BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscie

BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and
Neuroscience
ISSN: 2068-0473 | e-ISSN: 2067-3957
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2020, Volume 11, Issue 4, pages: 149-167 |
https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/11.4/146
Adaptation and
Effects of Cloud
Computing on Small
Businesses
Damla KARAGOZLU¹,
Janet AJAMU
2
,
Anne Bakupa MBOMBO
3

1 Assistant Professor, Near East
University, Department of Computer
Information Systems, Mersin 10, Turkey,
[email protected]
2 Near East University, Department of
Computer Information Systems, Mersin
10, Turkey, [email protected]
3 Near East University, Department of
Computer Information Systems, Mersin
10, Turkey, [email protected]
Abstract: One of the popular technologies in the industry today
is cloud
computing and the use of cloud computing in small businesses
is now
fashionable, it has a remarkable impact on them by bringing a
new way
of working, accessing their data and storing it. The aim of the
study is to
examine the impacts and effects of migration to cloud
computing on small
businesses. The methodology used for this study is based on a
review of
past studies, which explains in broad terms each research
question of this
study. The results of this study shows that there are several
benefits that
cloud computing has to offer small businesses if cloud
computing is
adopted and that includes flexibility, cost reduction and
automatic
software/hardware upgrades etc. Cloud computing has a large
storage
capacity that helps small businesses store and access large

amounts of
data quickly and easily, and there are a number of cloud
computing data
recovery techniques that help to recover lost or damaged data in
the cloud.
In the same way that security is a major concern for all
technologies, it is
also a concern for data stored in the cloud; security techniques
such as
encryption, cryptography are mostly used to ensure that key
areas of data
security (data confidentiality, data integrity and data
availability) are
protected. The results of this study helps small businesses to
understand
the impact of cloud computing on their businesses and the
various security
measures that need to be taken while adapting cloud computing
technology.
Keywords: Cloud computing; security in cloud computing;
small
businesses; cloud computing in business; adaptation.
How to cite: Karagozlu, D., Ajamu, J., & Mbombo, A.B.
(2020). Adaptation and Effects of Cloud Computing on Small
Businesses. BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence
and
Neuroscience, 11(4), 149-167.
mailto:[email protected]

BRAIN. Broad Research in
December, 2020
Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience
Volume 11, Issue 4
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1. Introduction
Cloud computing is getting more attention and becoming one of
the
most suitable utility for companies, organizations and users that
deal with
financial, feasible, adaptable and scalable computing services
for its everyday
activities. Cloud computing operation is internet based which
allows sharing of
computer resources with other devices based on user demands
of the
resources (Ahmed, 2019).
The most widely used definition of cloud computing is defined
by
(Mell & Grance, 2011) at National Institute of Standards and
Technology
(NIST). Cloud computing is a model for allowing universal,
easy, on-demand
network access to a common pool of configurable computing
resources (e.g.,
networks, servers, storage, software, and services) that can be
distributed easily
and released with minimal management effort or service

provider involvement
(Mell & Grance, 2011). Cloud computing as defined by the
NIST is made-up
of five (5) major characteristics, three (3) service models and
four (4)
deployment models. The first characteristic is, on-demand self-
service. In on-
demand self-service, the consumer can singularly make
available the computing
requirements without human intervention or interaction with the
service
provider. The second characteristic is the broad network access;
this means
that services are reachable from anywhere via different types of
devices such as
laptop, mobile device, and workstation. The third characteristic
is the resource
pooling; in resource pooling, both the physical and virtual
resources are pooled
so as to serve more than one consumer by using a multi-tenant
model. This
multi-tenant model uses diverse physical and virtual resources,
they can be
allotted and reassigned dynamically in accordance to customer
request. If the
resources are assigned to customers on request, the location of
the allotted
resources is unknown. Rapid elasticity is the fourth
characteristic, which refers
to the ability to provide scalable resources when needed.
Measured services is
the fifth characteristic. Measured services ensure the
monitoring, controlling,
and optimizing of resources usage by the cloud service
providers (Mell &
Grance, 2011; Rashid, & Chaturvedi, 2019). Cloud Service

Providers like
Google, Microsoft, Amazon are vendors that provide their
customers with
cloud computing resources and services that are used
dynamically based on
customer demand in accordance with a particular business
model (Rashid, &
Chaturvedi, 2019).
Cloud computing service models are: Software as a Service
(SaaS),
Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service
(IaaS). The cloud
computing deployment models are: private cloud, community
cloud, public
cloud and hybrid cloud (Challagidad, Dalawai, & Birje, 2017).
Adaptation and Effects of Cloud Computing on Small
Businesses
Damla KARAGOZLU, et al.
151
One of the primary use of cloud computing is the cloud storage
(data
online storage). Cloud storage system is considered as a
circulated data centers
which generally uses the technologies of cloud computing and it
also offers
interface for storage and accessing of data (Venkatesh, &
Eastaff, 2018).

