Question

Topic: Cloud computing in UAE

1. Introduction of cloud computing (100 words)

2. Benefits of cloud computing (200 words)

3. Challenges of cloud computing (200 words)

4. What are the risks/ Issues? (200 words)

5. Security Issues in cloud computing (200 words)

6. Conclusion (100 words)

.

Note: Plagiarism is strictly Prohibited please do not copy from internet

Answer 1

Introduction

Cloud computing is broadly used to denote the system where huge amount of data of an organisation can be kept in remote servers accessed through the internet. The data can be accessed from any location, provided one has internet connection. There are a number of established global cloud service providers as well as local ones operating in different countries. Your email account is the simplest example of cloud computing. If you have access to cloud operator's drives, you can store data such as mails, documents, videos, pictures etc in that and retrieve it from any location. Some operators also give services like database management, computing facilities etc on a “pay as you use” basis. This is much cheaper for a small business or an individual as compared to buying a full scale software.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

There are a number of benefits associated with cloud computing. One, you do not need to store and safeguard a large amount of data on your own. The cloud service provider ensures that the data stored on the remote server / remote data bank is safeguarded from theft, fire etc. Typically, these professional service providers will also keep a back-up in another location to take care of such risks.   Secondly, one does not have to buy expensive application softwares. These are typically available on cloud for small and medium businesses and charged based on the usage. Thus you can have a project management software or an accounting software available at much cheaper rates than if you buy an individual licence for your self. A third advantage is that the data can be accessed from anywhere as long as you have a good internet connection. Thus one can work from office, from home or from a client’s location on the same database without having to worry whether it is the latest saved version or not.

Challenges

We have discussed some of the benefits in the previous paragraph. But these come along with challenges. Since the data is stored on someone else’s server, there is always the risk of data theft. Also, being accessible on the internet, the data is susceptible to hacking by a third party. Another challenge is that data can only be accessed if the internet speeds are above an acceptable limit. Also, if the internet service provider is on a maintenance downtime, you will not be able to work on your data.    Another major challenge is the cost involved. In case you are using a lot of data and using a large amount of computing services, it may cost more to be on cloud than to work on your own dedicated server. This factor plays a major role in deciding on the usage of cloud computing.

Risks/ Issues

Some of the Risks have already been discussed in the previous para. The risks of data loss, data theft and inaccessibility due to internet outage have been explained above. There are other issues. For example if the software provider makes an accounting software that you use. You may not be able to customise it your specific requirement. This is a major issue for a number of organisations.

Security Issues

Security issue is one of the major risks associated with cloud computing. Since the data is stored in a remote server, whose location even you are not aware of, there may be a danger of data theft. It can be either stolen from the remote or through the internet by master hackers. In order to provide security to access the data, the cloud computing service provider will allot you a user name (as per your choice) and you can set your own password. Typically, a good provider uses encryption technology to provide better security against hacking. However, as we know, there is no fool-proof safe-guard against hacking.

Conclusion

As discussed in the preceding paragraphs, cloud computing is a generic term for the process of storing, retrieving and analysing data on a remote server accessed through the internet. The cloud service provider owns the remote server and charges you based on usage. Benefits include professional storage and maintenance of data as well as cost advantage especially for small businesses. Ability to access the database from anywhere through internet is another major benefit. However, there are challenges and risks related to data loss and data theft. Security issue are partly taken care of by encrypting access codes. Overall we can conclude that the benefits generally outweigh the risks and challenges. Hence, this method of storing data is here to stay.