Cloud Computing: Concepts and Case Studies

Learn about Cloud Computing, its architecture, issues, economic considerations of the cloud, new digital business models and opportunities for innovation offered by cloud-based systems. Top cloud offerings include Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Services, Windows Azure and Salesforce.com.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing is a computing environment in which software and storage are provided as an Internet service and accessed with a Web browser.

Advantages to businesses:

• Businesses can save on system design, installation, and maintenance
• Increased efficiency and reduce the costs of new product and service launches
• Employees can access corporate systems from any Internet-connected computer

Cloud computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage and computing power, without direct active management by the user. It allows consumers and businesses to use applications without installing them on their computers (on-premise). With cloud computing, users can access files and use applications from any device that can access the Internet. An example of a Cloud Computing provider is Google’s Gmail.

In cloud computing, the “cloud” is used as a metaphor for “the Internet,” so the phrase cloud computing means a type of Internet-based computing, where different services —including servers, storage and applications — are delivered to an organization’s computers and devices through internet.

Cloud computing is increasingly becoming important for businesses as it provides cheap services that once required expensive, local hardware.

One can access a wide range of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the cloud. These services are broadly divided into three categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

‘Business Benefits of Cloud Computing, IaaS, PaaS and SaaS’, video by Macquarie Telecom Group.

Public Cloud Computing

A service provider owns and manages the infrastructure with cloud user organisations (tenants) accessing slices of shared hardware resource via the Internet Public cloud computing can be a faster, cheaper, and more agile approach to building and managing your own IT infrastructure.

However, data security is a key concern. Because when using a public cloud computing service, you are relying on someone else to safeguard your data.

Cloud computing can be divided into three main types of services:

• Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
• Software as a service (SaaS)
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Private Cloud Computing

Private cloud environment, a single tenant cloud. Organisation often implement due to concerns that their data will not be secure in a public cloud Can be divided into two types: On-premise private cloud, Service provider managed private cloud.

Hybrid Cloud Computing

Composed of both private and public clouds integrated through networking
Organisations typically use the public cloud to run applications with less sensitive security requirements
Runs more critical applications on the private portion of the hybrid cloud.

Autonomic Computing

The ability of IT system to manage themselves and adapt to changes in the computing environment, business policies, and operating objectives.

The goal of autonomic computing:

To create complex systems that run themselves, while keeping the system’s complexity invisible to the end user.
Addresses four key functions: Self-configuring, self-healing, self-optimising, and self-protecting.

Cloud Computing vs Cloud Storage

People are using cloud storage to save data. Cloud computing, however is different from cloud storage.

Cloud computing is used to work on and complete specified projects. But Cloud computing systems do use the data and move it back to the cloud (cloud storage).

An example of Cloud Computing is Software as a Service (SaaS), where data is transformed remotely through a software interface without your computer being involved.

Cloud computing offers numerous benefits and is gradually gaining ground in the business world.

Here are few basic differences between cloud computing and cloud storage:

• Cloud computing requires higher processing power, Cloud storage needs more storage space.
• Cloud computing is used by lot of businesses. Cloud storage, on the other hand, is used both for professional as well as personal reasons.
• Cloud computing gives you the ability to remotely work on and transform data (for example, coding an application remotely).

Digital Business with Cloud Computing

A network has many fundamental components, which enable people to meet personal and organisational objectives. Together, the Internet and the World Wide Web provide a highly effective infrastructure for delivering and accessing information and services.

Organisations are using the Internet of Things (IoT) to capture and analyse streams of sensor data to detect patterns and anomalies in order to have a considerable impact on the event outcome.

Cloud computing provides access to state-of-the-art technology at a fraction of the cost of ownership and without the lengthy delays that can occur when an organisation tries to acquire its own resources.

Cloud Security

Cloud computing security, also known simply as “cloud security” is a part of information security that deals with security on the cloud.

What is Cloud Security?

Cloud security is the set of security protocols, methodologies and technologies that protect the availability of cloud resources and the integrity of data stored in a cloud computing environment.

How Does it Differ from Traditional Computer Security?

Cloud security differs from traditional computer security in that it is not just focused on preventing access to specific machines.

Besides, cloud security also addresses issues of identity management and privacy.

Security Issues with Cloud

Most of the security issues relate to:

• Security issues faced by cloud providers (organizations)
• Security issues faced by their customers.

 

Cloud Computing Security Processes

Cloud computing security processes should focus on maintaining the customer’s data security, privacy and compliance with necessary regulations. The processes can also include a business continuity and data backup plan in the case of a cloud security breach.

 

Security teams must be trusted advisers on cloud security management
Security pros say infosec teams must be proactive on cloud security management to reduce risk related to rapid growth in enterprise cloud computing. Read more here…

Recommended Books

• ‘Selected Cloud Offerings’ by Christian Baun.

Edge computing (fog computing)

Edge computing (fog computing): This is a distributed computing paradigm which brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it is needed, to improve response times and save bandwidth.

Edge computing (fog computing) facilitates the operation of compute, storage and networking services between the end devices and cloud computing data centers.

Fog computing and edge computing are effectively the same thing; both are concerned with leveraging the computing capabilities within a local network to carry out computation tasks that would ordinarily have been carried out in the cloud.

