Cloud Computing : Cloud Storage

Cloud computing offers services to users based on on-demand self-service, broad network access, measured service, resource pooling and rapid elasticity; These characteristics promise a faster time for implementation, lower cost, superior scalability and a better end user satisfaction. These services are delivered in models known as Software As A service (SaaS), Platform As A Service (PAAS), and Infrastructure As A Service (IAAS). The first layer which is the Software As A service (SaaS) is the layer in which software applications are delivered to end users. Below is the Platform As A Service (PAAS) layer which offers a platform on which applications can be developed. The lowest layer is the Infrastructure As A Service (IAAS) layer, in this layer the physical servers and network infrastructure is offered as a service. These services can be deployed throughout the internet (Public Cloud Computing), on the intranet infrastructure, (Private Cloud Computing), in a shared community of private networks (Community Cloud Computing), or a hybrid of both (Hybrid Cloud Computing). The service deployment models are [8]:

Customers, even if security risks are minimal, may themselves distrust cloud computing when transmitting personal data, such as doing online banking. If they only have a vague notion of what cloud computing is, the benefits and efficiencies may seem unclear and outweighed by the risks (Knorr & Gruman 2010). They too may shy away from patronizing businesses that have cloud-hosted data.

Cloud computing can also be separated into three broad categories of service: software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS). SaaS are applications that are typically run on remote computers that are owned and operated by a third-party; they connect to customers computers via the Internet. Examples would be, accounting software such as QuickBook on the enterprise side and services like Facebook or Google on the consumer side. The second category, PaaS is a platform for developers to design and build their own applications rather than use existing ones. These applications could range from a web site to a custom operating system. An example of a PaaS provider is Windows Azure Cloud Services. The third and final type of cloud offering is IaaS. IaaS is the actual nuts and bolts of computing hardware in virtual form. An IaaS provider such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) can offer their customers access to server farms that otherwise would be beyond their capability to operate.(Juve et al, 2013) Cloud computing, as it has come to be understood, is more than simply storing data remotely. It is instead, the idea of the technology itself

The world is turning to cloud computing to manage data. Businesses are at the forefront of this new trend with companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others leading the way by providing these services. What exactly is cloud computing? According to Turban & Volonino (2011), cloud computing is Internet- based computing in which shared resources (such as hard drives for storage) and software apps are provided to computers and other devices on- demand (p. 48).

Cloud computing is the result of evolution and adoption of existing technologies and prototypes; although the origin of the term cloud computing is unclear. In the earliest stages, the term ‘cloud’ was used to represent the computing space between the provider and the end user. References to cloud computing in its modern sense appeared as early as 1996, with the earliest known mention in a Compaq internal document (Regalado, 2011). In 1997, Professor Ramnath Chellapa of Emory University and the University of South California defined cloud computing as the new “computing paradigm where the boundaries of computing will be determined by economic rationale rather than technical limits alone”. This has become the basis of what we refer to today when we discuss

However, with the convenience of cloud storage come real risks. Cloud storage is quite attractive, given the advantages previously stated, but there are still great concerns, including reliability and security. Organizations relying on cloud computing must ensure that the third party they’ve entrusted to store their data can guarantee that they can access their information at any time and that their information is safe from the threat of hackers (Berman, 2008, p. ).

Cloud computing is a new way of delivering computing resources, not a new technology. Computing services ranging from data storage and processing to software, such as email handling, are now available instantly, commitment-free and on-demand. Since we are in a time of belt-tightening, this new economic model for computing has found fertile ground and is seeing massive global investment. According to IDC’s analysis, the worldwide forecast for cloud services in 2009 will be in the order of $17.4bn1. The estimation for 2013 amounts to $44.2bn, with the European market ranging from €971m in 2008 to €6,005m in 2013 2. The key conclusion of ENISA’s 2009 paper on Cloud

Cloud computing, even though some of the concepts were around for since as far back as the 1950’s, is considered the latest digital revolution. Cloud computing is a very controversial subject and term because of its old roots however, cloud computing is the evolution of these technologies and paradigms. Cloud is an alignment of procedures, hardware, and software to create a redundant, flexible, and cost-efficient solutions for developers, consumers, and businesses. The cloud allows us to access store and access data from anywhere in the world. The Cloud can scale to theoretically unlimited computing resources such as Central Processing Unit (CPU) power, Persistent Hard Disk Drive (HDD) storage, and Random Access Memory (RAM) to run more robust applications. The unparalleled possibility in scalability of the cloud rids us of the limitations and the growing pains traditionally had when scaling physical devices and at fraction of the cost. This paradigm also allows for companies to focus on what they do best verses needing to investing in, spending time on building the technology to complete their company’s vision.

