Cloud computing refers to flexible, on-demand access to shared computing resources via the internet. Resources such as memory, storage, and processing power can be allocated as needed without direct involvement of IT staff. This allows organizations to scale their infrastructure up or down easily based on current needs. The term "cloud" originated as a symbol used to represent the public internet in network diagrams. Moving applications and services to cloud providers over the internet is now commonly referred to as migrating to the "cloud".

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CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
More than a marketing term, cloud computing refers to flexible self-service, network-
accessible computing resource pools that can be allocated to meet demand. Services
are flexible because the resources and processing power available to each can be
adjusted on the fl y to meet changes in need or based on configuration settings in an
administrative interface, without the need for direct IT personnel involvement. These
resources are assigned from a larger pool of available capacity (for examples, memory,
storage, CPUs) as needed, allowing an organization to spin up a proof-of-concept
application, expand. that to a full prototype, and then roll it out for full use without
having to worry about whether existing hardware, data center space, power, and cooling
are capable of handling the load. Cloud computing allows the allocation of resources
to be adjusted as needed, creating a hardware-independent framework for future growth
and development. Since the dawn of the networking age, when network diagrams
depicted an enterprise and its extended components, the industry standard has been to
use a simple cloud icon to identify the public Internet, This cloud
represents all of the various types of networking and functions that are necessary to
bridge together various parts of the enterprise over the Internet because the specific
routing details are subject to change and are outside the enterprise network
environment. That’s where the term cloud originated, and when we discuss migration
into the cloud, what we generally mean is applications and services being moved from
the organizational or hosting data center to cloud service providers available through
the Internet.

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CHAPTER- 2
CLOUD COMPUTING
Cloud computing has become such a buzzword in the industry that it is being used to
market many different types of software and network services, not all of which really fi t
the proper, technical definition of the cloud. So, before we examine the use, impact, and
security issues of working in the cloud, it is necessary to define what cloud computing
really is. This chapter defines cloud computing, covers the origins of cloud computing, and
briefly examines the technologies used in cloud computing to help you understand the role
the cloud can play in organizational enterprise planning. Cloud Computing refers to
manipulating, configuring, and accessing the applications online. It offers online data
storage, infrastructure and application.

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CHAPTER-3
CLOUD COMPUTING ARCHITECTURE
Cloud computing architecture refers to the components and subcomponents required
for cloud computing. These components typically consist of a front end platform (fat client,
thin client, mobile device), back end platforms (servers, storage), a cloud based delivery,
and a network (Internet, Intranet, Intercloud). Combined, these components make up cloud
computing architecture. Cloud computing architectures consist of front-end platforms
called clients or cloud clients. These clients are servers, fat (or thick) clients, thin clients,
zero clients, tablets and mobile devices. These client platforms interact with the cloud data
storage via an application (middleware), via a web browser, or through a virtual session.

4. 4
The zero or ultra-thin client initializes the network to gather required configuration files that then
tell it where its OS binaries are stored. The entire zero client device runs via the network. This
creates a single point of failure, in that, if the network goes down, the device is rendered useless.
cloud computing is a construct that allows you to access applications that actually reside at a
location other than your computer or other Internet-connected device; most often, this will be a
distant datacenter. There are many benefits to this. For instance, think about the last time you
bought Microsoft Word and installed it on your organization’s computers. Either you ran around
with a CD- or DVD-ROM and installed it on all the computers, or you set up your software
distribution servers to automatically install the application on your machines. And every time
Microsoft issued a service pack, you had to go around and install that pack, or you had to set up
your software distribution servers to distribute it. Oh, and don’t forget the cost of all the licenses.
Pete down the hall probably uses Word once a month, but his license cost just as much as everyone
else’s