Figure 1. Cloud computing service models and deployment
models (Saini,
Upadhyaya, & Khandelwal, 2019)
Every organization is liable for dealing with their data
adequately, but
just those organizations that are of considerable size are
competent of suitable
resources as a powerful influence for the issue (Clarke, 2017).
The Fair Work
Act 2009, in Australia defined small business as a business with
less than 15
staff (Bahzad, (2010). But realistically, a small business doesn’t
require a huge
amount of money to get started and it can also be part-time
based. Private
company is additionally appropriate to web showcasing in light
of the fact that
it can without much of a stretch serve particular specialties.
One overview of entrepreneurs indicated that 38% of the
individuals
who relinquished their professions at different organizations
said their
fundamental explanation behind leaving was that they needed to
work for
themselves (Qing, 2012). Before adopting this technology,
companies ask
themselves several questions including whether to integrate this
technology will
be beneficial for them.
Cloud computing gives a business the chances of increasing

their
productivity. When a business adopts cloud computing, these
helps to reduce
operational stress and the maintenance costs while providing
products to their
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customers (Hussainn, Hussainn, Hussainn, Damiani, & Chang,
2017). Cloud
computing is an ever-developing technology that is widely
accepted in parallel
computing. It provides reasonable range of services to
consumers, for
example, universal processing, dynamic and versatile scaling,
access to on-
request computing resources, metered asset use, and virtualized
assets that can
be provisioned and discharged without exertion (Hussainn et al.,
2017;
Ramezani, Lu, Tuheni, & Zomanya, 2017).
Small businesses have to realize the significant ideas of cloud
computing, together with its space, time, costs, accessibility,
privacy, and
security (Alijani, Fulk, Omar, & Tulsi, 2014).
The aim of this study is to show the impact of a cloud

computing
adoption on small businesses. To be able to do this, this study is
supported by
a series of questions as below:
● How can the integration of cloud computing impact a small
business?
● What effect can the migration to cloud computing have on the
smooth running of a company?
● How are data backup and recovery handled by cloud
computing
applications?
● How is the security of data guaranteed on cloud computing?
Because of the need to effectively evaluate the application of
cloud
computing in specific areas, several researchers have developed
studies to
demonstrate its effectiveness and its many benefits. In this
respect, this study
focuses on the impact of cloud computing to small businesses.
The
contributions of this study includes: it proposes the benefits and
importance of
migrating to cloud computing by small businesses, it proposes
the various
recovery techniques and security measures to be considered
when adopting to
cloud computing. This study does not only help small business
owners, it also
help researchers and individuals inquisitive about the
effectiveness and
reliability of cloud computing in the context of small

businesses.
2. Research Methodology
The methodological technique used in carrying out this study’s
bibliometric evaluation is based on articles selection process. A
search for
existing literature reviews was carried out. The articles selected
were mainly
based on studies that have been published from the year 2014 to
year 2020.
Articles from year 2014 to year 2020 were selected in order to
discover the
current developments in cloud computing although articles
published in
previous years were also used.
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2.1. Documents Selection Process
The databases used for this study are IEEEexplore, Web of
science,
ScienceDirect and Scopus. Other search engines like Google
scholars.com,
Ecadamian.com were also used. In carrying out the literature
search, few steps
were taken. The keywords used for searching related articles to
this study are

“cloud computing”, “small business”, “adaptation”, “security”,
“data backup
and data recovery”. These keywords were typed in to find
related articles to the
scope of this paper.
The search was done using the “AND” and “OR” Boolean
operator in
order to get the relevant articles for the purpose of this study.
After searching
with the keywords, type of document was specified and only
articles were
selected. Articles written in English were considered and
articles written in
other languages were eliminated. Articles identified with
relevant information
based on the aim of this study and the formulated research
questions were
considered. Figure. 2 explains the inclusion and exclusion
criteria of the studies
used for this paper.
Figure 2. Inclusion and exclusion criteria of the studies.
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3. Results and discussions
This section presents the findings conducted from reviews based
on
the research questions of this study.
3.1. Impact of Cloud Computing Integration on Small
Businesses
To demonstrate the impact of integrating cloud computing into a
small
business, the concept of cloud computing must be understood.
Buyya et al,
described it as follows: “The cloud is a parallel circulated
computer framework
comprising of a lot of interconnected and virtualized computers,
progressively
provisioned and exhibited in the form of one or multiple unified
computing
resource(s) based on service-level agreements established over
negotiation
between the service provider and customers” (Parikh, 2014:
110).
The benefits of cloud computing in business are flexibility, cost
reduction, automatic software/hardware upgrades, agility, and
scalability (Xue,
& Xin, 2016).
● Flexibility: cloud computing is being adopted by many
organizations
because of its flexibility. Most of the organizations choose to
adopt cloud
computing as it increases the business flexibility. It allows
every staff to be

more flexible in or out of their working environment. The only
thing needed is
an internet connection. Diverse cloud computing systems help
companies
cope with business demand. Cloud storage allows the workers to
concurrently
exchange information and files over the Internet. And every
employee will be
able to get the updated version. In addition, it helps the workers
to access the
same services simultaneously due to the data and information
being stored
remotely on the Internet.
● Cost reduction: a major factor that organizations consider for
the
adoption of cloud computing in their businesses is that it helps
in cost
reduction. Organizations only pay for the services being used
when they make
use of cloud services. In figure 3, the key factor that motivates
the company to
implement cloud computing is cost reduction which is 45.5 %.
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Figure 3. Reasons for the adoption of cloud computing (Xue, &
Xin, 2016;

