Cloud Computing in Relation to Information Management - Essay Example

A Report on Cloud Computing In Relation To Information Management Student Names and Number Lecture Name Date Course Name and Number Institution Affiliation Table of Contents Executive summary 3 Introduction 4 Characteristics 4 Cloud model 5 Deployment methods 5 Subjects to address before moving to cloud computing 6 Role of a service provider 7 Benefits of cloud computing 8 Risks of cloud computing 10 Conclusion 12 Reference list 13 Executive summary Cloud computing has been gaining popularity and acceptance for the last few years. All business despite the size or shape is adapting and using this new technology. Cloud computing will continue to gain popularity and more development in the next few years. Cloud computing has enabled small and mediums business to unlock their creativity and innovations. This report is in cloud computing; it explores the characteristics, models, deployments methods that are used. It also covers the benefits and risks that can be brought by cloud computing. Additionally, it shows some of the information management subjects that an organization needs to look at while thinking of moving to the cloud. Lastly, it covers on examples of cloud computing that are used currently. Introduction In computing, cloud computing is the among the latest evolution term. It involves sharing of computing resources over the internet. Unlike in the past where one had to store data on a hard drive, today we use a service that is found over the web in a different location to store data. In cloud computing, businesses and individuals can use both software and hardware that are located and managed by a third-party in various places (Fanjoy and Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, 2014). Examples of online services are webmail, social sites, and online file storage among others. Various definitions are used to define this technology. Cloud computing involves the delivery of computing resources on a pay for use basis (Beal, no date). In simple words it involves sharing of everything over the internet. On the other hand, cloud computing is defined as a model that facilitates, on-demand, and network access to a pool that is normally shared, the computing resources that are normally shared include applications, computer services, and storage that are usually provided and require minimal effort in its management (Mell and Grance, 2012). Cloud computing is made up of five characteristics; there are three models that are used to provide services and five deployment methods. Characteristics The main features of a cloud computing are on-demand self-service it implies that they can access information resources and use it. Secondary, there is broad network access which makes the services available via both private and cloud network. Thirdly, there is a pooled resource; this implies that a customer can draw resources from a certain pool. In this case, it is usually data centres. Lastly, services can be measured, and the customers are usually billed based on their usage. Cloud model There are normally three models that are found in Cloud computing service. The first one being software as a service (SaaS) in this case there is a provision of pre-made application, operating system, and network as well as any software that will be required. Secondly, we have infrastructure as a service (IaaS) model here; there is only the provision of hardware and network. Here the user is allowed to install his/her software, applications as well as the operating system. Lastly, we have the platform as a service (PaaS), here there is the provision of an operating system, network, and hardware. Also PaaS model, allows the users develop their software. Deployment methods We have various ways that are adopted in the deployment of cloud services. They can be available through public, private, hybrid or community. Examples of public cloud are email, social networking and photo storage services. Public cloud services are usually available via the internet. The provider operates them. The infrastructure in a private cloud is typically run for a particular organization. They usually run it, or a third party does it. Several group can decide to form a community. In a community cloud, the infrastructure is shared among the groups, and they may decide to operate it, or the service provider can do it. In a hybrid cloud, there is a combination of different cloud methods. For instance a combination of public and private type of cloud. In any organization, information is very crucial in its day to day operation. Therefore, it is important for the business management to make the right decisions on how to store their information safely. Cloud computing is one of the ways that an organization can deploy to manage their information. Both benefits and risks are associated with cloud computing. Before making a decision on the service provider of cloud computing, the management should weigh between gains and risks associated with this method. Subjects to address before moving to cloud computing There is some information management subject that an organization needs to address before considering adopting cloud computing. 1. Scope- they need to consider the type of information that will be kept in the cloud carefully. For example, whether it is right to store personal information. They should bear in mind that the more information is valued, the more controls are needed to ensure that there is data integrity, reliability, and readability. Therefore, when selecting a service provider, they should understand their private policies. 