The History Of Cloud Computing Information Technology Essay

The History Of Cloud Computing Information Technology Essay Cloud Computing are data and applications that are accessible through servers around the world (Clouds), and it can be reached at any time, from any device without installing that specific application to your computer. Data management within cloud involves extreme parallelization and distribution of data. Its goals are to provide quickness in which applications are deployed, increase the technology, and lower costs, all while increasing business agility.   The different types of services including IaaS, PaaS, SaaS have been projected for cloud computing. But, consumers want effective and efficient security for their virtual machines. There is some cloud providers that offer security-as-a-service based on VM introspection that promise the best of both worlds: efficient centralization and effective protection. Since customers can move data and apps from one cloud to another, an effective solution requires learning what providers to work with and what they secure. This report will provide detailed understanding of cloud computing and its major security issues. This will include the history of Cloud Computing, the models, its characteristics, deployment models, applications, advantages and disadvantages, security issues and other concerns. Key Words Access Control Cloud Computing Cloud Security Delivery Models Deployment Models SPI This Report is organized the following: Chapter 1: Introductions Chapter 2: Defining Cloud Computing Chapter 3: Cloud Security Chapter 4: Conclusion/Future Research Introduction Clouds is a metaphor for the Internet, the term Cloud Computing for computation over the Internet. It allows users to access resources database and Internet applications from anywhere as long as needed without worrying about maintenance or management of real resources. In addition, the databases in the cloud are very dynamic and evolving. Cloud Computing is unlike grid computing, utility computing, or autonomic computing. In fact, it is a very independent platform in terms of computing. The best example of cloud computing if Google Apps where any application can be accessed using a browser and it can be deployed on thousands of computer through the internet. Most of the data is stored on local networks with servers that may be clustered and sharing storage. This approach has had time to be developed into stable architecture, and provide decent redundancy when deployed right. Pinal Dave. Introduction to Cloud Computing Published 10 Apr 2009 This new technology, cloud computing, requires the attention and it changes rapidly the direction of the technology. Whether it is Googles file system or Microsoft Azure, it is clear that cloud computing has arrived with much to learn. In dealing with the abstract concept of the cloud, it is easy to misunderstand the structure and function. Defining Cloud Computing What is Cloud Computing? Cloud computing is a type of computation over the Internet. It shares resources instead of using a software or hardware on a physical computer. Cloud computing can be software and infrastructure. And, it can improve collaboration, mobility, size and availability features. It also improves cost reduction by offering a centralized platform for use when needed, and the reduction of energy consumption. Unlike grid computing, cloud computing can be hosted externally, but also internally, especially for companies who have businesses around the world. Consumers will no longer have to download and install memory-hogging applications and software on their device and will instead have access to everything they need via the browser. With this model, most of the computing software will be rented on an as-needed basis rather than being bought as an expensive one-off purchase. what is cloud computing and how to use it. February 11, 2010 . There are many definitions that try to answer the clouds of todays point of view of developers, researchers, administrators, engineers and consumers. This report focuses on a definition that is specifically tailored to the unique perspectives of IT network and security professionals. 2.2. History of Cloud Computing Originally, Cloud Computing was an unclear term for a vague and distant future in which computing would occur in a few remote locations without the need for very much human intervention. Infinite computing resources would be available for every need at prices approaching zero. Certainly, users would not care about how the computers, their software, or the network functioned. The idea of an intergalactic computer network was introduced in the 60s by J.C.R. Licklider, who was responsible for enabling the development of ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) in 1969. His vision was for everyone on the globe to be interconnected and accessing programs and data at any site, from anywhere, explained Margaret Lewis, product marketing director at AMD. It is a vision that sounds a lot like what we are calling cloud computing. History of cloud computing Computer Weekly (2009). Computer scientist John McCarthy, who attributed the cloud concept, proposed the idea of computation being delivered as a public utility, similar to the service bureaus which date back to the 60s. Since the 60s, cloud computing has developed along a number of lines, with Web 2.0 being the most recent evolution. However, since the internet only started to offer significant bandwidth in the 90s, cloud computing for the masses has been