This article talks about cloud computing and the most dangerous mistakes involved that need to be avoided during application development and custom software development.
Offshore software development, application development and custom software development have slowly but surely evolved to leverage the state-of-the-art concept of cloud computing which promises never seen before potential while minimizing the resources and promising their optimum utilization wherever possible. But its implementation is fraught with danger if not performed with care and without relevant expertise.
Here we try to outline the major and common follies that one can commit with respect to cloud computing. The primary issue that is faced by amateur and professional security experts is the assumption that the cloud implemented, in itself is less secure than the company’s own data centre. This is not completely untrue but still considerable. With the cloud, and when services such as Google’s SaaS are considered then the server misconfiguration and bad patch management are out of the questions. Also the server architecture is much more homogenous which results in a streamlined process of security patching. Though this is subjective but there are many cases where the cloud in reality is much more secure than the internal security environment. Blind faith in a cloud services provider is also a harbinger of doom as without adequate security measures such as third party auditing measures to determine the credibility of the cloud service providers. Also the business viability of the provider needs to be verified as if their services are discontinued suddenly, it would turn out be detrimental in a big way for your enterprise.
Currently the only programs being optimized in the cloud are email and such other stuff meaning that the likelihood of a major issue is ruled out. Also even after shifting your data to a cloud system, the accountability of data security still lies with the organization itself. Outsourcing data maintenance through cloud services does not mean you can wash your hands of data security. Your data, you’re accountable is what needs to be remembered. Also if you plan to shift an unsecure app to the cloud, chances are that its security vulnerabilities will still exist. It is shocking to see that even today many service providers still employ IE 6 which I being phased out due to security concerns. The cloud can act as a secure entity only if you scour out the right applications, the right operations and the right processes that you want to shift to the cloud.
All these considerations need to be exacted and kept in mind while dealing with cloud services. Offshore software development, application development and custom software development arenas need to spruce themselves up and employ these considerations to ensure that the applications designed are fit to be transferred to a cloud and in a secure manner.
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