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Analysis of Cloud Computing

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Added on  2020-03-16

Analysis of Cloud Computing

   Added on 2020-03-16

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IntroductionThe National Youth Mental Health Foundation intends to adopt a cloud-based solution fordeploying their main health management system: “My healthy record system”. Cloud computingrefers to the delivery of computing resources ‘as-a-service’, instead of the convectional deliver –as-a-product. Adoption of a cloud based solution may involve developing the system anddeploying it on the servers of a cloud services provider - instead of investing in the hardwarerequired to run the application. Alternatively, the company may adopt an already existing systemthat is provided through cloud access. In both cases, issues of data security, data ownership,system security and risks have to be investigated to ascertain the feasibility and viability of themove. For this project, the company intends to adopt a cloud based solution, which is an off-the-shelf solution that is cloud based. This paper presents an analysis of cloud computing in relation to “My healthy record systemproject. The paper outlines the Non-Functional Requirements of the system, a review of cloudbased solutions such as the advantages, disadvantages and security risks associated with thecloud, as well as legislative constraints that the project may encounter. The paper then presentsan analysis of the SDLC approach to be used, focusing on either using a Predictive or Adaptivemethodology.Non-Functional RequirementsNon-functional requirements refer to measures that can be used in judging the operations of asystem. These can be thought of as software quality attributes and are summarized as FURPS(Valacich, George and Hoffer, 2015). FURPS non-functional requirements include;Usability,Reliability,Performance andSecurity.The main usability aspect of the system is the user interface, since non-technical customers willbe accessing the system. The system therefore requires an easy to use user interface. The systemrequires simple and straightforward user interfaces, so that even a novice computer user caneasily use the system. Reliability is a measure of the systems ability to consistently perform functions as its designerintended (Valacich, George and Hoffer, 2015). For this project, the realiability aspect will relateto the ability to manage patients, schedule appointments, and other functions of the system.
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With regards to performance, the requirement is that the system should have optimal perfomanceand should have the ability to accomplish tasks efficiently and consistently (Valacich, Georgeand Hoffer, 2015). For a cloud based solution, end users must be able to access the system, andperform tasks without any unnecessay delays and errors. Finally, the security aspect of the system will require that the system be secured to preventpossible data breaches through hacking. The solution should provide means of securing data intransit, through the implemetation of security measures such as data encryption. A second aspectof system security is the protection of stored credentials. The credentials need to be protected toprevent malicious access resulting from unauthorized disclosure. Comparison of functional and non-functional requirementsWhereas the functional requirements of the system require that the system handle user login, thenon-functional requirement requires that proper user authentication be done, to prevent maliciousaccess. This includes preventing access to the system by users who may not have changed theirpasswords for a long time. Secondly, the functional requirements require that the system provide functions to add patientsand update patient details. For this, the non-functional requirement is that the system providesadequate security to the patient's details. This includes securing access to the information when itis being transmitted over the internet, and when stored in a cloud database.Reviewof cloud based.With cloud computing, sensitive health record data will be stored on a third party system.Although cloud computing brings numerous advantages such as access to superior computingpower, scalability, cost saving and accessibility, the technology introduces a myriad of privacyand security risks that have to be analyzed and understood before adopting the technology (Krutzand Vines, 2013).. Advantages of cloud computingScalability: the nature of cloud computing is that it allows one to scale computingresources according to demand. For this case, an increase in data will demand for more
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storage space which will automatically be provided on the cloud. This applies to othercomputing resources such as bandwidth and processing power (Krutz and Vines, 2013).Cost saving: with cloud computing, the organization will not have to spend on thehardware and software required in deploying the system. This results in significant savingin upfront expenditure. With cloud computing, billing is only done for resourcesconsumed, meaning that the company will only pay for spent storage space andconsumed computing resources (Krutz and Vines, 2013). Backup and recovery: the cloud platform provides advanced backup and recoverysolutions which includes on offsite backup and provides means of automaticallyswitching to a different server should access to the primary server be interrupted, henceensuring maximum uptime (Krutz and Vines, 2013). Quick Deployment: with cloud computing, the company can adopt a system or deployone within a very short time as no delays are experienced in purchasing and setting upthe required server infrastructure (Krutz and Vines, 2013).Reliability: Cloud service providers invest heavily in hiring qualified experts andresources to ensure maximum system availability. DisadvantagesA number of disadvantages exist relating to cloud computing adoption. Cloud computing inheritsthe traditional information systems risks. Additionally, cloud services are accessible through theinternet, and the multi-tenancy nature of the cloud makes it particularly susceptible to attacks(Krutz and Vines, 2013). Some of the disadvantages include;Downtime: outages can happen even on the most sophisticated platform. An outage of serviceswould be very detrimental to the organization as this would completely halt the operations of thehealth services provider. For example in the year 2013, DropBox had a system outage that lastedfor almost two days (Talbot, 2013). The fact that access to cloud computing is through theinternet means that, if internet access to the facility is interrupted, then access to the services willalso be interruptedSecurity and privacy: one of the major concern with cloud computing is the issue ofsecurity and privacy of data. This is a major consideration for this project since the
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