something of a late developer. In the past, the computers were connected from a larger computer. It was a common technique in industry. The technique enabled you to configure the computer to talk to each other with specially designed protocols to balance the computational load across machines. As a user you didnt care about what CPU was running the program, and cluster management software ensured that the best CPU at that time was used to execute the code. In the early 1990s Ian Foster and Carl Kesselman came up with a new concept of The Grid. The analogy used was of the electricity grid where users could plug into the grid and use a metered utility service. If companies dont have their own powers stations, but rather access a third party electricity supply, why cant the same apply to computing resources? Plug into a grid of computers and pay for what you use. Cloud Expo: Article A Brief History of Cloud Computing: Is the Cloud There Yet? Paul Wallis August 22, 2008 One of the first milestones for cloud computing was the arrival of Salesforce.com in 1999, which pioneered the concept of delivering enterprise applications via a simple website. The services firm paved the way for both specialist and mainstream software firms to deliver applications over the internet. The next development was Amazon Web Services in 2002, which provided a suite of cloud-based services including storage, computation and even human intelligence through the Amazon Mechanical Turk. Then in 2006, Amazon launched its Elastic Compute cloud (EC2) as a commercial web service that allows small companies and individuals to rent computers on which to run their own computer applications. Amazon EC2/S3 was the first widely accessible cloud computing infrastructure service, said Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Brightcove, which provides its SaaS online video platform to UK TV stations and newspapers. A history of cloud computing Arif  Mohamed   Friday 27 March 2009 Another big milestone came in 2009, as Web 2.0 hit its stride, and Google and others started to offer browser-based enterprise applications, though services such as Google Apps. Today, many companies are setting up data centers, sometimes as an extension of their own needs, sometimes only to serve customers. Originally, the idea of these clouds was to provide power and storage capacity. Everything else will be taken up by the customer. Now providers offer many services depending on the consumer needs. Source: http://www.fuzeboxinc.com/Extras/Blog/ 2.3. SPI for Cloud Computing SPI. This abbreviation stands for the three major services in the cloud. Software-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service, and Infrastructure-as-a-Service. Source: http://texdexter.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/figure-1-cloud-computing-architecture.jpg 2.4. Delivery Models Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)- Instead of wasting money on servers, software, hardware, racks..etc. the provider would resource the service. This will be on demand computing and whatever the amount is consumed that what the consumer will be charged. This service can be hosted or via VPS(virtual private servers) Major Infrastructure Vendors Below are companies that provide infrastructure services: Google (GOOG) Managed hosting, development environment International Business Machines (IBM) Managed hosting SAVVIS (SVVS) Managed hosting Terremark Worldwide (TMRK) Managed hosting Amazon.com (AMZN) Cloud storage Rackspace Hosting (RAX) Managed hosting cloud computing Cloud platform services (PaaS)- delivers a platform or a solution stack as a service. This makes the delivery of applications easier without the cost of hardware or software. Like Salesforce.coms, which lets subscribers access their applications over the cloud. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have also allow the users access their applications from centralized servers. Software as a service (SaaS)- is  software in the cloud. This deployment model is absolutely through the web browser. This eliminates the installation of applications on the consumers computer making it easy to access as simplifying maintenance and support. Characteristic of SaaS: Availability via a web browser on demand availability payment terms based on usage minimal IT demands 2.5. Deployment Models Private cloud- This is used only for organizations. Can be managed by the organization or to third parties and can exist on premise or off premise. Community cloud- This is used by many organizations working together, and is compatible with a particular community, which shared the concerns (eg, mission, security requirements, policy and compliance). It can be managed by organizations or third parties and can exist on premise or off premise. Public cloud- This is owned by cloud providers and is used by a larger organization or the general public. Hybrid cloud- Cloud Infrastructure is composed of two or more clouds (private, community or the public), that remain unique entities, but are caused by a standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and applications. 