Sahandi, Alkhalil, & Opara-Martins, 2013).
● Software /hardware upgrade automatically: When an IT
solution has been
introduced in organisations, it creates a dilemma that cannot be
addressed
adequately due to the high cost of buying and maintaining
hardware and
software. This will have a detrimental impact. These problems
can be resolved
by the implementation of cloud computing. Organizations could
transfer their
capital expenditures to operating expenses. Not only does it
reduce costs, but it
also helps to create a stronger relationship, keep ahead of
technological
developments, raise revenues, offer reliable and low cost
services to customers.
● Agility: In today's highly competitive market climate, it is
important
to stay competitive. One of the ways that make the company
distinct from the
others is the willingness and time it takes that adapt to
customers' rapidly
changing needs. Cloud computing can do so in a more effective
way. Cloud
computing is available around the clock thanks to the
availability of the
Internet. This helps organizations offer services in the shortest
time possible
so that they can be used as a strategic tool for accelerated
growth.
● Scalability: Cloud Computing offers services as per consumer
or

company demand. It allows the upscaling or downscaling of the
administrations as indicated by interest, traffic and frequent
spikes. Cloud
meets the market needs of adaptable technolo gies. The manner
in which
companies will increase in the coming years is vital to the size
of the industry
as it grows (Saini, Upadhyaya, & Khandelwal, 2019).
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Cloud computing is an additional benefit, particularly for
smaller
organizations, because they can increase resources when
needed. In addition,
cloud computing helps users to access a large amount of data in
just a few
minutes due to its processing capacity. It has successfully
attracted industry
analysts to evaluate the market and forecast consumer behaviour
and
purchasing preferences (Xue, & Xin, 2016).
This new world of virtualization brings a new way of working
for
businesses in general and small businesses in particular,
because it simplifies
the way backup and data manipulation works in a business

(Marston, Li,
Bandyopadhyay, Zhang, & Ghalsasi, 2011). For example, in the
IT
infrastructure area, buying of physical servers will no longer be
necessary
because its data will be automatically saved on the virtual
services on which it
will be connected (Staten, 2009). Along these lines, the
association that
controls the information should be possible anyplace and
whenever; on the
grounds that it is never again important to utilize computers
with physical
system engineering (Gutierrez, Boukrami, & Lumsden, 2015).
The cloud turns
into a versatile framework that can be shared by various end
clients, every one
of whom may utilize altogether in different manners. The
clients are totally
isolated from one another, and the adaptability of the
foundation considers
registering burdens to be adjusted on the fly as more clients join
the
framework (the way toward setting up the framework has
become so
institutionalized that including processing limit has become
nearly as basic as
adding building squares to an existing grid (Moura, &
Hutchison, 2016). The
excellence of the course of action is that as the quantity of
clients goes up, the
interest load on the framework gets progressively adjusted in a
stochastic
sense, even as its economies of scale grow, Cloud registering
makes it simpler
for endeavours to scale their administrations which are

progressively
dependent on exact data as indicated by customer request. Since
the figuring
assets are overseen through programming, they can be conveyed
exceptionally
quick as new necessities emerge (Hosseini, Fallon, Weerakkody,
& Sivarajah,
2019). The principle potential advantage of receiving
distributed computing is
to dispose of the colossal expenses related with the inward
upkeep of
equipment and programming (Jones, Irani, Sivarajah, & Love,
2017). Cloud
Computing goal is to leverage increased computing power to
execute millions
of instructions per second. Cloud Computing uses a large
number of cloud
networks with advanced connections to facilitate data
processing between the
servers (Inukollu, Arsi, & Ravuri, 2014).
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3.2. The Effect of Migrating to Cloud Computing on the Smooth
Running of a Company
Cloud computing application does not disrupt the smooth
running of

the business because by using cloud computing, small
businesses can support
the costs related to skilled labour, deployment, service, repair,
update and
troubleshooting (Tsao, Venkatsubramanyan, Parikh, & Sarkar,
2011), as cloud
computing offers infrastructure, applications and software
costumes on a
subscription-based pay-per-use model (Armbrust et al,. 2010).
Mell & Grance
(2011) characterized Cloud Computing as a model for
ubiquitous and helpful
on-demand access to a common pool of configurable processing
assets
(systems, servers, storage, applications and administration) that
can be
delivered and discharged without delay with effort or with
insignificant
administration. Neighborhood PCs won’t need to take the whole
weight of
running applications again. Cloud computing innovation is
being utilized to
reduce the use cost of processing assets (Amanatullah, Lim,
Ipung, & Juliandri,
2013). The entire cloud, consisting of a PC system, manages the
stack. The
cost of programming and purchasing facilities at the end of the
customer
service reduces. The main thing that the client has to do is run
the application
interface programming to communicate with the server. Cloud
computing
consists of the front and back ends. The front end includes the
user's
computer and the programming needed to get to the cloud.
Back-end is made

up of different PCs, servers and database frameworks that make
up the cloud.
The client can access cloud-based applications from anywhere
by connecting
to the cloud through the Internet. Cloud computing is a trend
setting
innovation that just has the potential for organization
coordinated effort, yet
the innovation likewise enables organizations to remotely
control their assets
since their topographical appearance. For example,
organizations can stack
their site pages by downloading limited data to a pre-doled
Internet-based
system (Sivarajah, Irani, & Weerakkody, 2015). Subsequently,
distributed
computing empowers associations to profit by a powerful
situation in which
private ventures can for all intents and purposes design their
business on an
adaptable framework (Armbrust et al., 2010).
When adopting to cloud services there are three phases of
adoption
strategy (Attaran, 2017). The phases are described below:
● Elementary phase: Companies begin to learn about cloud
technologies
and carry out a thorough review of their applications and the
resources they
need. Cloud computing relies mainly on services, not
technology. The services
provided vary from automated IT jobs, IT services and digital
business
processes. The availability of cloud computing services to users
is based on

