Security Measures in Cloud-Based Solutions

Discuss about the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Cloud computing is an information technology field which enables ubiquitous access to resources which have been shared  and configured to be provisioned with very little effort on the internet. A cloud based solution a system or program which has been deployed is hosted on the cloud and is accessed through the internet (Taylor, 2004). Cloud based solutions need to be secured so that they are not breached by unauthorized malicious individuals. The deployment and use of firewalls enables a cloud based solution to be kept secure and far from reach from any unauthorized persons. Data in cloud based solution should also be encrypted. This security measure helps in keeping the data in a cloud based solution safe by ensuring that even if the firewalls and intrusive detective measures do not work effectively and an unauthorized individual is able to gain access to the cloud based solution they will not be able to understand the data or information which they have accessed (US Department of Justice, 2003). If they are unable to read the data they have accessed they will not be in a position to tamper with the data or use it for any kind of malicious intent.

The interface of a cloud based solution should be user friendly and simple to use. This will ensure that the users of the solution are able to utilize it effectively with ease. The interface should also be designed in a professional manner based on the context it will be utilized for so that it serves the purpose it was meant to (Schmidt & Rosenberg, 2014). A cloud based solution improves the agility of an organization which uses it. For the organization which has implemented and utilizes a cloud based system it will enable them to increase user flexibility by expanding the technology infrastructure resources they will require to accommodate a large number of users.  In the past companies were faced with a huge problem in being able to meet the needs of their users. As they grew they needed more resources in terms of infrastructure to accommodate the larger number of users who had subscribed or were using their services. It was a costly endeavor which was very hard to keep up with. Cloud solutions came up to salvage the situation by offering the needed infrastructure which such companies needed to ensure that they would be able to adapt according to the technology resources they needed (Radack, 2011).

Usability and User-Friendliness

The use of cloud based solutions has helped many organizations in saving of costs which were incurred in purchasing and maintenance of the IT infrastructure needed to help them serve their clients. The money and resources in which most companies have saved from the use of cloud based solutions has led them improve on other areas in their business. They are now able to fund other non-technical resources of the organization such as marketing and customer support to grow and improve their business. Usability is the way in which a system has been developed to enable users to actively benefit from its use (Qusay, Riad & Ahmed, 2012). Usability is a key concept in ensuring a system serves the purpose it was meant for as it was built. Reliability is the act of being able to depend on a certain resource for your needs. In the context of cloud based solutions they should be reliable to ensure that the operations of a business are always in check. A company outsources its cloud needs to a cloud solutions provider. If the provider is not reliable it may cause a company to lose a lot in terms of clients and resources. It is therefore important that a cloud solution provider is reliable in their operations. A cloud solution being internet based should be able to perform at peak levels to ensure that it provides quality services to its clients and users. If it does not perform well and lags it might lead the companies which are dependent on it to stagnate or lose business. The security aspect of a cloud based solution is of top priority. The information stored in the cloud is very sensitive and therefore the security measures employed to protect this data should be state of the art so that the systems are protected from any dangers (Qusay, 2011).

The constraints of a cloud based solution are that they are not customizable. This is because the system is developed and maintained by the owner of the cloud service. It is a cheap service due to economies of scale but the cloud solution provider is the one who determines when the interface of the cloud based system. Some cloud based solutions are also not compliant to legal regulations. This may put the companies which are using the services of these non-compliant cloud solution providers to be at risk of legal action.  Most companies usually operate within the law to ensure that they are able to serve their clients adequately. It is within their mandate to ensure that if they outsource or use outside resources such as a cloud solution provider they should utilize service providers who are complaint to the law (Parag, Rodgerb & Girish, 2008). The policies and security measures which are used by a cloud solution provider are usually managed by them. This leaves the companies who use theses solution providers at the mercy of their service provider.