2.6. Essential Characteristics What is Cloud Computing? On-demand self-service- A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each services provider. Broad network access- Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs). Resource pooling- The providers computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. There is a sense of location independence in that, the customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). This includes storage, processing, memory, network bandwidth, and virtual machines. Rapid elasticity- Capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time. Measured Service- Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service. Source: www.katescomment.com/images/CloudCube.png Cloud Security 3.1. Pros and Cons The main question is whether users are prepared to use the service from your local computer and are moving into the cloud because cloud computing has advantages and disadvantages to all potential users, but may have different meanings for different users. Pros Reduced Cost: Cloud technology is paid incrementally (you pay only for what you need), saving organizations money in the short run. Money saved can be used for other important resources. Increased Storage: Companies can save more data than on servers. Highly Automated: IT staff not needed to keep software up to date as maintenance is the job of the service provider on the cloud. More Mobility: Employees can access information wherever they are. Allows IT to Shift Focus: No longer having to worry about constant server updates and other computing issues, government organizations will be free to concentrate on innovation. Cons Security: standards depending on company and global location Reliance on 3rd Party: Control over own data is lost in the hands of an difficult-to-trust provider Cost of transition: Is it feasible for me to move from the existing architecture of my data center to the architecture of the cloud? Uncertainty of benefits: Are there any long term benefits? Today, customers are looking expand their on-premises infrastructure, but cannot afford the risk of compromising the security of their applications and data. In this survey of IDC, security ranked first as the greatest challenge or issue in cloud computing. Source: IDC Enterprise Panel What is Cloud Security? Security in the cloud, is not different than security control. But, because of the cloud models for contractual services, business models and technologies are used to cloud services, cloud computing different risks of a traditional organization of IT solutions can have. Cloud Computing is to lose control and accountability at the same time, but operational responsibility lies with one or more other parties. Not all services are the same. This depends on the provider you choose. This picture below illustrates the issue in SaaS where the contracts are negotiable; service levels, privacy, and compliance are all issues to be dealt with legally in contracts. In an IaaS, the remainder of the stack is the responsibility of the costumer. PaaS offers a balance in between, where the provider is in charge of securing the platform, but securing the application developed against the platform and developing them securely, both belong to the consumer. Source: http://www.rationalsurvivability.com/blog/wp-content/media/2009/07/CloudRefModel.html The technology has many advantages for employers. It is a simple solution that is cost effective, and can be updated easily and as quickly as the business grows, especially during peak sales. Many entrepreneurs do not do their homework when registering with a provider of cloud, and neglect to ask whether sensitive data can be isolated or not, or what layers of security is available. Cloud Security Top Threats According to CSA (Cloud Security Alliance) The report, titled Top Threats to Cloud Computing V1.0, These are the following threats in cloud computing: Abuse and Nefarious use of Cloud Computing: Attackers can find a way to upload malware to thousands of computers and use the power of the cloud infrastructure to attack other machines.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨ Insecure Application Programming Interfaces: The reuse and combination of existing code to rapidly build applications often sacrifices quality assurance for agility and quick turnaround, resulting in insecure APIs. Malicious Insiders: One that gains in importance as many providers still dont reveal how the hire people, how they grant them access to assets or how they monitor them. Transparency is, in this case, vital to a secure cloud offering, along with compliance reporting and breach notification. Shared Technology Vulnerabilities: Sharing infrastructure is a way of life for IaaS providers. Unfortunately, the components on which this infrastructure is based were not designed for that. To ensure that customers dont thread on each others territory, monitoring and strong compartmentalization is required, not to mention scanning for and patching of vulnerabilities that might jeopardize this coexistence. Data Lose/Leakage: Using security control to protect the inside data in a company. This control is hard to apply to new environment. There is a lack of having the ability to monitor and control what is going on. Accounting, Services and Traffic Hijacking: The cloud is vulnerable to hacking. Like being redirected to malicious sites. Unknown risk profile: The customer are not well informed on where their applications are being reside, nor the configurations of the systems. Access Control in the Cloud In a traditional network, access control focuses on protecting from unauthorized users based on host-based attributes. Which sometimes is inadequate, this can cause inaccurate accounting. In the cloud, the access control works as a cloud firewall policy. This is by using rules using TCP/IP parameters, including the source of IP, the source port, the IP destination and the port destination. Unlike the network-based