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CHAPTER- 4
BASIC OF CLOUD COMPUTING
There are certain services and models working behind the scene making the cloud
computing feasible and accessible to end users. Following are the working models for
cloud computing:
A cloud refers to a distinct IT environment that is designed for the purpose of remotely
provisioning scalable and measured IT resources. The term originated as a metaphor for
the Internet which is, in essence, a network of networks providing remote access to a set
of decentralized IT resources. Prior to cloud computing becoming its own formalized IT
industry segment, the symbol of a cloud was commonly used to represent the Internet in a
variety of specifications and mainstream documentation of Web-based architectures. This
same symbol is now used to specifically represent the boundary of a cloud environment,
as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 - The symbol used to denote the boundary of a cloud environment.
It is important to distinguish the term "cloud" and the cloud symbol from the Internet. As
a specific environment used to remotely provision IT resources, a cloud has a finite
boundary. There are many individual clouds that are accessible via the Internet.
Whereas the Internet provides open access to many Web-based IT resources, a cloud is
typically privately owned and offers access to IT resources that is metered.
Much of the Internet is dedicated to the access of content-based IT resources published via
the World Wide Web. IT resources provided by cloud environments, on the other hand, are
dedicated to supplying back-end processing capabilities and user-based access to these
capabilities. Another key distinction is that it is not necessary for clouds to be Web-based
even if they are commonly based on Internet protocols and technologies. Protocols refer to

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standards and methods that allow computers to communicate with each other in a pre-
defined and structured manner. A cloud can be based on the use of any protocols that allow
for the remote access to its IT resources.
4.1. DEPLOYMENT MODELS: - Deployment models define the type of access
to the cloud, i.e., how the cloud is located? Cloud can have any of the four types of access:
Public, Private, Hybrid and Community.

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4.1.1. Public cloud: The Public Cloud allows systems and services to be easily accessible
to the general public. Public cloud may be less secure because of its openness, e.g., e-mail.
Public cloud or external cloud describes cloud computing in the traditional mainstream
sense, whereby resources are dynamically provisioned on a fine-grained, self-service basis
over the Internet, via web applications/web services from an off-site third-party provider
who bills on a fine-grained utility computing basis. The cloud infrastructure is made
available to the general public or a large industry group, and is owned by an organization
selling cloud services. Examples: Amazon Elastic-Compute-Cloud, IBM's BlueCloud, Sun
Cloud, Google AppEngine
4.1.2. Private cloud: The Private Cloud allows systems and services to be accessible
within an organization. It offers increased security because of its private nature. A private
cloud is a particular model of cloud computing that involves a distinct and secure cloud
based environment in which only the specified client can operate. As with other cloud
models, private clouds will provide computing power as a service within a virtualized
environment using an underlying pool of physical computing resource. However, under the
private cloud model, the cloud (the pool of resource) is only accessible by a single
organization providing that organization with greater control and privacy.
4.1.3. Community cloud: The Community Cloud allows systems and services to be
accessible by group of organizations. A community cloud may be established where several
organizations have similar requirements and seek to share infrastructure so as to realize
some of the benefits of cloud computing. With the costs spread over fewer users than a
public cloud (but more than a single tenant) this option is more expensive but may offer a
higher level of privacy, security and/or policy compliance. Examples of community cloud
include Google’s "Gov Cloud".
4.1.4. Hybrid cloud: The Hybrid Cloud is mixture of public and private cloud. However,
the critical activities are performed using private cloud while the non-critical activities are

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performed using public cloud. The term "Hybrid Cloud" has been used to mean either two
separate clouds joined together (public, private, internal or external), or a combination of
virtualized cloud server instances used together with real physical hardware. The most
correct definition of the term "Hybrid Cloud" is probably the use of physical hardware and
virtualized cloud server instances together to provide a single common service. Two clouds
that have been joined together are more correctly called a "combined cloud".
A hybrid storage cloud uses a combination of public and private storage clouds. Hybrid
storage clouds are often useful for archiving and backup functions, allowing local data to
be replicated to a public cloud.
4.2. SERVICE MODELS: - Service Models are the reference models on which the
Cloud Computing is based. These can be categorized into three basic service models as
listed below:
4.2.1 Infrastructure as a service (iaas):- IaaS is the delivery of technology
infrastructure as an on demand scalable service. Provides access to fundamental
resources such as physical machines, virtual machines, virtual storage, etc. The
capability provided to the consumer is the provision of grids or clusters or
virtualized servers, processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental
computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary
software, which can include operating systems. The highest profile example is
Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service, but IBM and
other traditional IT vendors are also offering services, as is telecom-and-more
provider Verizon Business.

