MUHAMMAD WAHAB KHAN

CLOUD COMPUTING ASSIGNMENT

Q. What is cloud computing?
A. Cloud Computing is the use of hardware and software
to deliver a service over a network (typically the
Internet). The term is generally used to describe data
centers available to many users over the Internet. An
example of a Cloud Computing provider is Google's
Gmail. Gmail users can access files and applications
hosted by Google via the internet from any device.

Q. Why do we need cloud?

A. Cloud Computing is a technology uses the internet and
central remote servers to maintain data and applications.
Cloud computing allows consumers and businesses to
use applications without installation and access their
personal files at any computer with internet access.
Cloud computing offers businesses with scalable
computing resources hence saving them on the cost of
acquiring and maintaining them.
Q. Benefits we get by using cloud?
➢ Reduced IT costs. Moving to cloud computing may
reduce the cost of managing and maintaining your IT
systems.
➢ Scalability.
➢ Business continuity.
➢ Collaboration efficiency.
➢ Flexibility of work practices.
➢ Access to automatic updates.

Q. Top cloud service providers?

➢ Microsoft.

➢ Amazon Web Service.

➢ Salesforce.com.

➢ IBM.

➢ Google.

➢ SAP.

➢ Oracle.

➢ Workday.
Q. Please define in detail cloud computing stacks/cloud
service models with examples and scenarios?
A. Definition: Cloud stack is an open source infrastructure
platform as a service (IaaS) that allows IT service
providers to offer public cloud services. Cloud stack can
also be used by companies that want to provide their
own private cloud and hybrid cloud services on the
premises. Cloud stack includes a computer function that
assigns virtual machines (VMs) to individual servers, a
network function that manages switches to create and
manage logical networks, object and block storage
systems, an image management function and an
administration interface. Cloud computing that supports
all components of the software stack.
Common cloud service models:
➢ SaaS. SaaS, or software as a service, is a cloud service
that revolves around, you guessed it, software.
➢ PaaS. PaaS, or platform as a service, is a cloud-based
service that provides users with computing
platforms.
➢ IaaS. IaaS, or infrastructure as a service, is essentially
cloud-based computers and resources.
Common Examples of SaaS, PaaS, & IaaS:

Google Apps, Dropbox, Salesforce, Cisco

SaaS WebEx, Concur, GoToMeeting

AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows Azure,

Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine,
PaaS Apache Stratos, OpenShift

Digital Ocean, Linode, Rackspace, Amazon

Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod,
Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine
IaaS (GCE

When to Use SaaS:

SaaS may be the most beneficial option in several
situations, including:

• Startups or small companies that need to launch

ecommerce quickly and don’t have time for server
issues or software.
• Short-term projects that require quick, easy, and
affordable collaboration.
• Applications that aren’t needed too often, such as tax
software.
When to Use PaaS:
Utilizing PaaS is beneficial, sometimes even necessary, in
several situations. For example, PaaS can streamline
workflows when multiple developers are working on the
same development project. If other vendors must be
included, PaaS can provide great speed and flexibility to
the entire process. PaaS is particularly beneficial if you
need to create customized applications. This cloud
service also can greatly reduce costs and it can simplify
some challenges that come up if you are rapidly
developing or deploying an app.

When to Use IaaS:

Startups and small companies may prefer IaaS to avoid
spending time and money on purchasing and creating
hardware and software. Larger companies may prefer to
retain complete control over their applications and
infrastructure, but they want to purchase only what they
actually consume or need. Companies experiencing rapid
growth like the scalability of IaaS, and they can change
out specific hardware and software easily as their needs
evolve. Anytime you are unsure of a new application’s
demands, IaaS offers plenty of flexibility and scalability.
Q. Discuss in detail cloud computing security issues and
challenges of each model?
A. To know cloud is to love cloud, but enterprises should
also be mindful of the security issues that cloud
computing can potentially pose. Below you will find an
overview of the key security challenges faced by cloud
computing adopters.

➢ Lack of Visibility and Control.

➢ Data Breaches and Downtime.

➢ Vendor Lock-In.

➢ Compliance Complexity.

➢ A Lack of Transparency.

➢ Insecure Interfaces and APIs.

➢ Insufficient Due Diligence.

➢ Shared Technology Vulnerabilities.

Challenges of each model:
➢ SaaS:
Large volumes of data may have to be exchanged to
the backend data centers of SaaS apps in order to
perform the necessary software functionality.
Transferring sensitive business information to public-
cloud based SaaS service may result in compromised
security and compliance in addition to significant
cost for migrating large data workloads.
➢ PaaS:
Organizations can run their own apps and services
using PaaS solutions, but the data residing in third-
party, vendor-controlled cloud servers poses security
risks and concerns. Your security options may be
limited as customers may not be able to deploy
services with specific hosting policies.
➢ IaaS:
While the customer is in control of the apps, data,
middleware, and the OS platform, security threats
can still be sourced from the host or other virtual
machines (VMs). Insider threat or system
vulnerabilities may expose data communication
between the host infrastructure and VMs to
unauthorized entities.