access control, the access should be strongly focused in the cloud by binding the users identity to the resource in the cloud and will help protect access control, data protection and users accounts. ISO/IEC 27002 has defined six access control objectives that cover end user, privileged user, network, application, and information access control. The objective is to ensure that the authorized user have access the right information and unauthorized users are prevented from accessing the systems. A procedure should take place and should cover all stages in the lifecycle of the user access, staring from the registration of the new user to the final step which is denying the user who will no longer need to access the information in the system. The following are the six control statements: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Control access to information. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Manage user access rights. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Encourage good access practices. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Control access to network services. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Control access to operating systems. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Control access to applications and systems. The reasons for this six control statements from the view of IT security, is providing access to information and applications to authorized users. The objective of this task is to provide the right users the right services, while preventing access to unauthorized users. Conclusion/Future Research 4.1. Conclusion Cloud computing is increasingly popular. Industry leaders like Microsoft, Google and IBM, have been promoting cloud computing and have gain a lot of costumer. But the rest of the public that are still doing research on the topic are still doubting and afraid to migrate to the cloud. There are still many questions left without any answer and the most important one is security. On the other hand, Cloud Computing is the most amazing technology that has happened recently. It is easy to use, cheaper, faster, and convenient. The question is whether the users are ready to move and if so, what providers to move to. Security technology must be developed specifically for the protection of the business in the cloud. The technology has changed and security needs to keep up with it. Future Work According to btsecurethinking.com, Breach Security is working with partners, such as Akamai, to provide web application security in the cloud. Example, when deployed with Akamais Web Application Firewall service, Breachs WebDefend Global Event Manager is the first web application security management solution to defend against global application security threats by enabling customers to make distributed cloud and data center defense-in-depth architectures operational. CSA and HP are still doing research on top threats and intended to alert businesses to current and future cloud computing risks.

A slave’s diary

Day 1 The worst possible has happened I have had my home stricken from me by a white skinned demon and am now delimited to a water bound hell. Each lapping wave from the tempestuous sea that carries us to our unknown destination takes a small part of my resolve in its wake. I am fettered to a long pole and my movements are restricted by a chain which runs through the various binds of my neighbours. Once the white men took one of our number out of this place, although I think that it is not out of any form of kindness as he came back pained the smell of burning flesh following close behind. I sit here next to members of the mugimbi tribe and as such there is not much for conversation; the chafing of my binds burns me just as many a question burns my mind. What is this place? Why are we here? Is this hell? Am I dead? I hope that the answers will come to me before long because I sense that I will not be leaving this place soon. Day 12 I am still locked in this place. It has become difficult to distinguish night from day, to distinguish the smell of decay emitting from the first of our number to pass away, mostly children, and the smell of our own excrement. But it is not the smell that bothers me it is the cacophony of children's screams and women's cries, this is inhuman! These white men must come from hell. It has become unbearable. If I do not leave this place soon then I shall truly lose what little sanity I have been able to rescue from the abominable power of the waves. I have yet to be taken out and burned by the hand of the white demon, it is happening more frequently now, as if they do this to us in order to pass the time. Monsters. Recently I have found a form of salvation. It was so obvious I cannot believe it took me up to this point to realise it. We could call upon the Gods through tribe song. Prayers must not have been heard but when we sing I can feel the power of the Gods flow through me once more . Day 34 I do not believe we will ever leave this place. The white demons must be waiting until we are all dead. Just under a quarter of us have surrendered to eternal sleep ceasing their cries and escaping this nightmare. It must only be a matter of time before I too contribute the putrid atmosphere. It has improved a little though, I truly believe there is an angel amongst the demons, although he too speaks in tongues he seems to have the capacity for mercy, he washed us out and removed the liquid remains of those who had passed on, he even gave me some more food. Perhaps these men are not