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A persuasive essay on whether or not cloud computing is safe....

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Cloud Computing is Safe Alexandra Busch ENG 123: English Composition II August 10, 2020

Cloud computing has become a part of our everyday life and concerns about its security are understandable. However, by the very nature of the cloud lends itself to security while the companies that host it are continuously making every effort to secure their users’ data as it is in their best interest to do so. Their methods of protection are secure enough that even the United States’ military utilizes a cloud system. Cloud computing is safe to use, even for the average user. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology: “Cloud computing consists of both the infrastructure and services that facilitate reliable on-demand access to resources that can be allocated and released quickly by the user without provider intervention using the pay-as-yougo model.” (Srinivasan, 2013) What this means is that users pay a provider or host to keep their data on their servers. Examples of this include Google Documents, some mobile games, and streaming movie services like Netflix and Hulu. The cloud is here and involved in our daily lives. The data most users are concerned with, as individuals, are as simple as credit card information or other personal identifying information. Companies utilizing the cloud will be concerned with wider data, such as healthcare providers maintaining their clients’ healthcare records.

Companies are seeing individuals both work from home and wish to use their own devices as opposed to company provided ones, which has led to the utilization of the cloud in the business world (Drew, 2012). Many companies, and individuals, are interested in utilizing the easy access of the cloud but are concerned about the security aspects of having their data seemingly out there in the open. Users are given options when looking at placing their data on the cloud. These options come with their own advantages and disadvantages, including different levels of security. Keeping one’s data safe can be as simple as choosing the best cloud host for your needs. Public clouds, while the cheaper option, tend to offer lower security as their resources are shared among all those that use them and they are operated by a third party (Bruma, “Data Security Methods for Cloud Computing”). Private options cost more but offer far more control over their access. Private servers are an option usually only available to large companies due to the cost. Most used are hybrid servers. They are operated by a third party, but usually given a greater level of control over access than public clouds. The cloud itself hosts several aspects of security simply by the way it is designed. The location of the servers that make up the cloud are very rarely in the same location as those utilizing the cloud. Because its location is differing from the individual the data belongs to, the location of the data is unknown to anyone that would have ill intents. (Donmez, “Design of Security and Privacy Issues for Cloud Computing.”) Additionally, the data centers the servers are stored in have their own physical security in place. (Jeganathan, “Practical Approaches to Overcome Security Challenges in Cloud Computing.”) These can range from a simple locked door and security system to security guards. Providers are responsible for the physical securities of their servers (Srinivasan, “Is Security Realistic in Cloud Computing?”) Additionally, many hosts

encrypt data when it is transferred to their servers. (“Security Issues in Cloud Computing”). This means that they lock the data behind a key, such as a password, that the user wishing to access it. If a hacker wished to access a specific individual’s data, they would have to be able to access the person’s username and password or the physical location of the cloud, both of which are made more difficult by basic security steps. The companies that host the servers that make up the cloud offer a variety of methods to protect their users’ data. The companies most readily recognized as hosting the cloud are Amazon and Google. Amazon Web Services, the subsidiary of Amazon that provides their cloud, utilizes a program called Macie (Kerner, “Amazon Improves Cloud Security.”) This program utilizes machine learning to scan through shared content, prowling for sensitive data. It then alerts the organizations this content belongs to and helps them fix permissions to make it private. Google, meanwhile, has introduced a service to help protect their clients from denial of service attacks. Calling the service Cloud Armor, Google uses it themselves and simply expanded it to include their cloud. (Vijayan, “Google Delivers Broad Array of Cloud Platform Security Improvements.”) They have also set up a Cloud Security Command Center, a singular dashboard that offers an organization the ability to keep an eye on their own data in Google’s cloud and can be integrated with third party tools to help further secure their data (Kerner, “Google Boosts Cloud Security,”) Microsoft’s Azure has taken several steps in offering their users more security, including help on demand (“Microsoft unveils Azure Sentinel Cloud Security Program”). Companies are aware of he threats cloud computing face and are taking steps to counteract them before they become a problem. It is in the best interest of the companies hosting the cloud to protect their users’ data. VMWare released a study revealing that $600 billion was lost due to security errors in 2018 alone.

