Architecture
Cloud architecture involved in the delivery of cloud computing, typically involves
multiple cloud components communicating with each other over application
programming interfaces, usually web services. Complexity is controlled and the
resulting systems are more manageable. The two most significant components are
known as the front end and the back end. The front end is the part seen by the client,
i.e. the computer user. This includes the clients network (or computer) and the
applications used to access the cloud via a user interface such as a web browser.
The back end of the cloud computing architecture is the cloud itself, comprising
various computers, servers and data storage devices.

Essential Characteristics
Cloud computing has four essential characteristics:
Elasticity and the ability to scale up and down
Self-service provisioning and automatic de-provisioning
Application programming interfaces (APIs)
Billing and metering of service usage in a pay-as-you-go model
This flexibility is what is attracting individuals and businesses to move to the cloud

Participants in Cloud Computing

The end user who doesnt have to know anything about the underlying
technology
Business management who needs to take responsibility for the governance of
data or services living in a cloud. Cloud service providers must provide a
predictable and guaranteed service level and security to all their constituents
The cloud service provider who is responsible for IT assets and maintenance

Usage Scenarios
Cloud computing can play a significant role in a variety of areas including internal
pilots, innovations, virtual worlds, e-business, social networks, and search.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Through Cloud Computing, businesses benefits:
Financial waste
Better track employee activities
Avert technological headaches such as computer viruses, system crashes, and loss of data
Great manageability and oversight
sharing of information company-wide
Awareness of company objectives and individual and team progress
Less money and other resources on their information technology departments
Through Cloud Computing, the servers which house the software are entirely off-site, with
program usage licensed on an as-needed basis through subscription. This may bring down
the cost per employee.
Thus, with software pay-per-use, savings are realized from the avoidance of extraneous
software licenses and more immediate access to additional programs is possible almost at
a whim, without having to go through the upload process on the IT side, as required for inhouse servers.
Normally a company would need IT experts to set up and monitor their computer systems to
ensure everything was working sufficiently and the all data was secure. If they chose to use
a cloud storage provider, those tasks would be taken care of. Also a company could use the
staff it had remaining concentrating on other aspects of the business, such as research and
development.

Noted disadvantages to Cloud Computing are:

Reliance upon network connectivity
Peripheral communication (or lack thereof)
Legal issues (ownership of data)
Absence of a hard drive
The most obvious of the negative concerns is the network connectivity. If the network goes
down for any reason, the company loses access to Cloud Computing applications, data and
services. Generally such issues are very short-lived and can be immediately addressed
through the company's network provider.
The second concern today is communication of peripheral and connected devices. Before
plunging into Cloud Computing full force, one must ensure that the organisation's devices will
all communicate and work well with Cloud applications. This is primarily just an issue with
lesser known or older technologies, printers, and devices. Most mainstream devices
communicate with Cloud Computing programs and applications, as ensuring wide usability is
the number one goal for those offering Cloud Computing.
Absence of a hard drive - while very attractive at face value - can lead to some issues and
concerns with Cloud Computing. Some applications (particularly in design and a more
technological realm) require hardware attached to the hard drive for use. Ensure the
company's necessary applications and uses for Cloud Computing do not require hardware
attached to a hard drive, prior to forgoing the individual workstation hardware, altogether.

Cloud Computing Security

Cloud computing security referred to simply as "cloud security" is an evolving subdomain of computer security, network security, and, more broadly, information
security. It refers to a broad set of policies, technologies, and controls deployed to
protect data, applications, and the associated infrastructure of cloud computing.
There is a number of security issues associated with cloud computing but these
issues fall into two broad categories: Security issues faced by cloud providers and
security issues faced by their customers. In most cases, the provider must ensure
that their infrastructure is secure and that their clients data and applications are
protected while the customer must ensure that the provider has taken the proper
security measures to protect their information.
While cloud security concerns can be grouped into any number of dimensions
these dimensions have been aggregated into three general area: Security and
Privacy, Compliance, and Legal or Contractual Issues.

Security Considerations for Cloud Computing

Security, privacy, identity, and other compliance implications of moving
data into the cloud.
Confidentiality and Privacy
Data Breach Responsibilities and Security
Placing data and services in the cloud amplify concerns about data
breaches, yet security is not under direct control of the institution. Data
breach generally carries with it an obligation to notify. Risks to
intellectual property: authorization, terms and conditions that
(inappropriately) assert ownership over IP held by third parties,
weakening of ability for institutions to assert "work made for hire" for
creations that are developed "without use of institutional resources".
E-Discovery
Institutions and their legal counsel may be obligated to keep records
needed for legal discovery. But these records are not under direct
institutional control; the institution no longer has the record in the same
way that it formerly did.

Risk Evaluation
Indemnification (both ways)
Warranties (and lack thereof)
Responsibility for End Users
Patent Infringement
Choice of Law and Jurisdiction
Risk Transfer
Procurement Policies & Practices (e.g., procurement policies should require a risk
evaluation for products that store records with confidential data)

Business Continuity
Suspension/Termination and their Aftermath
Service Level Agreements

Legal Issues & Third Party Obligations in Cloud Computing Contracts

Grants with Stipulations
Course Management
Risk Transfer

Why Cloud Computing

Incremental Scalability. Cloud environments allow users to access additional compute
resources on-demand in response to increased application loads.
Agility. As a shared resource, the cloud provides flexible, automated management to distribute
the computing resources among the cloud's users.
Reliability and Fault-Tolerance. Cloud environments take advantage of the built-in redundancy
of the large numbers of servers that make them up by enabling high levels of availability and
reliability for applications that can take advantage of this.
Service-oriented. The cloud is a natural home for service-oriented applications, which need a
way to easily scale as services get incorporated into other applications.
Utility-based. Users only pay for the services they use, either by subscription or transactionbased models.
Shared. By enabling IT resources to be consolidated, multiple users share a common
infrastructure, allowing costs to be more effectively managed without sacrificing the security of
each user's data.
SLA-driven. Clouds are managed dynamically based on service-level agreements that define
policies like delivery parameters, costs, and other factors.
APIs. Because clouds virtualize resources as a service they must have an application
programming interface (API).

Conclusion
There is no denying the present and future of Cloud Computing. One of the most
beneficial realms of use is telecommuting. Cloud Computing has averted the need for
constant updating of work performed outside of the office, and enabled workers to log
onto their everyday applications wherever they are: in the office, in the airport, at home,
or even in the back seat of a car. No longer are days "out of the office" days of lost
progress.
Cloud Computing will not only remain a staple in modern business, but will likely
streamline organisational operations in many new ways, as well as expanding upon its
current uses. Most major technology organisations see the bright future of this
technology, and are investing into development and implementation of new pathways
into the Cloud.

References
Gartner Forecast: Sizing the Cloud, March 2009
Larry Ellison, What the hell is cloud computing
www.wikipedia.org
www.cloud.com
Cloud Computing:The clash of the clouds; The Economist.
Network World
IEEE International Conference on Cloud Computing