their needs. Consumers of the service place requests for service
through self-
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service and are billed for what they use. The most powerful
deployments
begins with users actually understanding the intended business
outcomes and
then identifying the services that will be offered through the
private and/or
public cloud. Questions such as what services consumers need,
how much of
the service should be used, when the service is usually used,
which consumers
consume the service and what is a fair price for the service
should be
explained.
● Phase 2 (intermediate phase): Users must document and
analyze the
internal processes that the chosen cloud services will affect.
The users will
examine the internal IT processes involved in providing the
services during
this research. This can reinforce the need to flatten, reconfigure,
realign,
optimize or remove inefficient processes and aim repetitive

manual processes
to be automated. It also needs to discuss the type(s) of security
that will be
applied to cloud deployment.
● Phase 3 (Final phase): Users should link applications and
related
workloads to their cloud services. Each workloads should:
Review the internal
IT processes involved in the delivery of services, analyze every
workload for
both its relevance to cloud computing and its location
environment, decide the
general workload architecture of the applications, and decide
the security
profile for each workload. After the user analyzes the workload,
decisions
should be taken as to what cloud-based deployment model is
best suited to the
organization's applications and workloads.
3.3. Data Backup and Recovery in Cloud Computing
Backups have two main purposes: Backups main purpose is to
recover
loss data that may occur due to corruption, damage, or deletion.
Backups other
purpose is to restore stored data from an earlier period of time
(Laxmi,
Deepika, Pranay, & Supriya, 2018). Data backup is a way of
restoring disaster.
Issues relating to data recovery process are (Venkatesh, &
Eastaff, 2018):
Data storage: in order to provide security to data stored in the
cloud,

computing is distributed while storage is centralized and due to
this, storing
data in the cloud is correlated with single point failure and data
loss.
Data security: It is essential to provide data protection, since
certain
data can be confidential and sensitive.
Lack of redundancy: when the cloud is damaged for whatever
cause,
and the primary storage fails to provide the data, the secondary
site will be
enabled to provide the data to the customer.
Dependency: Customer has no control over their system and
their
data. Backup service is provided to address this draw back.
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Over the years, a lot of techniques for cloud backup service
have been
discovered.
A. Remote data backup server: Remote data backup server is a
type of
server that represents the main cloud. It contains the copy of the
main clouds

entire data. Remote data backup server is kept far away from
the main cloud.
The central repository is known as the main server, while the
remote backup
system is known as the secondary repository (Sambrani, &
Rajashekarappa,
2016). If any occurrence happens like data loss, security breach,
natural disaster
etc. from the main cloud, then it makes use of the data stored in
the remote
repository. This also lets customers to access data from the
remote server in a
situation where network availability is not available or where
the main cloud
cannot provide customers with the required data (Sharma, &
Singh, 2012).
Remote repository services should address consecutive
concerns, including:
privacy and ownership, server-to-cloud transfer, data security,
reliability, and
cost effectiveness (Monisha, & Venkateshkumar, 2018).
B. Data recovery: The reason why clients would want to recover
data is
mostly due to disaster. Disaster is an unexpected event caused
by environment,
software or hardware failures. Challenges of disaster recovery
includes: cost,
dependency, failure detection, and security. Disaster recovery
solutions: Local
backup, inter-private cloud storage (Monisha, &
Venkateshkumar, 2018). Until
now, various methods have been proposed in cloud computing
for data
backup and recovery. Some of these approaches include:

Seed block algorithm (SBA): The architecture of the seed block
algorithm
comprise of the central repository, its clients and the remote
data backup
server (also known as the remote repository). SBA makes use
of remote
repository. Remote repository is a server that stores the entire
data of the main
cloud and it’s located far from the main cloud. SBA ensures the
simplicity of
data backup and its recovery procedure. It uses the idea of the
logic exclusive
OR (XOR) operation. The advantages of SBA are: takes less
time to recover
data from the remote server, it ensures data integrity, and it
doesn’t require
network connectivity to recover data from the remote location.
The
disadvantage is that the remote repository uses the same storage
space as the
central repository (Gharde, & Ghaormare, 2016).
Parity cloud service (PCS): PCS uses a novel cloud
infrastructure data
recovery service framework, and also offers a privacy-protected
personal data
recovery service. PCS does not require the uploading of user
data to the server
for data recovery. All the resources required by the server are
within
reasonable limits (Badhel, & Chole, 2015). The advantage of
PCS is that it is
reliable and it is less in terms of cost for data recovery. The
disadvantage is that
it has a high implementation complexity.

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High security distribution and rake technology (HSDRT):
HSDRT uses a
wide-spread data transfer strategy and high-speed encryption
technology. The
system has both the back-up and recovery sequences. The
backup sequence is
used when data is saved for back up purpose while the recovery
sequence is
used when there’s loss of data and the data needs to be
retrieved. Advantage of
HSDRT is that it can work efficiently for movable clients like
laptops and
smart phones. The disadvantage is that it is costly and data
redundancy
(Jayalakshmi, & Mathuramgbigai, 2017).
Other recovery techniques include:
Linux Box- advantages: it’s simple and low cost.
Disadvantages: high
rate of bandwidth and complete server backup is done at a time.
Efficient rounding grounded on taxonomy (ERGOT) –
Advantages includes:
privacy, performs exact match retrieval of data. Disadvantages:
increased