2. Ownership- it is also important to consider whether the agency needs to maintain the ownership of the information that they want to store the cloud. 3. Compliance- all providers of cloud services are expected to comply with the applicable laws, standards policies and regulations that are used to govern common-wealth information. Laws such as Archives Act 1983. The agency should ensure that the service provider they choose is compliant with those laws. 4. Storage location- before starting negotiation with the service provider, the management needs to know the storage location of their data. That is the service provider need to state the location of their servers. 5. Preservation-the service provider should be able to check data integrity regularly. It will ensure that the business information is easily accessible anytime that it is needed. 6. They must also consider dispose of information. The service agent should not dispose any information unless instructed by the agency. 7. It is also important for the management to include a specialist in information management while implementing cloud computing in an organization. Role of a service provider Service providers also have a role to play in a cloud computing they should ensure that the business information that is created and stored in the cloud is 1. Genuine, accurate and trusted 2. Complete – In the digital management of data, there is migration and conversion of information. Therefore, it should be done properly to ensure that there is no risk associated with data becoming incomplete. The value of data is affected. The service provider should also inform the customer while planning to do data migration. 3. Safe from any unauthorized access- there should be a written document stating who can access information and when. 4. Available and readable 5. Relevant to other business information Benefits of cloud computing When an enterprise selects the right cloud service provider, the organization has the following benefits 1. Cost reduction- by adopting cloud services, the company can use the money which could have been used to acquire IT infrastructure (such as purchasing of a server) in other things. There is also the reduction of cost that could have been utilized in the management and maintenance of IT infrastructure. 2. Remote access- unlike in the past where data usually is accessed by a user only while working in the office, with cloud users are able to access information through internet from anywhere at time that they wish. It is an advantage to the organization, especially employees can working offsite. 3. Scalability- Cloud computing enables one to increase or decrease the storage needed. It may be a benefit to the starting business, instead of buying a server which might not be exploited at the beginning and be overused when the business grows. They can choose to pay for a storage space in the cloud then increase as business grows. 4. Access to powerful technology- the small businesses has an advantage because they can access powerful computing infrastructure which they cannot afford. For example, they can access accounting systems. 5. Improved productivity- by using cloud computing it makes the employee who could have been responsible for maintaining IT infrastructure to focus their effort on other tasks hence there is an increase in productivity. 6. Employee collaboration- in a situation where offices are located in different places, it is easier for all staff to access information since they only need the internet to access cloud services. By using the cloud, employees are also able to hold meetings using services like web conferencing. 7. Disaster recovery- no fire or theft can affect data that is found in the cloud. When there is a fire outbreak in your organization premises, the employees can work offsite from their home by accessing data that is stored in the cloud. Therefore, business operations will not be affected much. 8. Another benefit of cloud computing is that personal information is more safe while stored in the cloud. The reason being that recently, cloud computing has led to improvement of private security and data protection mechanism. Due to wide the use of cloud computing there have been standards on privacy that are supposed to be maintained by all cloud service providers. 9. Another advantage is that while using cloud computing you don’t have to worry about server updates. That’s the role of service provider. This gives you a chance to focus on the things that add value to your organization. Risks of cloud computing Some risks are also associated with cloud computing. The following are some of the risks that are linked with cloud computing: The fact that data travels through the internet has created some concerns on how safe it is since data is accessed from remote locations. It has also been a concern since a provider serves a lot of clients simultaneously, which may lead to a raise in a scale of exposure hence bleach can occur either accidental or intentional. Another risk that cloud computing poses is the fact that there might be over dependency on the cloud provider. This is because an organization surrenders their sensitive data to a third party. Which can put your business at a great risk, therefore, you should select a more reliable service provider. Another risk is the fact that an organization does not manage its data. Therefore, they leave recovery process to the service provider who is in control in case of a disaster. That is the organization has no