When cloud computing services first started generating buzz a few years ago, most businesses were like, “what is it?” Now that more explanation has surfaced and delivered; some businesses and bloggers are still a bit confused. This is a cloud computing issues cheat sheet so to speak. The cloud, in laymen’s terms. The focus will be cloud issues.
Cloud Computing Issues
Regardless of what you have heard; using cloud services for your business is a benefit. The cheat sheet below will highlight some of the issues; rather concerns some people have with regard to the cloud.
Cloud computing issues span all 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
The bottom line is vigilance and research. That means, no matter what service you want to use for your business, you need to research it and be vigilant about it’s services. There is no difference here with the cloud.