complexity and cost increases as data becomes larger.
Cold/hot backup service- advantage: immediate availability.
Disadvantages:
expensive and cost increases as data become larger (Tamimi,
Dawood, &
Sadaqa, 2019).
All this techniques try as much as possible to solve the
limitations of an
already existing technique but none of these techniques have
been able to
resolve the issues regarding the high storage space for remote
data back-up.
3.4. Data Security in Cloud Computing
Data security ensures the protection of the data in terms of
confidentiality, integrity and availability (Zardari, Jung, &
Zakaria, 2014; Chen,
& Zhao, 2012).
● Data confidentiality: Confidentiality means that the
information is kept
hidden from unauthorized users. Only an authorized user has the
right to
access resources up to a specified access limit which is set by
the administrator.
Data confidentiality is a major concern for cloud users, and this
alone can
discourage users from storing data in the cloud (Zardari, Jung,
& Zakaria,
2014).
The solution for protecting confidentiality before releasing data
to

service providers is encryption. Providers can't decrypt data for
query
execution if data is protected by encryption (Samarati, di
Vimercati,
Murugesan, & Bojanova, 2016).
● Integrity: data integrity is data accuracy and continuity in the
cloud
without modification by any unauthorized party, and guarantees
data resource
reliability. In the design stage of the database, data
confidentiality is
implemented with standard rules and procedures (Zardari, Jung,
& Zakaria,
2014).
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161
● Availability: Availability of data requires that information be
accessible when it is requested by authorized persons. Data
availability is one
of the service providers' main concerns. When a Cloud service
is disrupted for
whatever reason, it can affect other clients. Contractually,
service providers
attempt to guarantee a high degree of availability likelihood.
There are many
threats that may affect Cloud service availability such as
storage capacity,

internet connectivity dependency, and technological failures.
Generally
speaking, data availability in Cloud is more secure than on a
conventional
network, because large providers such as Google, Amazon and
Microsoft are
better prepared to handle such risks than a single person or
business (Kacha, &
Zitouni, 2017).
The security architecture for cloud computing can be grouped
into
four parts (Chen, & Zhao, 2012):
A. Software security issues: (multi-tenant access security,
internet
application security)
B. Platform security: (framework security, environment
security,
component security, security of the interface)
C. Infrastructure security: (security of the virtual environment,
shared
storage security)
D. Auditing and compliance: (user management, authorization
management, access management, service level agreement
management,
monitoring services, auditing services, reporting services)
In other to improve cloud computing, and to secure data stored
in
cloud, authentication, authorization, and access control should
be put into
practice. The main areas in data security are confidentiality,

integrity and
availability. Encryption is recommended as a good approach for
securing
information. Users should encrypt data before storing in the
cloud server (Rao,
& Selvamani, 2015).
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Figure 4. Cloud computing security architecture (Chen, & Zhao,
2012).
Data security in the cloud is better achieved when we have a
combination of techniques for encryption, data loss prevention,
integrity
protection, authentication, and authorization. When providers
and companies
use cryptographic algorithms, these algorithms are very
important and are well
known as defined by NIST. It is also helpful to provide an
annual re-evaluation
of the algorithms and keys used to ensure the quality of the
security. It is also
very important for companies that use cloud technology to
understand the

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163
security controls in the cloud multi-tenant environment that are
connected to
the data. Recommended for storing the keys are hardware
protection modules
or Hardware security module (HSMs) (Jakimoski, 2016).
Although, a lot has been done regarding cloud computing
security and
many techniques has been introduced like encryption method,
cryptography
etc. but none of these approaches has fully solved cloud
computing security
problem they’ve only been able to reduce the problems.
Jakimoski (2016) concluded that if all the necessary steps are
taken to
ensure authentication, confidentiality, access control and
authorization, cloud
computing can then be trusted in data security.
4. Conclusion
Cloud computing has been regarded as a growing technological
field
and it has been adopted by various individuals, organizations,
large scale
businesses etc. but many small businesses are still unfamiliar

with its operation.
Discussions on cloud computing, phases involved in cloud
computing
adoption, cloud computing backup and recovery of data
techniques, and data
security issues were discussed in this study. This study
emphasis was based on
small businesses. Individuals, organizations, large scale
businesses that adopted
the use of cloud computing earlier are pleased with the various
benefits
involved and it has helped to reduce unnecessary costs.
When a small business decides to start using cloud computing
techniques it does not disrupt the way the business has been
running before it
rather improves the operation of the business. An area of
concern to small
businesses about adopting cloud computing is the security
aspect. Security
issues are not only concerned with cloud computing, many IT
related fields are
faced with the issues of security. From the early use of cloud
computing,
different approaches and methods have been proposed and
adopted for the
improvement of cloud computing security problems. Although,
cloud
computing is still growing but there are lots of effective
security solutions
which are been used for safe securing of data in the cloud. So
therefore, small
businesses that wants to migrate to the use of cloud computing
should
consider the best option for data security for their business
before migrating.