control. Additionally, there may be a risk of data loss if the service provider decides to close business. It may affect the organization since the data may not be recovered at all. There are also chances that the service provider may not be able to document information managements such access control. Hence making cloud computing risky. In a case where the service provider is in a different country, this might be risky because the government can use their local laws to access the information. Also in case, the data is very sensitive you may be forced to store that data on servers that are located physically within certain jurisdiction. As much as data can be accessed from anywhere, there might be risks associated with technical issues. At times the system can have serious dysfunction. Before deciding on cloud computing one should note that this technology is also affected by technical issues. Storing information in the cloud is might not secure since it is stored over the internet. It makes it easier to be hacked by external hackers. Inflexibility- by choosing a specific service provider means that you can only use their applications. For instance there is no way you can insert a document created with other applications into Google Docs (Apostu et al., 2013). Therefore, before deciding on going to cloud computing it is important to consider the above benefits and risks. Current examples of the usage of cloud computing Social networking- many people have had a chance to use these sites although it does not strike as a cloud computing. Sites such as Facebook, mySpace Twitter among others allow people to share information with the people they know. While doing so they also share their information with the owners of the sites. To add on that, these days most people are taking advantage of the social sites by creating a fun page which allows them to connect with their customers Email- one of the largest cloud computing services is web based email. By using an email that is on cloud allows you not to worry about maintaining a server. It also gives you an advantage of accessing your emails from anywhere at any time. Documents/spreadsheet- this is made easier by Google Docs, which allows one to create and edit a document online. This is an advantage because it allows a document to be accessed from anywhere which can then be shared and worked on simultaneously. Other services allow one to host photos so that they can share them with fiends as well as add a comment. An example of the sites that offer this service is Flickr that is offered by Yahoo. There are also video sharing sites. Such as Youtube, Vimeo, and Metacafe. In these sites the users are allowed to upload their videos. The service is responsible for changing the video content so that it is easier to be viewed without having to download it.` Cloud computing has also enabled the services of keeping backups. Having all information in your machine is not safe at all. The reason being that when your machine is stolen or hard drive is damaged you lose all your data. Using services such as JungleDisk allows one to store backup on servers across the country at a lower price. Dropbox services offer free versions that can allow one to create and access backups easily. Conclusion In conclusion, we can say that cloud computing offers some benefits to businesses. We have also seen that some risks are associated with it. The main concern is on security and privacy of the data. It is therefore important to consider how customer’s information and your personal information will be safe in the cloud. it is important to reseach on service providers before diciding on which one will offer the best services to your company. By doing this we will be avoiding causing harm to our businesses. Reference list Apostu, A., Puican, F., Ularu, G., Suciu, G. and Todoran, G. (2013) ‘Study on advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing – the advantages of Telemetry applications in the cloud’, . Beal, V. (no date) What is cloud computing? Webopedia definition. Available at: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/cloud_computing.html (Accessed: 11 May 2016). Cloud computing and information management (no date) Available at: http://www.naa.gov.au/Images/Cloud-computing-and-information-management_tcm16-85966.pdf (Accessed: 11 May 2016). Cloud computing: (2015) International Journal of Cloud Applications and Computing, 5(2), pp. 0–0. doi: 10.4018/ijcac.2015040104. Fanjoy, M. and Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (2014) Introduction to cloud computing. Available at: https://www.priv.gc.ca/resource/fs-fi/02_05_d_51_cc_e.pdf (Accessed: 10 May 2016). Hamlen, K., Kantarcioglu, M., Khan, L. and Thuraisingham, B. (2010) ‘Security issues for cloud computing’, International Journal of Information Security and Privacy, 4(2), pp. 36–48. doi: 10.4018/jisp.2010040103. Logo, S. (2010) Introduction to cloud computing. Available at: http://www.dialogic.com/~/media/products/docs/whitepapers/12023-cloud-computing-wp.pdf (Accessed: 11 May 2016). Mell, P. and Grance, T. (2012) The NIST definition of cloud computing recommendations of the national institute of standards and technology special publication 800-145. Available at: http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-145.pdf (Accessed: 9 May 2016). (No Date) Available at: https://www.ontario.ca/page/cloud-computing (Accessed: 9 May 2016). (No Date) Available at: http://mobiledevices.about.com/od/additionalresources/a/Cloud-Computing-Is-It-Really-All-That-Beneficial.htm (Accessed: 8 May 2016). Read More