Is cloud computing for all ?
What are the benefits to converting a business or school district to cloud computing?
This is a difficult question. The question assumes that I am convinced that clouding computing is a solution that I would recommend for all my clients or at least that is my humble interpretation.
All technologies have its strengths and weaknesses.
1. Security
I am impressed by how the data is broken down to several pieces, encrypted, and stored in different locations.
Hmmm… I wonder… is this a standard security implementation in all cloud computing?
If a multinational company uses cloud computing, I would not waste my time trying to discover where the data are stored. I would rather focus on how to acquire the authentication(s) of the right people, the accessed server, etc …
For ordinary users like us, maybe it is safe. I am just speculating … in the perspective of a professional hacker, maybe we are just small fishes and not worth their time and effort.
Just curious, if the account really got hacked, who is accountable for it? Would the vendor of cloud computing service disclose immediately that your account has been compromised?
Is cloud computing really safe?
A disgruntled employee might steal pertinent information and give it to a competitor. In the past, email and usb were used. IT’s solution was to “filter” outgoing emails and disable usb drives if needed. Now, what if the data was stored in the cloud?
2. Save money on storage
A 2.5TB is about CAD200 + taxes. It is probably cheaper when bought in another country and/or in bulk. If a company with 10 employees and only uses Microsoft office, how long do you think a 2.5TB lasts?
I noticed that some Cloud computing services has a limit of 2GB imposed if the account is free.
3. Storing data on personal computer or laptops might not be safe?
Let us pretend that 4 laptops get stolen every month in your company. What would you do? Would you stop buying laptops? What would your employees use? I believe the solution is to implement stricter security policies and accountabilities.
I believe most computers now come with a hard disk with at least 100GB capacity and some with biometric security.
I think staffs still need access to a computer to use cloud computing services.
4. Business
Most big corporations would require a database to hold all their important data. Almost all databases now support cloud computing. The question is who would implement it: in-house or outsource?
I will not talk about this in details. But, one must consider the additional costs for support and customization.
I am not against cloud computing. I support it … with caution. We need to analyze the following first
- Needs of our client
- The client’s available resources
- Technical staff
- Budget constraints
- Network
- Others (I am sure I missed a lot of things to consider)
Posted in: Week 08: Files in the Cloud
Deb Kim 11:59 am on October 25, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
“Is cloud computing really safe?”
That’s a very good question that you asked, but I don’t have a solid answer to the question.
I’ve read several posts so far and all of them are concerned about security and privacy. Before I read your post, I thought it’d be safe enough if a person could make his/her work private when he/she selects a saving option (Most cloud apps do have that feature). However, it become a problem if someone hacks the account. That’s probably why the clouds recommend their members to have “strong” password. For some clouds, they do not let people to become their members unless they have a password with a combination of letters (Capital and small), numebrs, and symbols. Is it safe enough? I don’t know. But I can tell that it has become “safer” than maybe 5, 10 years ago. The cloud computing companies will have to come up with ideas and ways to improve the privacy-and-secutiry-related issues.
Deb
ashleyross 6:08 pm on October 25, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Your concerns about security in the cloud are actually similar to those that I had myself when I initially started using cloud-based applications and storage years ago. It is actually still among the first questions that people ask when someone mentions cloud computing, and in most instances it is mostly due to the fact that there is a lot of misinformation available on the internet. 🙂
I believe that there’s always going to be a risk about someone else accessing your files, whether they are stored in the cloud or on your personal computer. It could be from hackers, malware, or by simply just losing your laptop or mobile device. While major incidents are commonly covered by the media, I think for those people who are smart about their account security the possibility of someone gaining access to their files is rare. To put it more simply, let’s look at the misconception about data security (cloud versus localized storage) to that of people feeling that car travel is safer than air travel. In reality, according to the National Safety Council, the odds of dying in a car accident are 1 in 85 (lifetime) versus 1 in 5,862 (lifetime) for dying in a plane accident. It isn’t to say that the cloud is 100% safe, but if you take precautions your data is at least as safe as storing everything on your personal computer. The exception of course is that you’re never going to leave your cloud at the coffee shop. 🙂
Security really starts and ends with the end user. If you have 8-12 character passwords that include a blend of capital letters, numbers and special characters (e.g. !BkTu8$5), the likelihood of your account being accessed would be exponentially lower in comparison to using your children’s names or birthdays.
Security is always improving though, especially for the major cloud computing providers. For instance, Google now has an extra step of security where whenever you log into your account you have to verify it is you by presenting your verification code that is sent to your mobile phone ( http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/static.py?hl=en&page=guide.cs&guide=1056283&rd=1).
Deb Giesbrecht 12:50 pm on October 26, 2011 Permalink | Log in to Reply
You make some really good points in your outline. What truly is the cost of cloud computing to the end users versus the corporation. I do not think that anything is ever 100% secure – even with tight passwords. Is it easier to hack into someone’s personal computer versus cloud computing? And what information do I really need to store or share? (I think we store way too much information as evidenced by my Inbox at work).
I do not think there are any easy answers to any of the above, just valid information that needs to be balanced with informative choices.