Reasons for transferring data to cloud computing include
availability, speed
and ease of data sharing, cost efficiency and reliability.
This study only discussed few aspects of cloud computing
techniques
as regards small business; the research did not address cloud
computing in full
context while including large and medium scale businesses.
December, 2020
Volume 11, Issue 4
164
Future research should address the limitations of this study as
described. Future research should also discuss in details how to
select cloud
providers as regarding the nature of the business.
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property of EduSoft SRL and its content may not be copied or
emailed to multiple sites or
posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express
written permission. However, users
may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Writing Assignment #4
White Paper for an External Audience
Summary of the Assignment:
• Task: In this paper, you will write a document that provides
information that an external
audience can use to inform a decision.
We have read various white papers in the class this semester.
White papers can be any
one of the following types:
o technical papers
o business benefit papers
o advocacy papers
o hybrid technical/business papers
The CANRIGHT document that is provided in the class in LEO
describes all four of
these types of white papers.
• Length: 1200-1600 words
• Graphics: at least three graphics, two of which have to be
original
• Format in Citing and Listing Sources: APA
• Number and Sources: at least five sources, at least one of

which has to be obtained
through OneSearch
Brief Description of the White Paper:
In preparing for this assignment, you will want to review the
following video:
“White Papers: An Introduction to the Genre and Its
Expectations,” from the Purdue OWL
You may take any of the following approaches:
• a general white paper to an external audience – written to
individuals in a particular
industry or field of study, but not an organization you are a part
of. The white paper
could address a problem you are attempting to solve in the
organization or to inform an
external audience about a relevant trend.
• a white paper promoting a new product or service to potential
customers. This is an
example of a white paper to an external audience, but it features
different rhetorical
considerations than the typical white paper written to an
external audience does.
Both options are discussed in the Purdue OWL video mentioned
above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIgJTQiv7wQ
Please note: You will not be writing a white paper to your boss
or to superiors in the
company for which you work.
That type of paper would be an internal white paper. If you
take WRTG 394, you can
write that type of paper. For WRTG 393, we ask for a white
paper to an external audience.
Strategies to Consider for the White Paper:
Please follow these guidelines:
• have a focused topic. Please see the sample white papers from
previous students for
examples of how previous topics have been developed for this
paper.
• write to a reasonably focused and identified audience
o A white paper to an external audience can have a broad
audience or a narrow
audience.
▪ For example, if you do not work for a hair salon and you write
a white
paper promoting a new billing system for hair salons, the
audience will

probably be the various hair salons in your neighborhood.
o A white paper that promotes a product or service to potential
customers could
have a fairly broad audience.
▪ For example, a white paper promoting a new taxi service in
your
neighborhood has, theoretically, all residents in the
neighborhood as a
potential audience.
• integrate thorough research
• do not directly tell the audience what action it should take.
Rather, offer background
information that the audience can use to make a decision. The
Purdue OWL video
mentions this principle. This is one reason the video refers to
the white paper as a
backgrounder report.
Continue to the next page

How to Organize the White Paper:
Please include the following sections in your white paper:
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Previous Approaches
• New Findings
• Conclusion
• References
In the Executive Summary, summarize your research and your
purpose. The executive
summary should be a stand-alone document. It should be
written in such a way that a busy
executive could read the executive summary and know exactly
what the paper is about without
reading the rest of the paper.
In the Introduction, you lay the groundwork for your readers for
the details that will be
introduced in the white paper. If you need to define any terms,
you will do so here. You might
share an anecdote or illustration to describe why this topic is
important.

In the Previous Approaches section, you will describe the
approaches or strategies that have
been previously used or are currently used on the topic. For
example, if your white paper is
being written to advertise a new taxi service in your area, you
might review what transportation
services are provided now. You could show the challenges or
problems that the current services
involve. In this section of the white paper, your use of sources
will be very important. You
should integrate research to show that the problems you have
identified exist.
In the New Findings section, you present perhaps the most
important information in the paper.
In this section, you will describe the findings of your research
and relate these findings to the
purpose of your report. You will not only provide data and
research, but you will also explain
the data and research and why it is relevant to your report’s
topic.
For example, if your white paper is being written to advertise a
new taxi service in your area, you
might review what transportation services are provided now and
show why the new taxi service

fills a need that the current set of transportation services does
not fill or solves a problem that the
current set of transportation services does not solve. You will
provide data and evidence for why
the new taxi service has promise in solving the problems you
have identified.
In this section of the white paper, your use of sources will be
very important as well. You should
integrate research to show that the problems you have identified
will be solved by your new
approach.
In the Conclusion section, you review what your research shows
in light of the previous
approaches used. You will not tell the audience what steps to
take next. However, you will
summarize what your findings articulate.
In the References, you will list your sources that you cited in
the paper. You will list them in
APA format. Please note that the lectures on white papers that
you have viewed and examples of
white papers you may have read may not have used APA format.
You will be using APA format

in this assignment.
You are required to have at least five sources for your paper. In
addition, at least one of them is
to have been acquired through UMGC Library OneSearch.
Primary sources will be very beneficial for the paper. For
example, if your white paper is being
written to advertise a new taxi service in your area, you might
interview some local residents
about the problems they have with the current transportation
services in the area. The
information in such interviews would be persuasive research to
integrate into your white paper.
Length of the Paper:
Your white paper should be 1200-1600 words in length. Again,
you are required to use at least
five sources, with at least one of them being acquired through
UMGC Library OneSearch.
Graphics:
Your white paper should incorporate at least three graphics.
Graphics can include tables, charts,

or graphs showing some research findings. They can also be
images that are relevant to the topic
of the white paper.
At least two of the graphics must be original. Original graphics
can include photos taken by you
or tables, charts, or graphs developed by you.
To see examples of graphics used in white papers, see the
Purdue OWL video, “White Papers:
An Introduction to the Genre and Its Expectations," at the 3:27
mark, at the 5:29 mark, at the
6:58 mark, at the 7:01 mark, at the 7:11 mark, at the 7:43 mark,
and at the 7:58 mark.
Due Date:
Your instructor will notify you of the due date. You will write
a first draft, your instructor will
comment on the first draft, and you will submit a second draft
using the comments as your guide.
Welcome to the Purdue OWL (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/)
Contributors: Chris Berry, Allen Brizee.
Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses

