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EXAMINING THE IMPLICATIONS AND CHALLENGES IN CLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Abstract Commercial enterprises are increasingly utilizing cloud computing as a solution to fluctuating capacity challenges. Cloud computing offers the possibility of on-demand capacity, allowing commercial enterprises to “tweak” their network infrastructure based on increased or decreased demand. Pay-per-use of cloud computing allows not only tremendous cost advantage; it also provides complete flexibility for launching or testing new products or services. Benefits, such as greater utilization efficiencies and worldwide accessibility of data and applications, are sometimes offset by “perceived” loss of control of personal data. Commercial entities such as, IBM, Google and Microsoft are already utilizing cloud computing. These companies, along with many others, face multitudes of challenges at the critical junction of hosted infrastructure and the cloud. Some of these challenges include, but not limited to, resource allocation, usage of virtual machines and bandwidth requirements. Along with these challenges, one of the largest challenges is of the legal status and jurisdiction. Recent legal precedents could provide potentially devastating outcomes for companies looking to adopt cloud computing as part of their network infrastructure. These legal precedents create difficult propositions for corporations from security and compliance audit standpoints. This paper explores various implications in regards to, infrastructure, data security and privacy. The paper also explores how various laws and government directives around the globe affect the relatively new concept of cloud computing. The paper also explores inclusion of cloud computing studies to existing computer networking coursework.

What is Cloud Computing? Almost 30 years ago, computer manufactures were working to develop a computer that would no longer rely on another system to produce an output. As a result, thick clients were developed to work independently of centralized computer systems. Clients have since grown to be vastly independent, but with the popularity of the internet, we have grown to appreciate the centralization of data and resources. Cloud computing refers to the word ‘cloud’ as the internet. Cloud computing is a style of computing in which we use the internet to access resources and applications to enhance the usability of computing systems. The idea of cloud computing incorporates multi-computing systems and services that offer an infrastructure that reduces the power needed to run client software independently. Cloud Computing and its services hide the complexity of the application and resource management by centralizing the application and taking the workload off the client. Cloud computing can be loosely defined as, an environment where any type of IT resource may be provided as a resource. Like a commercial utility company, these IT resources are shared among thousands of users and thus

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Patel, N., & Marshall, B. (2009, June), Examining The Implications And Challenges In Cloud Computing Environments: An Exploratory Study Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--5563