Good Cloud Computing Research Paper Example

Introduction

Cloud computing is the new talk in the business world and every business seeks to join in the new technology it offers. In simple generality, cloud computing involves the sharing of computer resources including applications over the internet for a more reliable and faster processing. Cloud computing foundations have been in play for a period of time dating to the 1950s ever since the mainframe computers began to be produced in large scale. Bahga and Madisetti (20) define cloud computing as “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computer resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” Several resources can be shared in cloud computing and they include networks, servers, storage, applications and other services. Cloud computing is on high demand creating the need to understand in terms of its benefits and risks.

Benefits of cloud computing

In order to understand the basic benefits of cloud computing, an insight into its attributes would clarify things best. First and foremost, it is an on-demand self-service which implies that the resources within the cloud are available to its users without the need for a service provider, implying that it is very easy to use and implement. In addition, the cloud offers a broad network access to its users implying that the users can access the cloud though heterogeneous platforms such as laptops and tablets creating the notion of ease in accessibility. The aspect of resource pooling is vital and denotes that the cloud is comprised of a lot of resources including network and storage which are designed to serve multiple users per unit time. Furthermore, the resources within the cloud can be scaled up or down based on demand of the user, a property defined as rapid elasticity hence making cloud computing elastic. Other attributes of cloud computing include improved performance of applications, reduced costs, and a measured service which favor management.

Risks of cloud computing

The cloud computing is the act pooling resources over the internet for easy access by business organizations. The risks that befall the internet follow the cloud computing and they include data security and privacy concerns (Mather, Kumaraswamy and Latiff 7). The data security is a really troubling aspect considering that there are several unknown computer users with malicious intent ready to hack into such networks. The data being shared over the cloud networks is at risk of being compromised by these hackers who might decide to sabotage the data, alter it or even retrieve it without permission for their own personal gains (Marinescu 273). In addition, viruses are very frequent over the networks in the internet and so the cloud computing network is exposed to these threats and may lead to data loss, or even damage to the network servers. Finally, the private data that may be over the cloud computing network is indeed hindering the ethical privacy rights of an individual and so the protection of this data is necessary lest it falls into wrong hands (Cartensen, Golden and Morgenthal 54).

Recommendations and conclusion

The cloud computing network is a really powerful tool for management purposes of a business. Therefore, the risks are there but the benefits to be gained from such a network are really immense. Therefore, businesses are recommended to use this network but the risks and concerns still need to be addressed. Therefore, since security of the information and data is important, transmission of data should be encrypted as well as security protocols regarding entry into the network be tightened. In addition, access to the private information should be limited to a need-to-know basis in order to facilitate data security maintenance over the network (Pearson and Yee 3). Firewalls and anti-viruses of the latest versions, and frequently updated should be installed into the servers to ensure that the viruses that might cause damage are taken care of. In a nutshell, the cloud computing is a convenience network for businesses despite the risks. Even so, risk is part of a business nature.

Work cited

Bahga, Arshdeep, and Vijay Madisetti. Cloud Computing: A Hands-on Approach. , 2014. Print.
Carstensen, Jared, Bernard Golden, and J P. Morgenthal. Cloud Computing: Assessing the Risks. Ely: It Governance Publishing, 2012. Print.
Marinescu, Dan C. Cloud Computing: Theory and Practice. Boston: Morgan Kaufmann, 2013. Internet resource.
Mather, Tim, Subra Kumaraswamy, and Shahed Latif. Cloud Security and Privacy. Beijing: O'Reilly, 2009. Internet resource.
Pearson, Siani, and George Yee. Privacy and Security for Cloud Computing. London: Springer, 2013. Internet resource.