When you want to use commas and semicolons in sentences and
when you are concerned about whether a sentence is or is not a
fragment, a good way to start is to be able to recognize
dependent and independent clauses. The definitions offered here
will help you with this.
Independent Clause
An independent clause is a group of words that contains a
subject and verb and expresses a complete thought. An
independent clause is a sentence.
Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz.
Dependent Clause
A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject
and verb but does not express a complete thought. A dependent
clause cannot be a sentence. Often a dependent clause is marked
by a dependent marker word.
When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz . . .
(What happened when he studied? The thought is incomplete.)
Dependent Marker Word
A dependent marker word is a word added to the beginning of
an independent clause that makes it into a dependent clause.
When Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz, it
was very noisy.
Some common dependent markers are: after, although, as, as
if, because, before, even if, even though, if, in order
to, since, though, unless, until, whatever, when, whenever, whet
her, and while.
Connecting dependent and independent clauses
There are two types of words that can be used as connectors at
the beginning of an independent clause: coordinating
conjunctions and independent marker words.
1. Coordinating Conjunction
The seven coordinating conjunctions used as connecting words
at the beginning of an independent clause
are and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet. When the second
independent clause in a sentence begins with a coordinating

conjunction, a comma is needed before the coordinating
conjunction:
Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz, but it was
hard to concentrate because of the noise.
2. Independent Marker Word
An independent marker word is a connecting word used at the
beginning of an independent clause. These words can always
begin a sentence that can stand alone. When the second
independent clause in a sentence has an independent marker
word, a semicolon is needed before the independent marker
word.
Jim studied in the Sweet Shop for his chemistry quiz; however,
it was hard to concentrate because of the noise.
Some common independent markers
are: also, consequently, furthermore, however, moreover, nevert
heless, and therefore.
Some Common Errors to Avoid
Comma Splices
A comma splice is the use of a comma between two independent
clauses. You can usually fix the error by changing the comma to
a period and therefore making the two clauses into two separate
sentences, by changing the comma to a semicolon, or by making
one clause dependent by inserting a dependent marker word in
front of it.
Incorrect: I like this class, it is very interesting.
· Correct: I like this class. It is very interesting.
· (or) I like this class; it is very interesting.
· (or) I like this class, and it is very interesting.
· (or) I like this class because it is very interesting.
· (or) Because it is very interesting, I like this class.
Fused Sentences
Fused sentences happen when there are two independent clauses
not separated by any form of punctuation. This error is also
known as a run-on sentence. The error can sometimes be
corrected by adding a period, semicolon, or colon to separate

the two sentences.
Incorrect: My professor is intelligent I've learned a lot from her.
· Correct: My professor is intelligent. I've learned a lot from
her.
· (or) My professor is intelligent; I've learned a lot from her.
· (or) My professor is intelligent, and I've learned a lot from
her.
· (or) My professor is intelligent; moreover, I've learned a lot
from her.
Sentence Fragments
Sentence fragments happen by treating a dependent clause or
other incomplete thought as a complete sentence. You can
usually fix this error by combining it with another sentence to
make a complete thought or by removing the dependent marker.
Incorrect: Because I forgot the exam was today.
· Correct: Because I forgot the exam was today, I didn't study.
· (or) I forgot the exam was today.
Run-ons - Comma Splices - Fused Sentences
Run-ons, comma splices, and fused sentences are all names
given to compound sentences that are not punctuated correctly.
The best way to avoid such errors is to punctuate compound
sentences correctly by using one or the other of these rules.
1. Join the two independent clauses with one of the coordinating
conjunctions (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet), and use a comma
before the connecting word.
_________________________, and
_________________________.
He enjoys walking through the country, and he often goes
backpacking on his vacations.
2. When you do not have a connecting word (or when you use a
connecting word other than and, but, for, or nor, so, or yet
between the two independent clauses) use a semicolon (;).
__________________________;__________________________
___.
He often watched TV when there were only reruns; she
preferred to read instead.

or
__________________________;
however,____________________.
He often watched TV when there were only reruns; however,
she preferred to read instead.
So, run-ons and fused sentences are terms describing two
independent clauses which are joined together with no
connecting word or punctuation to separate the clauses.
INCORRECT: They weren't dangerous criminals they were
detectives in disguise.
CORRECT: They weren't dangerous criminals; they were
detectives in disguise.
INCORRECT: I didn't know which job I wanted I was too
confused to decide.
CORRECT: I didn't know which job I wanted, and I was too
confused to decide.
Page 4 BLANK
Page 5
Name
_____________________________________________________
________________________________
I. Comma Splice Quiz: Circle the correct answer.
1. There was an accident on Route 38 last night, several people
got hurt.
A There was an accident on Route 38 last night; several
people got hurt.
B There was an accident on Route 38 last night. Several
people got hurt.
C Because was an accident on Route 38 last night several
people got hurt.
D Both A and B are correct.
2. Jane missed several assignments, she knew her grade would
be lowered, but she didn't expect a D.