Reliability in Cloud Computing

The strengths of using a cloud based solution are that they are very affordable due to the economies of scale. The cloud solution provider usually setups up the necessary infrastructure to run a cloud system and then offers their service to various clients. The presence of many clients will ensure that they can cost share the use of these IT infrastructure resources (Oestreich, 2010). The use of a cloud based solution give its users the ability to access the system from any location they may be in as long as they have an internet connection. This is very beneficial to organizations because their employees are able to work on the go and achieve more productivity. The company will not be dependent on having the solution on site to access the services they offer. Mulitlatency is a process in which many companies are able to share resources and save on cost of use and maintenance. The use of a cloud based solution will enable all the companies using it to use a cost effective solution in their operations. They will not need to invest in the technology infrastructure which is usually very costly to buy and maintain. The weaknesses of a cloud based solution are that the information of a company is usually held in it and it can be taken or stolen from the cloud service provider through various ways for malicious intent (Mell & Grance, 2011). The design of the cloud solution is also dictated by the cloud service provider. The company does not have any way in which they may be able to change the interface so that it conforms to its designs. The company can lose clients due to this because they may find use of this cloud based solution to be hard and not user-friendly.

Software development life cycle (SDLC) is a process which is usually used as a guideline in the development of a software solution (Marakas & O’Brien, 2010). In the use of the software development life cycle there are specific deliverables which are set to ensure that they are achieved at each step. Predictive software development life cycle is the utilization of the SDLC process effectively by being able to predict the processes which will be needed in every step of the methodology.  The use of predictive SDLC has the advantage of control because it enables the users of this process to have an idea of every stage in the process and what is entailed within every step. After they are aware of this they can be able to control various factors such as setting the budget and the amount of time to achieve deliverables to each specific phase in the software development life cycle. Predictive SDLC can be used in large projects to help in managing them so that their objectives are achieved (Kay, 2002). In any project if there is no prior planning before the project begins there are various risks which will be encountered. The greatest of them is the project becoming a failure. When individuals set out to start a project they purpose to complete it and that is why planning is needed to ensure the project is a success (Haghighat, Zonouz & Abdel-Mottaleb, 2015).  When working on large projects the use of predictive SDLC can help by being able to monitor these projects easily. By following the SDLC process the projects can be monitored by evaluating the outcome of each phase to ensure it is completed on time and on budget with a positive outcome. The user input which is provided in the process will enable the predictive SDLC process by giving a description of how the system being developed will look like and the functionality it should have (Gruman, 2008). If user input is not considered in the predictive SDLC process the project being pursued might not be successful or it might yield results which are not of use or productive to the user.

Constraints and Weaknesses of Cloud Computing

The cons of using predictive SDLC are that the costs used in the process might not be correct. This is because a prediction is only an estimate and the facts used when a prediction is made can easily change over time. It is therefore important to always have an overestimated budget when using predictive SDLC to ensure the project will be able to run smoothly without constraints so that its goals can be achieved (Elliott & Strachan, 2004). Predictive SDLC might not be able to predict the right amount of time which should be set to ensure a project achieves its objectives. When using predictive SDLC the amount of time needed to deliver the project is usually set then the various phases are allocated time within this scope to ensure the project is delivered on time (Dealey, 2013). Most projects are usually faced with time constraints. It is very hard to set a time frame for any emergencies or inconveniences that may come up during a project.

It is therefore standard to ensure that the project is allocated emergency time to achieve on its deliverables. This time however should not be too long to a point that will compromise the project. In predictive SDLC the systems to be developed and used might be defined upfront. The use of prediction can be used to define the systems to be used. However these systems may need to change so that the project objective is achieved (Baburajan, 2011). It is a very big disadvantage but it is a necessary requirement so that the SDLC process can be developed appropriately based on the needed deliverables. The use of predictive SDLC needs the input of users. It is however a hard task to predict the input in which users may give in the process. The input they give is also limited which makes the process become compromised or limited in its purpose.

Adaptive SDLC is a software development methodology that came up from rapid application development. It involves the continuous adapting of the process to the tasks being performed to ensure the current project being undertaken achieves the best results possible. The benefit of this process is that it revisits the speculative, learning and collaboration cycles of the SDLC process. This means that project planning which is the speculation phase is revisited and adapts to change as the project is ongoing. Collaboration is whereby individuals work to share the tasks which has been predicted as being needed to accomplish the project goals. Learning focuses on the design, build and testing phases. Here the process is iterated by making small mistakes and false assumptions then correcting them to ensure all possible errors are tested and the system can be of good quality. The disadvantages are that this process may use a lot of money and time. It also risks a project becoming obsolete if its need is surpassed by the time it is ready for deployment. The two methodologies are all good while used in different settings. I would recommend the adaptive SDLC approach because it encompasses a more realistic view of the challenges and events that happen in present day.

References

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