Melbourne Polytechnic: Cloud Computing in Business - Report Analysis

This report delves into the significance of cloud computing within a business context, as required for a Foundations of Information Technology assignment. It begins with a comprehensive overview of cloud computing, defining its core principles and functionalities. The report then explores the evolution and diverse applications of cloud computing, emphasizing its role in modern business operations. Key benefits of cloud computing, such as cost reduction, scalability, and enhanced data security, are examined in detail. Conversely, the report addresses critical issues related to cloud computing, including security concerns, cost management challenges, and governance complexities. A case study of cloud computing's implementation in an industry, specifically Amazon Web Services (AWS), is presented to illustrate its practical application. The report concludes with actionable recommendations for businesses considering cloud adoption, focusing on risk mitigation, data management, and service provider selection, aiming to optimize the benefits of cloud computing while minimizing potential drawbacks.

Running head: Foundations of Information Technology
Foundations of Information Technology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1Foundations of Information Technology
Table of Contents
About cloud computing...................................................................................................................2
Evolution and application of cloud computing................................................................................3
Key benefits offered with application of cloud computing.............................................................4
Issues regarding cloud computing...................................................................................................5
Cloud computing in an industry......................................................................................................6
Recommendations............................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................9

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About cloud computing
Cloud computing is referred to as the on demand availability of computer system
resources that mainly aims at storing the data and computing power. Cloud computing mainly
relies on sharing the resources for purpose of achieving the coherence and economies of scale.
The largest public cloud that is being developed is Amazon AWS. The main features offered by
cloud computing is that it provides better agility towards the organization so that the functioning
can be improved. Cloud computing also offers a great flexibility towards the organization and
ensures a better development towards the technology maintained. The cloud providers also
ensure better cost reduction within the organization. In addition to this cloud computing one of
ICT inventions that allows users to access system from any device and location (Rittinghouse &
Ransome, 2017). The application provided with cloud computing is much easier and ensures a
better maintenance so that the user does not feel it difficult to maintain. Each task and activity
going on within the cloud infrastructure is monitored by IT experts that are being developed
using system interface. The annual productivity of the organization tends to increase with the
implementation of cloud computing. This also ensures multiple users to work on same data.
Cloud computing offers a great reliability towards the data stored and ensures a better business
continuity plan along with easy disaster recovery strategy. The data gets backed up into the cloud
storage that can be accessed at any time by the users. Cloud computing ensures a better security
towards the centralized data and increases better security towards the resources stored within the
organization. The main reason behind having a cloud computing technology is that it offers on
demand self services along with a broad range off network access. The resource pooling also
ensures that multiple customers have the ability to access the data. There is a huge capability of

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the system to enhance their data with great elasticity. The service model that is offered with
cloud computing includes cloud clients that is the first layer that includes web browser, client
and mobile app. SaaS that lies in the application layer. This layer provides software as a service
that includes email, virtual desktop, games and many more. The third layer is the PaaS
architecture that mainly aims at providing a better service as a platform. The last architecture
includes IaaS that offers infrastructure as a service (Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2017). This
architecture helps inn deploying proper technology within the organization. In addition to this
one more benefit that is offered includes pay as you go.
Evolution and application of cloud computing
Cloud computing offers a process that ensure proper accessing of the services that
includes application, storage and servers with the use of internet. This ensures an organization to
store a data for having a better control over the organization. Every kind of data gets stored
within the cloud instead of local hard drives. Cloud computing has its root back from the year
1950 and after that several organization developed the technology in order to have a great
application. The major three types of cloud computing that are offered towards a business
includes software as a services that allows customer to subscribe and access services with the use
of internet, infrastructure as a services offers a huge range of solution so that the organization
can deliver a virtual infrastructure and lastly the platform as a services that ensures better
development of an application (Chang, Kuo & Ramachandran, 2016). Further cloud architecture
is divided into four categories that include public, community, hybrid and private. The public
cloud services offer an easier way to install the architecture and are less expensive. The
architecture is scalable and ensures better scalability towards every organization. The major