demonic but simply misguided? Fear has left me now, as if it was flowing through my veins for so long that I no longer had the power to hold it so that it seeped out the pores. Also we have created a worship dance that is possible considering our current restricted movement, the limbo. We sing and clap and try to lower ourselves below the bar that binds us, it is almost symbolic. The white men do not like it when we do this they seem to wish to stop any sort of bonding between us. Perhaps this is to prevent us from overpowering them, however if we are so bound I cannot think of how we could do so unless of course we are one day to be relased! Day 42 I was taken above today. It was the first time I had seen the sky in far too long, my limbs were sore and weakened from the restriction of movement and lack of exercise. I did not realise what they wanted me to do but I think that they were just doing it for their own enjoyment. How one could be so inhuman I do not know, they brought the fury of their tarred leather whip upon me. Slashing at my flesh, removing the skin from my back until I convulsed with pain. They laughed. I did not mind so much that they turn their fury upon me but I cannot accept that they do this to women and children. I was thrown back down into the darkness, bound again onto the pole sitting in a pool of my own blood. Day 43 I feel myself slipping away now, my surroundings fading into insignificance, I accept death. I welcome it. Invite it. Darkness is consuming me, this will me my last entry, thank you for allowing me to collate my thoughts. adieu.

Discuss the role of the fool in “King Lear” Essay

In ‘King Lear’, the Fool is a character of dramatic importance in the play. The Fool helps the reader, and in Shakespeare’s time would help the audience, to understand what lies beneath the surface of certain actions or verses. He equally strives to make Lear ‘see’. The Fool may be a very intriguing character and very often a complicated one but his role is necessary in ‘King Lear’. The Fool plays three major roles; one of these roles is that of an ‘inner-conscience’ of Lear. The Fool provides basic wisdom and reasoning for the King at much needed times. The Fool also works as amusement for Lear in times of sadness; often making Lear laugh at himself! He is one of the only people besides the Duke of Kent and Cordelia who are willing to stand up to the King. Right from the very first appearance we realize that he is a very ironic character and that he makes fun of Kent as well as of the situation. With his sarcastic remarks and phrases he is simply telling Kent, â€Å"..thou must needs wear my coxcomb,† telling him that he is a Fool for; â€Å"†¦taking one’s part that’s out of favour,† because Lear has given everything away and is not worth following. The role of he Fool is to help Lear â€Å"†¦see better†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , making him aware of what his daughters really are and trying to make him understand how wrong his deed of giving them everything was. He acts like Lear’s ‘inner-conscience’ and does this in the best of ways by being a â€Å"†¦bitter fool†¦Ã¢â‚¬  because the truth hurts; â€Å"Thou hadst little wit in thy bald crown when thou gav’st thy golden one away†. (Act 1 Scene 4) He is straight forward and direct, â€Å"†¦I had rather be any kind o’thing than a fool, and yet I would not be thee, nuncle.† (Act 1 Scene 4) The Fool is surely the wisest of the two, â€Å"Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise,† but in his own way he is a fool too, for standing by Lear through this because Lear is, â€Å"†¦an O without a figure†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he is, â€Å"†¦nothing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The directness of his words also foretells what is to happen to Lear. He is always trying to make him see things the way they  are in an extremely wise way, â€Å"†¦but for all this thou shalt have as many dolours for thy daughters†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Act 2 Scene 4) The Fool heightens the image of â€Å"nothing† in ‘King Lear’, taunting the King himself with his hurtful words; this is the wise-ness of the Fool The Fool and Lear share a close relationship in the play, contrary to the many relationships that turn sour. The Fool stays loyal to Lear even through his madness. In Act 3 Scene 2 the Fools role becomes one of a commentator in his soliloquy; he taunts Lear and prophesies on events that will unfold. From this point on the prominence of his role starts to lessen as Lear meets Poor Tom and now gives him most of his attention. He still sticks to his wise sarcasm and joins in Lear’s mock-trial along with Poor Tom in Act 3 Scene 6. This is the last time we see the Fool, were his exit very appropriately portrays the state of affairs of the play at this point â€Å"And I’ll go to bed at noon.† – insinuating that everything is upside down and in chaos. After having read ‘King Lear’, one may notice that the Fool and Cordelia never participate in the same scene; therefore there have been suggestions that Cordelia may have been the Fool in disguise, but there has never been any concrete proof to prove this theory. The name Fool means nothing. He is the most intelligent and insightful character in the play and provides simple and clear reasoning for a King with limited vision. The Fool is loyal to the bitter end and provides the little bits of humour, much needed in this play; he has honesty and integrity that is found in only a few other characters in this play.