A Jane missed several assignments; although she knew her
grade would be lowered, she didn't expect a D.
B Jane missed several assignments, she knew her grade
would be lowered but she didn't expect a D.
C Jane missed several assignments. She knew her grade
would be lowered, but she didn't expect a D.
D Both A and C are correct.
3. Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics, it was initially
developed to explain atoms.
A Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics; it was initially
B Quantum mechanics, a branch of physics, was initially
C Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics; It was initially
D Both A and B are correct.
4. Podcasting is changing the way information is being
distributed, now you only need to subscribe to a podcast, then
new episodes will be delivered to your computer.
A Podcasting is changing the way information is being
distributed. Now you only need to subscribe to a podcast, and
B Podcasting is changing the way information is being
distributed; now you only need to subscribe to a podcast; and
C Both A and B are correct.
5. The project needs to be completed by the end of the month,
the deadline I believe is August 30th.
A The project needs to be completed by the end of the month.
The deadline I believe is August 30th.
B The project needs to be completed by the end of the month.
The deadline, I believe, is August 30th.
C The project needs to be completed by the end of the month;
the deadline, I believe, is August 30th.
D Both B and C are correct.
http://www.niu.edu/writingtutorial/punctuation/quizzes/Comma

Splice.htm
Page 6
II. Run-On Sentences Quiz: After each run-on sentence below
select the remedy that would best repair that sentence. (The
remedy will show only enough of the sentence to indicate what
was wrong and how to fix it.) If the sentence is correctly written
the way it stands, select the first option.
1. Judy leads a charmed life she never seems to have a serious
accident.
A This sentence is correct.
B life, she
C life; she
2. The airport is about to shut down because of the snow and if
the plane doesn't land soon, it will have to go on to Boston.
B snow, and
C snow; and
D snow. And
3. The show begins at 7:30 make sure you're there before 7:15.
B 7:30, make
C 7:30. Make
4. Marcellino always knew his way around the woods this is
something he could always depend on.
B woods; this
C woods, this
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/runons_quiz.
htm
Writing the Executive Summary
An executive summary is a brief document typically directed at

top-level managers who sometimes make decisions based upon a
reading of this summary alone. As a result, the executive
summary must be concise but comprehensive, meaning that it
must present in summary form all major sections of the main
report, such as:
· purpose
· problem
· methods of analyzing the problem
· results of analysis
· recommendations
To repeat, because of the critical role it plays, the executive
summary is often the first and only part read by key decision
makers. Therefore, it must be designed so that it can be read
independently of the main document. Typically, figures and
tables are not referenced in the executive summary. Uncommon
terminology, symbols and acronyms are avoided. If the
executive summary is sufficiently persuasive, the entire
proposal will then be read in full.
Therefore, your summary is key to the success of your proposal
and should reflect these characteristics:
Perfect Miniaturization. The executive summary should contain
the same sections in the same order as the full report.
Major Findings Only. Because it is a distilled version of the full
report, the summary should include only the proposal's principal
points and major evidence. Most charts, tables, and deep-level
analysis are reserved for full proposal.
Proportional. The executive summary should typically be only
10% the length of the full proposal it distills. Therefore, the
executive summary for a 10-page proposal would be 1 page or
less.

Stand Alone. The summary should be written in a way that it
can be read as a stand-alone document. Before submitting it,
allow a test subject to read the summary. The subject should be
able to give to you the basics of the full proposal from one
reading of the summary.
Flawless. Like a job resume, even the most minor error of
proofreading or grammar can spell rejection.
SAMPLE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Executive Summary
Purpose of Report
The City of Savannah’s recycling program was designed and
implemented in order to meet the city’s civic responsibilities
and to comply with the State of Georgia’s Comprehensive Solid
Waste Management Act as it relates to aluminum, glass and
plastic containers. The purpose of this report is to:
1. Determine the degree of public awareness of the recycling
program
2. Suggest ways to increase citizen participation in the program
Methods
A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the
community’s current recycling habits and to ascertain the
degree of participation in city’s program. A total of 1,041
responses were analyzed. Because Savannah’s recycling
program collects only aluminum, glass and plastic containers,
these were the only materials included in the survey.
Findings and Conclusions
A substantial majority (64%) of respondents rated recycling as
“Important” or “Very Important.” A lesser percentage (38%)
indicated that they currently recycle at work. An even smaller
percentage (17%) participate in the city’s program. Two major
reasons for their non-participation were highlighted:

1. Not knowing the location of the city’s recycling centers
2. Lack of convenient access to the recycling centers
Results of this study indicate that citizens view recycling as
important and will do so when convenient. However, locations
of the city’s recycling centers are either unknown or too
inconvenient for the program to achieve the desired level of
participation. A substantial effort needs to be made to overcome
these barriers.
Recommendations for Increasing Participation
Cost-effective, scalable recommendations include:
· Increasing promotion of the city’s recycling program through
a coordinated campaign of PSAs.
· Relocating recycling bins and adding attractive signage
· Doubling the number of recycling bins
· Developing an incentive program for business participation
Subheadings
The summary’s subheadings should reflect the report’s main
divisions. Subheadings of the executive summary should not be
worded the same as those of the main report.
Purpose Statement
Provide purpose of the report in a concise format using present
tense.
Findings & Conclusions
Results are reported in condensed form without reference to
tables or appendices. Lists are used when possible.

Recommendations
Recommendations should also be in list form as much as
possible.
BLANK PAGE
Name
_____________________________________________________
________ Date ___________________________
White Paper Executive Summary In-Class Exercise
1. The executive summary is key to the success of your [white
paper] and should reflect these characteristics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
2. The sample executive summary is just that – a sample. Your
executive summary’s subheadings should mirror WA#4

instructions. The summary’s subheadings should reflect the
report’s _________________ ____________________.
3. The research findings and conclusions are included in the
executive summary of the white paper. Results are reported in
___________________ ____________ without reference to
tables or appendices.

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