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cloud computing application that helps organization to work effectively includes online file
storage, twitter related to applications, spreadsheets, in ecommerce software and for finding a
way on the map.
Key benefits offered with application of cloud computing
The key benefits associated with cloud computing includes effective way of managing
the costs associated with the implementation of infrastructure. In addition to this cloud also
ensures proper reduction of costs at downtime. Apart from this cloud offers a great data security
along with handling the data. Better baseline is also provided with the use of cloud computing.
With the growing technology it is observed that different companies needs different IT strategies
for enhancing the employees business (Al-Rousan, 2015). This also ensures better scalability
towards the organization and also ensures a better way of managing the risks. Cloud computing
allows better mobility towards the devices and smart phone by ensuring that no one is left out of
loop. Resources stored within the cloud can be easily stored, recovered, retrieved pr processed.
Cloud computing ensures easy disaster recovery for the data stored within the organization.
Cloud based service ensures quick data recovery in all kind of emergency situations. This can be
natural disasters to power outages. Moreover cloud infrastructure also ensures that data are being
prevented from major losses and organization can rely on cloud for storing the data. However
once the data gets uploaded within the cloud it becomes accessible towards all the internet
connection present within that network (Apostu et al., 2013). Better control can be gained over
the vital data maintained by the company. Cloud also enables better visibility towards the data
stored. This also ensures better access over the data. However it is observed that not all
organization aims at migrating to cloud computing and these ads better competitive advantages

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towards the organization that aims at adapting to cloud computing. Apart from all these the data
security also increases along with better mobility. Better flexibility is also offered with the cloud
computing and ensures that it fit with the need of organization. Cloud service also offers a better
competitive advantage by providing innovative technology that are accessible by the users.
Issues regarding cloud computing
With the growing technology it is observed that cloud computing has achieved a great
importance within the organization (Ali, Khan & Vasilakos, 2015). Thus there is certain
drawback that comes along with the implementation of this technology. The major issues faced
are described below:
 Security issues: one of the main concerns of every technology is the security risk that
comes along with the implementation procedures. The security risks that comes along
with implementation of cloud computing is that every organization or devices associated
with one internet connection gets the ability to access data (Almorsy, Grundy & Müller,
2016). This increases the chances of data breaching.
 Cost management: the initial set up offered by cloud is cheaper as compared to
subsequent models. The updates offered by cloud can lead to huge costs. Thus the
organization would require having a new investment for the development of new
hardware (Botta et al., 2016). However it is observed that there are several ways to keep
the data within the organization effectively by keep on checking the cloud costs
frequently.

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 Lack of resources: the major drawback that is being faced with the implementation of
cloud within the companies is that the lack of resources within the organization. This has
started effecting the growth of organization and also effects on rapid advancement.
 Governance: this is important to have an effective IT governance team that will ensure
better support towards the assets related to each organization (Hussein & Khalid, 2016).
The assets needs be developed in such a way that it provides a better business goal along
with better data quality management.
 Compliance: the issue is faced mainly with storing the cloud data at time of moving to
external storage. In order to remove this issue it becomes important to implement proper
data management process so that it does not effect the organization using cloud
architecture.
Cloud computing in an industry
Cloud computing has found great importance in several industries and companies.
Ecommerce websites has implemented cloud computing for performing major functions that
helps in ensuring better working of the site. Amazon web services are basically a subsidiary of
Amazon that aims at providing on demand cloud computing platforms towards every individual.
This offers pay as you go architecture towards individuals, companies and governments. At the
early stage of this architecture it had few disparate tools and services that help in performing the
task. After analyzing the activities it was clarified that Amazon will be performing their retailing
business online and will also manage all the services and storage online (Narula & Jain, 2015).
AWS is basically a secured cloud service platform that aims at providing low database storage,
better options for delivering the content, helps in computing the power and also ensures that