Both technologies can help organizations reduce their reliance on cloud-based platforms to analyze data, which often leads to latency issues, and instead be able to make data-driven decisions faster.

The main difference between edge computing and fog computing comes down to where the processing of that data takes place. Edge computing usually occurs directly on the devices to which the sensors are attached; Fog computing moves the edge computing activities to processors that are connected to the LAN or into the LAN hardware.

Academic, MBA assignments, projects, questions on Cloud Computing and Cloud Storage

MBA and technology assignment questions on this topic:

Q. Acme University has set up a committee to decide whether it should use cloud solution for the automation of Training & Placement function. You are invited as a subject matter expert on this committee. You are expected to specifically provide the recommendations for the most appropriate cloud deployment model and cloud service model. Your recommendation must be supported by proper justification.

Q. Though all other partners of Acme Legal Associates seemed to be happy with the heavy discount proposed by the IT vendor for its SaaS solution, its one partner got concerned about signing up five-year agreement to get this discount. Not only the agreement is long term but is devoid of any SLAs. She has invited you to talk to all partners together about pros and cons of signing such long-term contract with a SaaS solution without much due diligence. What would you say in your formal presentation to them?

Q. “More than anything else, I would be worried about the data security”, Mr Kausik started articulating his concerns after hearing the presentation of BetaTech. “I understand this is not our customer data as we will be collecting information from general public. But they will be sharing their personal details because they are sharing it with us. Our brand stands for trust and unless we are 100% sure that this data will not be seen or used by anyone other than us, we can’t go ahead with this solution.” Mr Kausik ended his statement while reaching out for a glass of water. 

Mr Kausik was listening to the BetaTech’s proposal to organize an online competition on personal finance awareness. The proposal described how BetaTech will not only develop the IT solution but will entirely host the solution on cloud and will be made available to Mr Kausik’s company as a SaaS. It deliberated cost savings but refrained from describing how data will be handled and secured in the SaaS solution.

a. What kind of issues Mr Kausik would see through the proposal presented by BetaTech? 
b. How BetaTech can address the concerns raised by Mr Kausik? 

Q) Which cloud deployment model is the most appropriate choice for a conglomerate? Discuss pros and cons for each deployment model and its suitability or lack of it for a conglomerate. Which deployment model would you recommend?

Q) A large manufacturing company is evaluating adoption of mobile cloud computing for its ERP system. As a consultant to this company, you are asked to explain the challenges and provide recommendations regarding the same. How will you explain the challenges? What would be your recommendation?

Q) “I agree with you that we should use cloud for our recruitment portal but I get confused with these terms SaaS, PaaS and IaaS!” Mr Ajoy Puri started reacting to the suggestion made by Ms Ketki Chandramauli. “Please note that the recruitment portal has started generating more revenue than what our traditional recruitment agents are generating. While this is a welcome change, I am worried that we will be more dependent on technology, which I do not understand and hence can’t control. And when you talk about cloud, I get more worried because the more you talk about cloud; the more I get feeling of hearing Greek words!”

a) If you are in place of Ms Ketki Chandramauli then how will you explain SaaS, PaaS and IaaS to Mr Ajoy Puri?
b. What could be pros and cons of each service model for the business of Mr. Ajoy Puri? Which service model would you recommend? Why?

Question: Cloud storage is a model in which data is stored on remote servers accessed from the internet. It is maintained, operated and managed by a cloud storage service provider on storage servers that are built on virtualization techniques. Cloud storage is becoming more common, with several companies adopting cloud storage to store their data.

The Healthcare industry is inundated with massive volumes of data generated each minute. With the adoption of electronic health, mobile health and wearable technologies this is poised to increase dramatically over the next few years. This comprises of data that exists in the form of records, compliance & regulatory requirement. The recent trends demonstrate the transition from maintaining data in hard copies to digital data. As the Chief-Information-Officer (CIO), of a reputed hospital in the city, the management and you are in talks of migrating this data to the cloud. What are the benefits of adopting the cloud and the major challenges that you anticipate to face with regard to cloud adoption? Give justification for adopting the cloud.

Question. Individuals now have unlimited access to health information and, as a result, they have become actively involved in improving their health. There are now close to 700,000 health apps that monitor a variety of health data – heart rate, blood pressure, sleep patterns, calories intake, physical activity, blood glucose, cholesterol levels, and several other parameters. This self-monitoring information is set to increase, get more accurate, and transform how healthcare will be delivered to the people.

Cloud computing comes to the forefront here as it helps with storage of private and confidential patient data. It enables healthcare professionals and citizens/patients to access their data at any time and place. Health organizations use cloud computing to reduce costs, simplify management, and improve services in a safe and secure manner. Clinicians can be more flexible in their work as they are not confined to their office to access patients’ health records. Healthcare professionals can also exchange information about a patient with their colleagues at other locations to inform or negotiate about possible medical options. Cloud services available to health and life science organizations today extend well beyond email and communications, meetings and collaboration. Hospitals and physicians are starting to see cloud-based medical records and medical image archiving services. The objective is to offload a burdensome task from hospital IT departments and allow them to focus on supporting other imperatives such as EMR adoption and improved clinical support systems.

What are the advantages of adopting cloud computing in hospitals? Can introducing mobile devices for doctors in hospitals help? If so, how?