Free Essay. Introduction to Cloud Service Models

The mention of the word "cloud" leaves many people in a mix-up mystification. The word "cloud computing" was brought about by the cloud symbol that was normally used to represent the internet in network diagrams and flowcharts. Cloud computing basically involves anything that is delivered over the internet as a hosted service(s). However, these service models are characterized into various portions namely; Software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service. Cloud computing permits one to establish a virtual workplace that would enhance easy connections and access to the company's data in any geographical location. This has been prompted by the rapid growth of devices that are web-enabled used in the modern era that have made access to data easy and efficient. Cloud computing has led to the reduction of maintenance costs since both the energy consumption costs and the cost of system upgrades have been low. Nevertheless, there are various risks likely to be experienced once an organization opts to adopt the cloud computing system. A company is likely to experience issues of compatibility with the infrastructure in place or with the security policies and requirements. Moreover, there is always the risk that the cloud service provider may be unable to guarantee and provide quality services at all times as required by the organization. Furthermore, loss of intellectual property is also experienced once there is a breach of cloud service that may allow hackers gain illegal access to crucial and sensitive information.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

In cloud computing, the trust of the entire system usually depends on the techniques used for data protection in it. Multiple tools and techniques have been established to help curb this menace but still there are co-existing loopholes that need to be addressed to ensure maximum security is attained. Precisely security offers a combination of confidentiality, integrity and availability. Once the company's data are accessed and distributed widely, the policy of confidentiality is breached hence leaving the company in a susceptible position since potential competitors are able to use the crucial information gained to provide stiff competition to the company. The information attained may be used for blackmail, identity theft and fraud too. Moreover, data integrity is essential and needs to be looked into since once the company's data is tampered with, it potentially leads to some level of collapse for the company. Data manipulation may lead to crucial employee information being lost and loss of revenue since company's funds may be directed to other bank accounts.

Advantages and disadvantages of different cloud computing service models.

As stated earlier, there are three different service models, Infrastructure as a service. In this is a model organization use platforms and applications of their own in a service vendor setup due to the access provided to them by the vendor to computing resources. The main advantages of this model are that it requires no hardware costs, the level of flexibility is high due to the simple scalability and it is easier to connect various company locations to the leased or the rented IaaS environment. Nevertheless, this model has its cons too. They include sole dependency on the provider and the potential privacy issues prompted by the different server locations

Platform as a service (PaaS). This service model provides clients with an environment in cloud whereby they create various applications, monitor them and lastly supply them to their intended clients. The main advantages of this model are that; it is faster and reliable since no purchasing and management of infrastructure is required and there is appropriate performance scalability. The disadvantage with this type of model is that clients have no control over the infrastructure since they cannot control certain features.

Software as a service (SaaS). In this type of model users are granted some access to an application which is cloud-based that is leased by a vendor. Local devices are not installed with applications since they run on a cloud system remotely, that is readily accessible through an application programming interface or a web interface. Software as a service is essential since it involves a quick set up and deployment, fast and easy upgrades and quite low upfront costs. Its main disadvantages are that; clients have a limited range of applications and data security concerns that may lead to performance failure.

Recommendations for each system.

System 1- HR System.

For a human resource system, I would take into consideration the software as a service model. This is because it offers a higher platform for niche services that address specific needs for programs or projects. The applications are basically abstracted and can run the gamut from human resources, email and tools of collaboration whatsoever.

Software as a service storage is accessible through a web-based user interface or an application programming interface. Data is transmitted through a proxy of encryption to the application. The company can also integrate software as a service application with other software using application programming interfaces. Hence it can develop its own customized software tools and use the application programming interface offered by the software as a service to integrate those tools.

System 2- Customer records.

Unlike the first system, I would choose infrastructure as a service model since it allows companies to efficiently move essential IT functions to the cloud. These functions may include storage and databases. This system has various tasks, some of which are in real-time motive hence the need for an IaaS. This model will give the company enough capacity to scale up or down to meet their mission needs.

Would SECaaS be applicable?

Due to the inadequate security expertise in many organizations, stakeholders have quickly apprehended that creation of custom solutions is a slow process, and expensive too. They have now come to the realization that managed security service providers have the superlative way for data maintenance and, protection.

Precisely SECaaS is an outsourced service of handling and managing your security which is done by an outside company. This service encompasses security software that is delivered on the cloud by a provider and in-house security management that is also offered by a third party.

With a managed cloud SECaaS, a company has the indulgence of investing in the best from a perspective of security. Moreover, these security as a service provider often deploy new and secure technology speedily.

In this company, the security as a service would be applicable. This is because it would solve the menace of intrusion management, disaster recovery and business continuity amongst others

References

Brook, Chris (2018, December 5) What is Security as a Service? A Definition of SECaaS, Benefits, Examples, and More. Retrieved from https://digitalguardian.com/blog/what-security-service-definition-secaas-benefits-examples-and-more

Coles, Cameron (2015, June 23) 9 Cloud Computing Security Risks Every Company Faces. Retrieved from https://www.skyhighnetworks.com/cloud-security-blog/9-cloud-computing-security-risks-every-company-faces/

Saratchandran, Vinod (2018, August 07) Cloud Service Models SaaS, IaaS, PaaS - Choose the Right One for Your Business. Retrieved from https://www.fingent.com/blog/cloud-service-models-saas-iaas-paas-choose-the-right-one-for-your-business

Wexler, Steve (2017, Jan 17) Networked for transformation. Retrieved from https://www.cio.com/article/3156291/why-security-as-a-service-is-poised-to-take-off.htm