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IAAS:-

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4.2.2 Platform as a service (paas):- provides the runtime environment for applications,
development & deployment tools, etc. Paas provides all of the facilities required to
support the complete life cycle of building and delivering web applications and
services entirely from the Internet. Cloud computing has evolved to include
platforms for building and running custom web-based applications, a concept
known as Platform-as-a-Service. Paas is an outgrowth of the saas application
delivery model. The paas model makes all of the facilities required to support the
complete life cycle of building and delivering web applications and services
entirely available from the Internet, all with no software downloads or installation
for developers, IT managers, or end users. Examples include Microsoft’s Azure and
Salesforce’s Force.com.
Paas:-

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4.2.3. Software as a service (Saas):-
SaaS model allows to use software applications as a service to end users. SaaS is a software
delivery methodology that provides licensed multi-tenant access to software and its functions
remotely as a Web-based service. The traditional model of software distribution, in which software
is purchased for and installed on personal computers, is sometimes referred to as Software-as-a-
Product. Software-as-a-Service is a software distribution model in which applications are hosted
by a vendor or service provider and made available to customers over a network, typically the
Internet. SaaS is becoming an increasingly prevalent delivery model as underlying technologies
that support web services and service-oriented architecture (SOA) mature and new developmental
approaches become popular. SaaS is also often associated with a pay-as-you-go subscription
licensing model. Mean-while, broadband service has become increasingly available to support user
access from more areas around the world. Examples are Google’s Gmail and Apps, instant
messaging from AOL, Yahoo and Google.

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Saas:-

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CHAPTER- 5
USE THE CLOUD

14. 14
CHAPTER- 6
APPLICTION OF CLOUD COMPUTING
So now we get to the question—what does cloud computing actually do? Well, we have applications
running on our laptops, servers, phones and the like. Cloud computing either has them too or has
the potential to bring them to you. So cloud computing brings you applications, a way of viewing,
manipulating, and sharing data. Like their desktop brethren, many “staple” applications exist in
cloud computing, but what will differ for you is how you interact with those applications. The most
common are storage and database. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at storage and database
functionality.
6.1. Storage: - Somewhat similar to has, one of the uses for cloud computing is simply storage.
The benefits are in line with the general benefits of cloud computing—if you lease storage space
from a vendor, you are not responsible to buy equipment, pay to run it, and pay to cool it. That’s
all on the vendor. But there are different options when it comes down to cloud storage.
6.2. Database: - Databases (which we will talk more about later in this chapter) are repositories
for information with links within the information that help make the data searchable. Distributed
databases, like Amazon’s simpledb, spread information among physically dispersed hardware. But
to the client, the information seems to be located in one place. The advantages of such a database
include the following:
6.2.1. Improved availability: - If there is a fault in one database system, it will only affect one
fragment of the information, not the entire database.
6.2.2. Improved performance: - Data is located near the site with the greatest demand and the
database systems are parallelized, which allows the load to be balanced among the servers.
6.2.3. Price:-It is less expensive to create a network of smaller computers with the power of one
large one.
6.2.4. Flexibility: - Systems can be changed and modified without harm to the entire database.
Naturally there are disadvantages, including

