Securing Cloud Computing Systems

Cloud computing is a method of delivering computing resources. Cloud computing services ranging from data storage and processing to software, such as customer relationship management systems, are now available instantly and on demand. In times of financial and economic hardship, this new low cost of ownership model for computing has gotten lots of attention and is seeing increasing global investment. Generally speaking, cloud computing provides implementation agility, lower capital expenditure, location independence, resource pooling, broad network access, reliability, scalability, elasticity, and ease of maintenance. While in most cases cloud computing can improve security due to ease of management, the provider’s lack of knowledge and experience can jeopardize customer environments. This chapter aims to discuss various cloud computing environments and methods to make them more secure for hosting companies and their customers.