How to Make Cloud Computing Secure ?

How to Make Cloud Computing Secure ? Keep an eye on the provider’s choice ! Here are a few tips to check while you are in need of Secure Cloud Computing. Users can now select from a growing number of cloud computing service offerings from the Internet. Previously we published various articles on Cloud Computing. This is a compiled and comprehensive article on How to Make Cloud Computing Secure.

How to Make Cloud Computing Secure : Know The Basics

The quick answer to the question How to Make Cloud Computing Secure is brief – know the basics of Cloud Computing. We elaborately discussed about Cloud Computing Models before in a separate article, again a brief recapitulation :

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides infrastructure such as virtual servers or storage space.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides execution and development environments.
• Software as a Service (SaaS) offers of a solution as provider, such as an office suite, in which the user will be operating via a web browser. Cloud services are publicly accessible and usually operate over browser.

How to Make Cloud Computing Secure : Theoretical and Practical Aspects

Thanks to the basic characteristics of cloud infrastructure used now – the quick and easy availability of new resources with a good network connection, the use of cloud resources is interesting to start, for example, denial of service (DoS) attacks or to host malware are not rare.

Cloud services and the providers provides the management interfaces with public cloud services over the Internet. Furthermore, there are APIs that users can use to control and configure the cloud services. Weaknesses in these interfaces may open the gates against the unauthorized access to customer data.

During the data generation or during data transfer to the cloud, the user should classify their data from “low” to “very high” risk, (while writing, I am thinking that possibly I have wrote it in any other article before in details). The concerns about the use of certain cryptographic methods arises for securing the rights to access certain information.

Encryption plays a central role for data storage in the cloud. Key management is a challenge for many users. A loss of key always means the loss of encrypted data, a compromise of the key means the threat to data security. Encryption and SSL both are important. For example, data can be integrated via an encrypted VPN into the IT infrastructure of the user. To secure management interfaces or to use the SaaS offerings via web browser, secure HTTPS connections are essential.

The access of information for cloud services and applications have to be protected. Encrypted transmission and regular changing of the log are recommended. Likewise, strong authentication mechanisms and individual assignment of access rights on a need-to-know principle. The roles and rights should be reviewed periodically.

How to Make Cloud Computing Secure : Our Recommendations

• Do not use Microsoft Windows to access any sensitive data that needs protection. It is a malware, virus prone Operating System. You at least need to install an antivirus and an antimalware plus update almost everyday. Use any Linux distribution (most are free, possibly most secure is OpenSUSE) or Mac OS X.
• Never Save Password in any SFTP/FTP softwares.
• Use the standard Cloud Provider like Rackspace, Amazon etc. Our preference openly is Rackspace. There is no promoted reason, we like Rackspace for various reasons. You might like Amazon. For specific need use SalesForce.
• Use SSL for login and administrative areas.
• Try to use Private Cloud for too sensitive content.
• Do not use Free Cloud Storages for serious backups. Frankly, there are ways to break encryption.
• Never use Free CDN.
• Try to stick with Open Source Free Softwares – the reason we mentioned before – Cloud Computing Security Means Opting For Open Source.
• Never use any cracked software. The reason is, the structure of software against malware get destroyed.
• Use strong and unique passwords.