15. 15
6.2.5. Complexity:-Database administrators have extra work to do to maintain the system.
6.2.6. Labor: - costs with that added complexity comes the need for more workers on the payroll.
6.2.7. Security:-Database fragments must be secured and so must the sites housing the fragments.
6.2.8. Integrity: - It may be difficult to maintain the integrity of the database if it is too complex
or changes too quickly.
6.2.9. Standards:-There are currently no standards to convert a centralized database into a cloud
solution.
6.3. Synchronization: - Synchronization, as with Microsoft’s Live Mesh or Apple’s mobileme,
allows content to be refreshed across multiple devices. For instance, if you have a spreadsheet on
your computer and then upload it to the storage service, the next time you check your PDA, that
file will be downloaded onto it.
6.4. Database Services: - Another “as a service” offering that is becoming prevalent in the world
of cloud computing is Database as a Service (daas). The idea behind daas is to avoid the complexity
and cost of running your own database.
6.4.1. Ease of use:-There are no servers to provision and no redundant systems to worry about.
You don’t have to worry about buying, installing, and maintaining hardware for the database.
6.4.2. Power: - The database isn’t housed locally, but that doesn’t mean that it is not functional
and effective. Depending on your vendor, you can get custom data validation to ensure accurate
information. You can create and manage the database with ease.
6.4.3. Integration: - The database can be integrated with your other services to provide more
value and power. For instance, you can tie it in with calendars, email, and people to make your
work more powerful.
6.4.4. Management:-Because large databases benefit from constant pruning and optimization,
typically there are expensive resources dedicated to this task. With some DaaS offerings, this
management can be provided as part of the service for much less expense. The provider will often
use offshore labor pools to take advantage of lower labor costs there. So it’s possible that you are

16. 16
using the service in Chicago, the physical servers are in Washington state, and the database
administrator is in the Philippines. are a number of providers out there, but let’s take a closer look
at two of the biggest players.
6.5. MS SQL:- Anyone who has worked with databases is no stranger to Microsoft’s premier
offering, SQL Server. They announced the cloud extension of that tool in the spring of 2008 by
introducing Microsoft SQL Server Data Services (SSDS). It is expected to be in a public beta by
spring 2009. SSDS looks very similar to Amazon’s SimpleDB, with a straightforward, schema-
free data storage, SOAP or REST APIs, and a pay-as-you-go payment system. It is also able to
start small and scale larger as needed. While it looks similar to SimpleDB, it varies greatly. First,
one of the main selling points of SSDS is that it integrates with Microsoft’s Sync Framework,
which is a .NET library for synchronizing dissimilar data sources. Microsoft wants SSDS to work
as a data hub, synchronizing data on multiple devices so they can be accessed offline. There are
three core concepts in SSDS:
6.5.1. Authority:- An authority is both a billing unit and a collection of containers. • Container A
container is a collection of entities and is what you search within.
6.5.2. Entity:- An entity is a property bag of name and value pairs.
6.6. Oracle:- In the fall of 2008 Oracle introduced three services to provide database services to
cloud users. Customers can license
• Oracle Database 11g
• Oracle Fusion Middleware
• Oracle Enterprise Manager
The products are available for use on Amazon Web Services’ Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon
EC2). Oracle delivered a set of free Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) to its customers so they
could quickly and efficiently deploy Oracle’s database solutions. Developers can take advantage
of the provisioning and automated software deployment to rapidly build applications using
Oracle’s popular development tools such as Oracle Application Express, Oracle JDeveloper,
Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse, and Oracle Workshop for WebLogic. Additionally, Oracle
Unbreakable Linux Support and AWS Premium Support is available for Oracle Enterprise Linux

17. 17
on EC2, providing seamless customer support. “Providing choice is the foundation of Oracle’s
strategy to enable customers to become more productive and lower their IT costs—whether it’s
choice of hardware, operating system, or on demand computing—extending this to the Cloud
environment is a natural evolution,” said Robert Shimp, vice president of Oracle Global
Technology Business Unit. “We are pleased to partner with Amazon Web Services to provide our
customers enterpriseclass Cloud solutions, using familiar Oracle software on which their
businesses depend.” Additionally, Oracle also introduced a secure cloud-based backup solution.
Oracle Secure Backup Cloud Module, based on Oracle’s premier tape backup management
software, Oracle Secure Backup, enables customers to use the Amazon Simple Storage Service
(Amazon S3) as their database backup destination. Cloud-based backups offer reliability and
virtually unlimited capacity, available on demand and with no up-front capital expenditure. The
Oracle Secure Backup Cloud Module also enables encrypted data backups to help ensure complete
privacy in the cloud environment. It’s fully integrated with Oracle Recovery Manager and Oracle
Enterprise Manager, providing users with familiar interfaces for cloud-based backups. For
customers with an ongoing need to quickly move very large volumes of data into or out of the
AWS cloud, Amazon allows the creation of network peering connections.