Why Dont Young People Read the News

Why are young people not interested in the news? Mark Bauerlein thinks he knows. Bauerlein is an Emory University English professor and author of the book The Dumbest Generation. This provocatively titled tome charts how young people arent interested in reading or learning period, whether its to scan news headlines or to crack open The Canterbury Tales. Statistics Show a Lack of Knowledge Bauerleins argument is borne out by statistics, and the numbers are grim. A Pew Research Center survey found that people age 18-34 are consistently less knowledgeable about current events than their elders. On a current events quiz, young adults averaged 5.9 correct answers out of 12 questions, fewer than the averages for Americans ages 35 to 49 (7.8) and above age 50 (8.4). The survey found that the knowledge gap was widest on foreign affairs. Only about half (52 percent) of those younger than 35 knew that Pakistan and Afghanistan share a border, compared with 71 percent of those ages 35 to 49, and 80 percent of those 50 and older. Distracted by Social Media Bauerlein says young people are in the thrall of Facebook, texting and other digital distractions that keep them from learning about anything more meaningful than, say, who went with whom to the school dance. What do 15-year-olds care about? They care about what all the other 15-year-olds are doing, Bauerlein says. Anything that puts them in touch with one another theyre going to use. Now when little Billy acts up and his parents say go to your room, Billy goes to his room and hes got the laptop, the video game console, everything. Kids can conduct their social life anywhere, he adds. And when it comes to the news, Who cares about some guys over in England jockeying over whos going to run the government there when kids can talk about what happened at the party last weekend? Bauerlein hastens to add that hes not a Luddite. But he says the digital age has changed something fundamental about the family structure, and the result is that young people are less closely under the guidance of adults than ever before. Now they can tune out adult voices all the way through adolescence, he says. This has never happened before in human history. Left unchecked, these developments could result in a new age dark of ignorance, Bauerlein warns, or as a blurb for his book puts it, Sacrificing our future to the least curious and intellectual generation in national history. How to Encourage Interest in the News Change must come from parents and teachers, Bauerlein says. Parents have to learn to be more vigilant, he says. Its amazing how many parents dont even know their kids have a Facebook account. They dont know how intense the media environment is for a 13-year-old. You need to disconnect kids from each other for some critical hours of the day, he adds. You need a critical balance where you are exposing kids to realities that transcend their world. And if that doesnt work, Bauerlein advises trying self-interest. I give speeches to 18-year-old boys who dont read the paper and I say, Youre in college and just met the girl of your dreams. She takes you home to meet her parents. Over the dinner table, her father says something about Ronald Reagan, and you dont know who he was. Guess what? You just went down in their estimation and probably in your girlfriends estimation as well. Is that what you want? Bauerlein tells students that reading the paper gives you more breadth of knowledge. it means you can say something about the First Amendment. It means you know what the Supreme Court  is. I tell them, If you dont read the paper youre less of a citizen. If you dont read a paper youre not a good American. Source Bauerlein, Mark. The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Dont Trust Anyone Under 30). Paperback, First Edition edition, TarcherPerigee, May 14, 2009.