Top 3 challenges in Cloud Computing with recommendations

​Cloud computing allows users to build a virtual platform that facilitates storage, service, and infrastructure over virtual clouds. Additionally, cloud computing increases the efficiency of the end-user and reduces the cost to create physical servers. Such a cloud computing facility has three core issues in implementation over diverse demographics, platforms, and servers:

1. ​​Compliance with regulations 
2. Abuse 
3. Security and privacy 

1. Why do we face compliance issues in Cloud computing? 

Elasticity, scalability, global access, low entry cost and flexible billing, made cloud platform, a sophisticated source of data storage for many users, such a massive demand for cloud storage generates new compliance issues like government regulations, legal amendments, etc. 

Sometimes, government regulations also play a crucial role in compliance issues across cloud systems. Regulations are usually tedious and redundant. So, it is incredibly difficult to understand and compile different methods with each other. 

​Compliance issues and recommendations for cloud computing 

• The complexity of laws and regulations: Regulations are tedious and challenging to read; this creates complexity in understanding and compiling in our systems. Hence, it is easy to represent them in pictorial mode and provide flexible information to the -programmers while designing the architecture for the respective industry. 
• Regulations disparity: Most of the times, the service providers used to face overlapping issues in cloud computing services where regulations such as HIPPA, PCI, SOX and FISMA will compile with the same set of regulations. So, it's better to identify standard regulations and denote them through a citation graph that will condense those problems. 
• Issues with Reference architecture (RA): There are no proper standards about architecture across cloud computing systems. The majority are still using IEEE recommended architecture, and some others go through the Rational Unified Process (RUP). So, we need to advise the companies to go through a standard set of RAs' which will be sophisticated and easy to understand to provide better compliance. 
• Shortage of control and transparency: The data stored in the cloud may hurt different states' laws and regulations. To overcome this, service providers need to provide proper practices to safeguard the confidentiality of the users. 

2. What is abuse in cloud computing? 

The term abuse in cloud computing generally refers to the practice of illegal activities by using cloud resources. Abuse may happen either by the person who is a legitimate cloud service provider or someone who has occupied control of the customer resources. Currently, IaaS is the most abused platform over other online platforms. 

Some of the abusing activities that usually happen to IaaS providers: 

1. Segregation of malware through the cloud servers. 
2. Sending a malicious email to gather sensitive information from the end-user. 
3. Exploiting security vulnerabilities of other network hosts to prevent the detection of inbound
   ​and outbound attacks. 

​Prevention of Abuse in Cloud computing 

Technical measures 

• Implementing Abuse observation tools in existing Intrusion prevention systems (IPS) 
• Filtering network traffic to reduce load stress on platform 
• Logging frequently to identify spams 
  
  

Non-technical measures 

• Accept user policies over the registration
• Financial incentivization for the developers
• Account verification through validation methods ​

3. How security and privacy issues shrunk cloud computing? 

Cloud computing helps in accessing all the digital files like emails, documents, and sensitive information through their servers from an unknown location, creating a path for privacy and security breach across the platform. So, cloud computing users should consider the following issues to overcome security breaches over the platform. 

• Data privacy: ​Since data exists in the virtual servers, it is difficult to monitor data breach and privacy of concerned data continuously. 
  
  
• Secrecy issues: Consumers' sensitive data need not be always maintained by the service provider secretly. There may be a change in violation of agreed policies by service providers. 
  
  
• Infected application: There may be a chance of malicious virus infecting the servers, which will eventually dispose of the sensitive data of the users to the public servers. 
  
  
• Security concerns: The security of the concerned end-user can be improved by monitoring from both ends - Cloud computing service provider and Customer. Failing to practice this will prevail in security issues. 

The 'only' recommendation to safeguard security concerns in cloud computing is to frame the cloud platform into four custom layers: Virtual Network monitor layer, Cloud data layer, Cloud storage layer and Virtual machine layer. 

Conclusion: 

Overall, cloud computing is an industry where a lot of improvements are evolving, eventually leads to certain vernacular issues like compliance, Abuse and Security. And hence, it is more crucial than ever that we take the right measures since the beginning to avoid complications in the future!

To know more about Cloud or to explore Cloud Computing services with H-Town Technologies, visit:  https://www.htown-tech.com/cloud-computing.html