Cloud computing is transforming the way we do business the Information Technology (IT) more efficiently and cost-effective but it is also opening companies up to new types of cyber threats. In today’s technology-driven world the cloud computing and its security play a pivotal role in the storage of data, user access, application, and software which are categorized under Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
Here are some of the major benefits of cloud computing
Benefits of Cloud Computing
Cloud security infrastructure maintenance is the responsibility of the service provider.
There is no need for the customer to worry about it as the business can operate from anywhere irrespective of the location of the cloud infrastructure
1.Environment friendly
In the cloud, the resources can be shared in effective utilization of it as it can be managed over the internet. There is no need to be present physically
2.Competitive Infrastructure
Putting the business into the Internet as it always gives a competitive edge and cloud infrastructure. Cloud is a solution for all kinds of business irrespective of how big or small it is.
3.Financial advantage
Financial benefits are the biggest advantage of the cloud. In the pre-cloud days, a business needs to plan upfront on growth prospects when buying resources. It will result in high capital expenditure to start an online business. The cloud brings a paper use model along with reduced IT management cost
4.Technology benefits
The cloud can support scalability and it can scale along with the business growth it can be accessible over the Internet. The infrastructure of the cloud often gets updated based on the technology change thereby passing that benefit to the customer.
Risk of Cloud Computing
Now let us look at some of the risks associated with cloud computing
They are classified into two as internal and external security risks respectively.
1.Internal security risks
In the case of cloud, the application is deployed in infrastructure, not under the direct control of the customers, this can lead to data theft. Previous employees of the business can access unless their credentials are blocked and the cloud is also prone to hacking.
However, it can be prevented to a greater extent by the strict internal process, multi-factor authentication, and single sign-on
2.External Security Risks
The cloud infrastructure can be managed over the internet and it is available for hackers. Any failure or loophole in security can result in hacking and data compromise. The weak password is the other factor that helps hackers.
Data Protection risk
Data Protection is considered as a major risk in cloud security as the customer must be well aware of what information is stored in the cloud, where it is stored, who can access it and how they can be accessed etc..
There are some general risks associated with the cloud.
1.Cloud outages
Any technical outage can result in the non-availability of the application deployed in it
2.Data loss
Any incident of hacking can result in data loss
3.Vendor Lock-in
This is mainly applicable to PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service) cloud models. Some level of tweaking is required to move the application from one cloud to another in the PasS model
4.Vendor Failure
The vendor can end up in financial trouble resulting in the closure of the infrastructure. This will force its customers to find an alternative solution.
Thus we have covered the major benefits and risks associated with cloud computing.
