Cloud Computing Issues

Cloud computing issues span models (IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS) and types (public, private, or hybrid). Computing on the cloud requires vigilance about security, manageability, standards, governance, and compliance:

• Cloud security. The same security principles that apply to on-site computing apply to cloud computing security.

  • Identity management. Managing personal identity information so that access to computer resources, applications, data, and services is controlled properly.

  • Detection and forensics. Separating legitimate from illegitimate activity.

  • Encryption. Coding to protect your information assets.

• Cloud manageability. You need a consistent view across both on-premises and cloud-based environments. This includes managing the assets provisioning as well as the quality of service (QOS) you’re receiving from your service provider.

• Cloud standards. A standard is an agreed-upon approach for doing something. Cloud standards ensure interoperability, so you can take tools, applications, virtual images, and more, and use them in another cloud environment without having to do any rework. Portability lets you take one application or instance running on one vendor’s implementation and deploy it on another vendor’s implementation.

• Cloud governance and compliance. Governance defines who’s responsible for what and the policies and procedures that your people or groups need to follow. Cloud governance requires governing your own infrastructure as well as infrastructure that you don’t totally control. Cloud governance has two key components: understanding compliance and risk and business performance goals.

• Data in the cloud. Managing data in the cloud requires data security and privacy, including controls for moving data from point A to point B. It also includes managing data storage and the resources for large-scale data processing.

Cloud Computing Glossary

cloud computing

A networking solution in which everything — from computing power to computing infrastructure, applications, business processes to personal collaboration — is delivered as a service wherever and whenever you need.

Cloud Computing Glossary

cloud service

The delivery of software, infrastructure, or storage that has been packaged so it can be automated and delivered to customers in a consistent and repeatable manner.

Cloud Computing Glossary

deprovision

The release of cloud services that are no longer needed.

Cloud Computing Glossary

federating

Linking distributed resources together over the cloud.

Cloud Computing Glossary

hypervisor

An operating system that acts as a traffic cop, managing the various virtualization tasks in the cloud to ensure that they make things happen in an orderly manner.

Cloud Computing Glossary

multi-tenancy

The sharing of underlying resources by multiple companies over a cloud.

Cloud Computing Glossary

network attached store

Storage that has its own network address through which it is accessed by the network's workstation users. Acronym: NAS

Cloud Computing Glossary

service level agreement

A contract that stipulates the type of service you need from providers and what type of penalties would result from an unexpected business interruption. Acronym: SLA

Cloud Computing Glossary

solution stack

An integrated set of software that provides everything a developer needs to build an application.

Cloud Computing Glossary

storage area network

A storage systems that is flexible and scalable because it's available to multiple hosts at the same time. Acronym: SAN

Cloud Computing Glossary

vertical industry groups

Workgroups comprised of members from a particular industry such as technology and retail.

Cloud Computing Glossary

virtual memory

The portion of your hard drive that Windows uses to expand the available RAM

Cloud Computing Glossary

virtualization

Using computer resources to imitate other computer resources or whole computers to maximize performance and flexibility.