Reaching the point where computing functions as a utility has great potential, promising innovations we cannot yet imagine. Customers are both excited and nervous at the prospects of Cloud Computing. They are excited by the opportunities to reduce capital costs. They are excited for a chance to divest themselves of infrastructure management, and focus on core competencies. Most of all, they are excited by the agility offered by the on-demand provisioning of computing and the ability to align information technology with business strategies and needs more readily. However, customers are also very concerned about the risks of Cloud Computing if not properly secured, and the loss of direct control over systems for which they are nonetheless accountable. To aid both cloud customers and cloud providers, CSA developed “Security Guidance for Critical Areas in Cloud Computing”, initially released in April 2009, and revised in December 2009. This guidance has quickly become the industry standard catalogue of best

The world is moving from manufacturing to more service-oriented day after a day. According to a survey of the U.S. economy conducted in 2010, 15% of the U.S. economy is driven by manufacturing, 5% in agriculture and other areas, and the remaining 80% is related to the service industry (Hwang & Dongarra 2013). Also, based on IDC, International Data Corporation, the cloud service market reached $17.4 billion globally in 2009 and is predicted to grow to more than $45 billion by the end of 2015. Cloud Computing can be explained as the delivery of computing resources over the Internet and is generally categorized under three layer: IaaS- Infrastructure as a Service, PaaS- Platform as a Service, and SaaS- Software as a Service (McKay, 2011).

There is wide range of services that could be provided by cloud providers. Based on blabla, there are 3 models of cloud services that widely popular. They are Infratructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). IaaS provides for fundamental resource for computing such as processing, servers, storage, networks and manage its physical infrastructures but costumers have control for their OS [fn1]. PaaS provides design, tools or Environment with IDE. It is usually used by software developer who wants to run their application over internet. SaaS delivers ready-use software over internet or we can called as web-based software. Cloud users neither have to maintain platform or infrastructures. These days this services gain money from advertising or user list sales for example Google mail service so users can enjoy it free.

Cloud computing is a topic of which much is assumed. The average person recognizes the term “cloud computing” as having to do with their storage from their iPad or iPhone on the online storage area which syncs their Apple devices to their computer. This common cloud is called the iCloud. That is where common knowledge ends about this topic. However, upon further exploration, a deeper understanding is gained with greater explanation, and it is realized that cloud computing is something that is used all of the time on many levels of everyday technology. While the terminology remains cryptic to the mind of most people, the concepts behind the practical uses of cloud computing become quite clear. It is relatable and understandable. Upon this revelation, the iCloud is recognized as the tip of the preverbal iceberg when speaking about cloud computing. It is important to discuss and further understand the many types of cloud computing as well as the various applications to life through technology. This affects how information is stored online, computers are protected, information is secured, emails are processed, and many other factors that are taken for granted in the world of technology. Cloud computing is a general term used to describe how information is stored, utilized, and accessed over the internet. There is no cloud, but the word cloud gives the connotation of an abstract place which is known to exist but is too vast to touch or contain (Griffith,

Cloud storage  has been employed to provide online storage services for various kind of users having different requirements. It provides great flexibility in the sense that users can take advantage of the services from any location just with the availability of the internet connection. The data backup and storage facilities provided by cloud computing allow the users to store their information in the cloud, thus providing them the benefits of easy access, protection and reliability (as data is stored in multiple sites). However, the users are unsure and unaware about where their data is specifically stored and who all can have access to their data stored in the cloud. This makes the security and privacy of users’ data critical. In this project we aim at doing an analysis of the security  schemes employed by different  cloud vendors to avoid the security and privacy intrusion of the user 's information stored in their respective backup services. Different providers of the cloud storage services address the problem of security and privacy in their cloud through various ways and may come up with different schemes. There have been various studies catering to the individual scenarios and past security and privacy breaches in the cloud. However, this project aims to study the various techniques to provide a holistic view of the various threats to this technology and  analyzed the following cloud storage services in terms of the cryptographic schemes employed for the data

The sudden emergence of cloud storage has taken over organizations by storm. A recent study that was conducted, concluded that, the number of organizations using cloud storage has almost doubled in the last few years alone. And in addition, the public cloud service market will exceed $244 billion by 2017 (Baiju, 2014). Using the cloud can provide many competitive advantages for a business. This includes; usability, bandwidth, disaster recovery, and cost savings.

A significantly large amounts of valuable data is generated daily. This data overflow requires large storage space; therefore, the use of cloud storage is necessary for facilitating today’s big storage demands. Cloud storage allows consumers to remotely store their information in a cloud computing environment without having to managing local hardware and software. In spite of the numerous benefits of moving to cloud storage, the development of the service certainly increases security risks and remains a major concern for many users. Many users are not aware of the level of security issues associated with the service. In this research, the state of the art in cloud storage is examined through an evaluation of selected books,