Security Challenges and Opportunities in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is being heralded as the onrushing future of computing. In fact, in many ways, cloud computing is already here, and has been for some time. The most obvious example of cloud computing is Google Mail. Cloud computing, simply defined, is the implementation of computing services using shared hardware, shared software and in many cases even shared information. Google Mail, for example, makes e-mail services available using a widespread, highly redundant network of systems that remove that same functionality and data from the user’s computer, putting it “in the cloud” where it can be plucked back out as needed – from any capable device such as a smart phone, computer or internet kiosk.

Cloud computing is sort of like the first computers come full circle – in the early days of computing, users at terminals with no computing power to speak of made use of the number-crunching capabilities of mainframes in a shared fashion – in fact, the model of computer use was called “time-sharing.” As the personal computer grew in power and capabilities while also becoming a cheap...