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proper growth if achieved by the organization. However it can be stated that with the use of
AWS it becomes easy to work with web application from the host dynamic websites. This offers
a broad set of global compute, analytics, applications, database, storage and deployment of
services. This helps the organization to move faster with lower IT costs (Singh, Jeong & Park,
2016). The main benefit that is obtained by Amazon with integrating cloud architecture is that it
allows consumers to use services, storage and computational resources in a transparent manner.
Recommendations
After analyzing the benefits that are offered with cloud computing it becomes important
to plan the organization structure in a way that it can avoid potential risks. In order to have a
better cloud computing it is important to manage all the personal and sensitive data so that it
cannot be accessed by anyone. The recommendation that will help in organizing the data in a
proper way includes:
1. Clearly identifying the important process and data that will be performed by cloud. This will
help in distinguishing between the important data and business application that are going to take
place.
2. Defining the requirements associated with legal security and technical aspects. This will help
in developing a better standard for protecting the data stored within the organization. The legal
constraints include defining the location of data, guaranteeing about the security and configuring
proper regulation. On the other hand practical constraints aim at describing the availability,
portability and reliability that is offered with the implementation of cloud computing
architecture.

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3. This is important to carry out an effective risk analysis method so that it can identify the major
risks associated with the organization.
4. Before migrating to the cloud architecture it becomes important for the organization to choose
a suitable cloud architecture that will provide better benefits towards the organization.
5. before migration one more important factor that is needed to be focused on choosing the
effective service provider. With the growing technology the service provider has also increased
widely. This leads to choosing an efficient service provider for updates and better control over
data. Effective service provider will ensure appropriate measures to store data that will be
protected from unauthorized persons. The organization should focus on determining proper
service provider having legal qualification and second comes assessing the protection level
provided by service provider.

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References
Ali, M., Khan, S. U., & Vasilakos, A. V. (2015). Security in cloud computing: Opportunities and
challenges. Information sciences, 305, 357-383.
Almorsy, M., Grundy, J., & Müller, I. (2016). An analysis of the cloud computing security
problem. arXiv preprint arXiv:1609.01107.
Al-Rousan, T. (2015). Cloud computing for global software development: Opportunities and
challenges. International Journal of Cloud Applications and Computing (IJCAC), 5(1),
58-68.
Apostu, A., Puican, F., Ularu, G., Suciu, G., & Todoran, G. (2013). Study on advantages and
disadvantages of Cloud Computing–the advantages of Telemetry Applications in the
Cloud. Recent Advances in Applied Computer Science and Digital Services, 2103.
Botta, A., De Donato, W., Persico, V., & Pescapé, A. (2016). Integration of cloud computing and
internet of things: a survey. Future generation computer systems, 56, 684-700.
Chang, V., Kuo, Y. H., & Ramachandran, M. (2016). Cloud computing adoption framework: A
security framework for business clouds. Future Generation Computer Systems, 57, 24-41.
Hussein, N. H., & Khalid, A. (2016). A survey of cloud computing security challenges and
solutions. International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, 14(1),
52.

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Narula, S., & Jain, A. (2015, February). Cloud computing security: Amazon web service.
In 2015 Fifth International Conference on Advanced Computing & Communication
Technologies (pp. 501-505). IEEE.
Newcombe, C., Rath, T., Zhang, F., Munteanu, B., Brooker, M., & Deardeuff, M. (2015). How
Amazon web services uses formal methods. Communications of the ACM, 58(4), 66-73.
Rao, R. V., & Selvamani, K. (2015). Data security challenges and its solutions in cloud
computing. Procedia Computer Science, 48, 204-209.
Rittinghouse, J. W., & Ransome, J. F. (2017). Cloud computing: implementation, management,
and security. CRC press.
Singh, S., Jeong, Y. S., & Park, J. H. (2016). A survey on cloud computing security: Issues,
threats, and solutions. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 75, 200-222.