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CHAPTER-7
SECURITY OF CLOUD COMPUTING
Security is the number one issue when it comes to cloud computing, and that only makes sense.
Since a third party stores your data, you don’t know what’s going on with it. It’s easy to worry
about the security risks of a cloud solution, but let’s not overlook the inherent security benefits, as
well.
7.1. Data Leakage:- The biggest benefit is the centralization of data. Organizations have an issue
with asset protection, in no small part because of data being stored in numerous places, like laptops
and the desktop. Thick clients are apt to download files and maintain them on the hard drive, and
there are plenty of laptops out there with nonencrypted files. Using thin clients creates a better
chance for centralized data storage. As such, there’s less chance for data leakage. Centralization
also provides the opportunity for better monitoring. That data is in one place makes it easier to
check in on your data and see that everything is okay.

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7.2. Offloading Work:-Another security benefit isn’t so much a technology, but the fact that you
don’t have to do it yourself. It’s up to the cloud provider to provide adequate security. After all,
can your organization afford 24/7 IT security staffing? The fact of the matter is that your cloud
provider might offer more security features than you had before. The fact that so many clients are
paying allows cloud providers to have beefier security, simply because of the economy of scale
involved. That is, there are many paying clients so the provider is able to do more, because there
is more money in the pot. Plus it’s to the provider’s benefit to offer more, because they want to get
a good reputation.
7.3. Logging:- Logging is also improved. It’s something that, in-house, usually gets the short end
of the stick. But in the virtualized world of cloud computing, providers can add as much memory
as they need to extend logging.
7.4. Forensics:- If there is a breach, the cloud provider can respond to the incident with less
downtime than if you had to investigate the breach locally. It is easy to build a forensic server
online, and it costs almost nothing until it comes into use. If there is a problem, the virtual machine
can be cloned for easy offline analysis. Further, many companies don’t have a dedicated in-house
incident response team. If there is a problem, IT staff have to quickly figure out their new job of
taking the server down, quickly investigating, and getting it back online for minimal production
downtime.
7.5 Development:- Even more good news is that security vendors aren’t in the dark about this
whole cloud thing. They are actively developing products that can apply to virtual machines and
the cloud. Security vendors also have a unique opportunity in the cloud. Since it’s new ground,
there are new opportunities for the vendors who are open-minded enough to imagine them.
7.6 Auditing:- As an IT professional, you already know the headache of securing your own local
network. But when you send your data to the cloud, a whole new set of issues arise. This is largely
because your data is being stored on someone else’s equipment.

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 Privileged user access: - Inquire about who has specialized access to data, and about the
hiring and management of such administrators.
 Regulatory compliance: - Make sure that the vendor is willing to undergo external audits
and/or security certifications.
 Data Location: - Does the provider allow for any control over the location of data?
 Data Segregation: - Make sure that encryption is available at all stages, and that these
encryption schemes were designed and tested by experienced professionals.
 Recovery: - Find out what will happen to data in the case of a disaster. Do they offer
complete restoration? If so, how long would that take?
 Investigative support: - Does the vendor have the ability to investigate any inappropriate
or illegal activity?
 Long-term viability: - What will happen to data if the company goes out of business?
How will data be returned, and in what format?

