What is cloud computing?
Before we actually start understanding what the risks of cloud computing are, we would first have to have a clear and explicit picture of what cloud computing exactly is. Cloud computing is a type of computing that depends on common computing resources instead of having local servers or individual devices to handle applications.
In its most general account, cloud computing is taking services (“cloud services”) and shifting them independently, outside a company’s firewall. Applications, storage and other services are retrieved through the Web. The services are provided and used over the Internet and are remunerated for by the cloud customer on a need based or customized business model.
Looking ahead, The National Institute of Stands and Technology (NIST) has a more ample explanation of cloud computing. It defines cloud computing as “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”
Furthermore, Cloud services are classically positioned based on the final-user (business) prerequisites. The most common and widely used cloud computing services, which are known to users, are Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
Risk of Cloud Computing:
By looking at the above description of cloud computing and their primary services, we are now in a position to accurately judge the drawbacks of using it. Although it is a convenient application, many companies still do not prefer using it. This maybe because of the following reasons.
- Lack of control over quality:
An industry desires to rely on the quality criterion that a supplier can offer over time, however, this facility is not available using cloud computing.
- Lack of control over performance
There is usually the danger that the system quality may be poor or that a cloud service source is incapable to offer quality facilities at all times. It should be clear what promises the provider can offer in terms of systems performance and, especially, how quick is its corrective action in case of a disruption of service. Not having direct access to the infrastructure means that a business must rely on the prompt action of the provider when something goes wrong.
- Security
Not just privacy, but the complete structure should be assessed. Where is your data going to be stored? Who will have access to the data? What security actions and safety could the cloud provider offer? Is all information (even when non-sensitive) transferred in unsafe plaintext or is it encrypted at all times?
- Confidentiality
Perhaps the chief concern, confidentiality is usually stated as the cause for not accepting cloud computing. If a company’s operations need to handle sensitive data, the protection of this data becomes a priority and a concern. A company might not feel assured in involving an external party with their important information. Responsibility for a data leak could be difficult to assign when data is dealt with and conveyed between two parties.