(Informatica Economica vol. 24, 50). A security breach in Microsoft in 2019 led to 21 million passwords being revealed by hackers. In response, Microsoft implemented a “zero trust” concept. “Zero Trust is a security concept in which organizations do not trust anything inside or outside its perimeters.” (“Microsoft Breach Reveals Risk from Cloud-Based Data Storage.”) This method requires everyone involved with the data to be verified before access is granted. This is usually done through a username and password combination and two factor authentications, such as a code being emailed or sent to a phone before the individual can log in. Concerns about the security of cloud computing are understandable, considering the rapid growth of the relatively new technology. Users unfamiliar with the nature of the cloud can be frightened of the idea of their data not being directly in their control. Most of these fears can be abated by utilizing a variety of complicated passwords as generic passwords are the most vulnerable to potential attack. (“Microsoft Breach Reveals Risk from Cloud-Based Data Storage.”) Never using the same password twice, always containing a variety of uppercase, lowercase letters and symbols provide another level of protection to your data both on and off the cloud. While there are a wide variety of methods that can be used to attack the cloud for an even wider variety of reasons, most hosts have methods of counteracting these attacks in addition to the personal security methods in place on the users’ end. Most of a users’ security methods should be used regardless of whether the data they are access is on the cloud or in their home office. As ever-present as cloud computing is it is expected that some concern about the security of such a venture be present. But the companies involved in hosting the cloud have methods of their own security and, if they want to maintain their clientele, a desire to keep their users’ data safe. Additionally, the organization of the cloud provides another layer of protection by storing data

way from its users. All this accompanied with users’ own personal security measures make cloud computing as safe to use as storing data on location. Users should feel secure in their usage of the cloud, it’s as secure as they make it! Sources: AHCMEDI A.( 2019) .Mi c r osof tBr eachRe veal sRi s kFr om Cl oudBas edDat aSt or age:Hospi t alAc ces s Management ,38( 6) ,N. PAG. BHADAURI A,R. ,CHAKI ,R. ,CHAKI ,N. ,&SANYAL,S.( 2014) .Secur i t yI ss uesi nCl oudComput i ng.Ac t a T echni c aCor v i ni nesi s-Bul l et i nofEngi neer i ng,7( 4) ,159–177. BRUMĂ,L.M.( 2020) .Dat aSecur i t yMet hodsi nCl oudComput i ng.I nf or mat i c aEconomi ca,24( 1) ,48–60. ht t ps: / / doi . or g/ 10. 24818/ i s sn14531305/ 24. 1. 2020. 05 Dr ew,J .( 2012) .Managi ngCy ber secur i t yRi sk s.Jour nal ofAc count ancy ,214( 2) ,44–48.

Ker ner ,S.M.( 2017,August14) .AmazonI mpr ovesCl oudSecur i t ywi t hMaci eMachi ne t ps: / / www. eweek. com/ cl oud/ amaz onLear ni ngSer vi ce.eWeek,15306283( 8/ 14/ 2017) .ht i mpr ov es c l ouds ec ur i t y wi t hmac i emachi nel ear ni ngs er v i ce Ker ner ,S.M.( 2019) .Googl eBoos t sCl oudSecur i t y ,T r anspar enc yandI dent i t y .EWeek,N. PAG. Sr i ni v as an,S.( 2013) .I sSec ur i t yReal i st i cI nCl oudComput i ng?J our nalofI nt er nat i onalTec hnol ogy& I nf or mat i onManagement ,22( 4) ,47–66. Vi j ay an,J.( 2018) .Googl eDel i ver sBr oadAr r ayofCl oudPl at f or m Sec ur i t yI mpr ov ement s .EWeek,3....