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CHAPTER- 8
ADVANTAGES
8.1. Cost Savings:- Perhaps, the most significant cloud computing benefit is in terms
of IT cost savings. Businesses, no matter what their type or size, exist to earn money
while keeping capital and operational expenses to a minimum. With cloud computing,
you can save substantial capital costs with zero in-house server storage and application
requirements. The lack of on-premises infrastructure also removes their associated
operational costs in the form of power, air conditioning and administration costs. You
pay for what is used and disengage whenever you like - there is no invested IT capital
to worry about. It’s a common misconception that only large businesses can afford to
use the cloud, when in fact, cloud services are extremely affordable for smaller
businesses.
8.2. Reliability:-With a managed service platform, cloud computing is much more
reliable and consistent than in-house IT infrastructure. Most providers offer a Service
Level Agreement which guarantees 24/7/365 and 99.99% availability. Your
organization can benefit from a massive pool of redundant IT resources, as well as
quick failover mechanism - if a server fails, hosted applications and services can easily
be transited to any of the available servers.
8.3. Manageability:-Cloud computing provides enhanced and simplified IT
management and maintenance capabilities through central administration of resources,
vendor managed infrastructure and SLA backed agreements. IT infrastructure updates
and maintenance are eliminated, as all resources are maintained by the service provider.
You enjoy a simple web-based user interface for accessing software, applications and
services – without the need for installation - and an SLA ensures the timely and
guaranteed delivery, management and maintenance of your IT services.

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8.4. Strategic Edge:-Ever-increasing computing resources give you a competitive
edge over competitors, as the time you require for IT procurement is virtually nil. Your
company can deploy mission critical applications that deliver significant business
benefits, without any upfront costs and minimal provisioning time. Cloud computing
allows you to forget about technology and focus on your key business activities and
objectives. It can also help you to reduce the time needed to market newer applications
and services.
 Drive down costs: Avoid large capital expenditure on hardware and upgrades. Cloud can
also improve cost efficiency by more closely matching your cost pattern to your
revenue/demand pattern, moving your business from a capital-intensive cost model to an
Opex model.
 Cope with demand: You know what infrastructure you need today, but what about your
future requirements? As your business grows, a cloud environment should grow with you.
And when demand is unpredictable or you need to test a new application, you have the
ability spin capacity up or down, while paying only for what you use.
 Run your business; don’t worry about your IT: Monitoring your infrastructure 24/7 is
time consuming and expensive when you have a business to run. A managed cloud solution
means that your hosting provider is doing this for you. In addition to monitoring your
infrastructure and keeping your data safe, they can provide creative and practical solutions
to your needs, as well as expert advice to keep your IT infrastructure working efficiently
as your needs evolve.
 Innovate and lead: Ever-changing business requirements mean that your IT infrastructure
has to be flexible. With a cloud infrastructure, you can rapidly deploy new projects and
take them live quickly, keeping you at the vanguard of innovation in your sector.
 Improved security and compliance: You have to protect your business against loss of
revenue and brand damage. In addition, many organizations face strict regulatory and
compliance obligations. A cloud environment means that this responsibility no longer rests
entirely on your shoulders. Your cloud hosting provider will build in resiliency and
agility at an infrastructure-level to limit the risk of a security breach, and will work with
you to help address compliance and regulatory requirements.

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 Future-proof your business: There is unprecedented demand for access to data anywhere,
any time and on any device. Don’t let your business fall behind. By embracing the cloud,
you can handle emerging mobile, BYOD and wearable technology trends

