Security in Cloud Computing: An Analysis of Key Drivers and Constraints

In the emerging computing paradigm known as cloud computing, there are significant issues that need to be addressed in order for cloud computing to be adopted as universally as the Internet. Among these issues, the societal and technological issues around security for cloud computing are some of the most important and will act as both drivers and constraints for mass adoption of cloud computing. The goal of cloud computing is to share data and services transparently among users of a massive grid referred to generically as “the cloud.” The promise of the cloud is in achieving significant cost savings and information technology agility. This paper examines some of the more important key drivers and constraints for secure cloud computing from a societal and technological perspective. The societal issues addressed involved trust, privacy, and user behavior and how security affects these factors. The technological issues include scalability, reliability, encryption, data rights, and transparency. Transparency is a constraint for cloud computing today, and a case can be made that this is one of the most important issues needing resolution before corporations will move their computing infrastructure to the cloud.