Benefits of Cloud Computing:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, Special Publication 800-145, states in Section 2:
“Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models.”
The five essential characteristics of cloud computing are:
- on-demand service,
- broad network access,
- resource pooling,
- rapid elasticity, and
- measured service.
The three service models are:
- software as a service (SaaS),
- platform as a service (PaaS), and
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
Finally, the four deployment models are:
- private cloud,
- community cloud,
- public cloud, and
- hybrid cloud.
Cloud computing can offer businesses and individuals a lower cost yet higher security platform, for software use and management of data. But there are risks similar to any third party that is providing remote internet services. Both users and providers use the public internet, and are pressured by the same pool of bad actors.
In 2016, the Cloud Services Alliance, released its list of major threats, as follows:
- Data Breaches
- Weak Identity, Credential and Access Management
- Insecure APIs
- System and Application Vulnerabilities
- Account Hijacking
- Malicious Insiders
- Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)
- Data Loss
- Insufficient Due Diligence
- Abuse and Nefarious Use of Cloud Services
- Denial of Service
- Shared Technology Issues
See, Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), The Treacherous Twelve Cloud Computing Top Threats in 2016, February 29, 2016. They have followed up this list in 2017 with real world examples of attacks in each category.
The ISO 17788 Cloud Computing Overview and Vocabulary describes the hybrid cloud model two or more cloud structures including public cloud, private cloud and community cloud.
Similarly, the Cloud Standards Customer Council (CSCC) has published a Practical Guide to Cloud Computing V2 2014 and V3 in 2017.
Multi-cloud and Hybrid Cloud Computing
Hybrid cloud computing is a model which involves combining the use of multiple cloud services including the use of public cloud services with private cloud services. The benefit to the organization is that each platform can be adapted to meet specific needs.
There are many combinations of cloud resources that can be combined in hybrid or multi-cloud deployment. These combinations can also involve a mix of different cloud service models, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). For example, a hybrid cloud deployment could combine an on-premises private IaaS cloud service with a publicly hosted SaaS application. In addition, private cloud services could be hosted on-premises or alternatively hosted off-premises in a dedicated part of a cloud server, as part of the transition.
Frequently, as organizations consider migrating data and processes away from in-house containment to cloud services, with data and processes spread over multiple departments, geography and numerous servers, the task is too daunting to attempt the wholesale movement all at once. Thus, by using a combination of cloud services, the organization can prioritize and plan data and processes transition in stages to minimize down-time, costs and personnel time. Another advantage is these hybrid configurations do not have to be permanent but rather can provide the temporary flexibility needed during a time of transition. As an example, data could first be moved from private in-house servers to a private in-house cloud hosting service. The private cloud can then be moved off-premises to a dedicated cloud service. Finally, the private cloud data would be moved to a third party cloud service.
Cloud Computing and Blockchain Distributed Ledger Technology
Using cloud services to host blockchain applications may be advantageous because of the performance characteristics, scalability and networking. Blockchain applications in the cloud could take many forms. From running the blockchain code on a cloud node to applications running on an end-user device via edge services. See the Cloud Standards Customer Council 2017 report entitled, Cloud Customer Architecture for Blockchain. Appendix A lists numerous examples of potential blockchain applications.