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CHAPTER- 9
DISADVANTAGES
9.1 Downtime:-As cloud service providers take care of a number of clients each day,
they can become overwhelmed and may even come up against technical outages.
This can lead to your business processes being temporarily suspended.
Additionally, if your internet connection is offline, you will not be able to access
any of your applications, server or data from the cloud.
9.2 Security:-Although cloud service providers implement the best security standards
and industry certifications, storing data and important files on external service
providers always opens up risks. Using cloud-powered technologies means you
need to provide your service provider with access to important business data.
Meanwhile, being a public service opens up cloud service providers to security
challenges on a routine basis. The ease in procuring and accessing cloud services
can also give nefarious users the ability to scan, identify and exploit loopholes and
vulnerabilities within a system. For instance, in a multi-tenant cloud architecture
where multiple users are hosted on the same server, a hacker might try to break into
the data of other users hosted and stored on the same server. However, such exploits
and loopholes are not likely to surface, and the likelihood of a compromise is not
great.
9.3 Vendor lock-in:-Although cloud service providers promise that the cloud will be
flexible to use and integrate, switching cloud services is something that hasn’t yet
completely evolved. Organizations may find it difficult to migrate their services
from one vendor to another. Hosting and integrating current cloud applications on
another platform may throw up interoperability and support issues. For instance,
applications developed on Microsoft Development Framework (.Net) might not
work properly on the Linux platform.
9.4 Limited control:-Since the cloud infrastructure is entirely owned, managed and
monitored by the service provider, it transfers minimal control over to the customer.
The customer can only control and manage the applications, data and services

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operated on top of that, not the backend infrastructure itself. Key administrative
tasks such as server shell access, updating and firmware management may not be
passed to the customer or end user.
 Requires a constant Internet connection. Cloud computing is impossible if you
can't connect to the Internet. Since you use the Internet to connect to both your
applications and documents, if you don't have an Internet connection you can't
access anything, even your own documents. A dead Internet connection means
no work, period and, in areas where Internet connections are few or inherently
unreliable, this could be a deal-breaker. When you're offline, cloud computing
simply doesn't work.
 Doesn't work well with low-speed connections. Similarly, a low-speed Internet
connection, such as that found with dial-up services, makes cloud computing
painful at best and often impossible. Web-based apps require a lot of bandwidth
to download, as do large documents. If you're laboring with a low-speed dial-up
connection, it might take seemingly forever just to change from page to page in a
document, let alone to launch a feature-rich cloud service. In other words, cloud
computing isn't for the broadband-impaired.
 Can be slow. Even on a fast connection, web-based applications can sometimes
be slower than accessing a similar software program on your desktop PC.
Everything about the program, from the interface to the current document, has to
be sent back and forth from your computer to the computers in the cloud. If the
cloud servers happen to be backed up at that moment, or if the Internet is having
a slow day, you won't get the instantaneous access you might expect from desktop
apps.
 Features might be limited. This situation is bound to change, but today many web-
based applications simply aren't as full-featured as their desktop-based brethren.
For example, you can do a lot more with Microsoft PowerPoint than with Google
Presentation's web-based offering. The basics are similar, but the cloud
application lacks many of PowerPoint's advanced features. If you're a power user,
you might not want to leap into cloud computing just yet.

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 Stored data might not be secure. With cloud computing, all your data is stored on
the cloud. How secure is the cloud? Can unauthorized users gain access to your
confidential data? Cloud computing companies say that data is secure, but it's too
early in the game to be completely sure of that. Only time will tell if your data is
secure in the cloud.
 Stored data can be lost. Theoretically, data stored in the cloud is unusually safe,
replicated across multiple machines. But on the off chance that your data goes
missing, you have no physical or local backup. (Unless you methodically
download all your cloud documents to your own desktop—which few users do.)
Put simply, relying on the cloud puts you at risk if the cloud lets you down.

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CONCLUSION
Cloud computing is an emerging computing paradigm that is increasingly popular.
Leaders in the industry, such as Microsoft, Google, and IBM, have provided their
initiatives in promoting cloud computing. But still there are many question have left
without an answer and indeed the most important one is security. IT technicians are
spearheading the challenge, while academia is bit slower to react. Several groups have recently
been formed, such as the Cloud Security Alliance or the Open Cloud Consortium, with the
goal of exploring the possibilities offered by cloud computing and to establish a common
language among different providers. New technologies and capabilities may result in a further
evolution of the cloud computing model. Companies presently considering such a move must
weigh the advantages against the potential drawbacks, and decide if they are ready to launch
their data into the cloud. Before doing so, a consultation with an experienced cloud computing
provider is the best way to determine an effective course of action.