Security in Mobile Cloud Computing

2. Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing has greatly facilitated the sharing of resources and common infrastructure. This had made it possible to provide on-demand services over the network to fulfil a wide range of today’s business needs. In this type of dynamic business environment, the last user has no knowledge about the location of accessible physical resources and tools. Evolving, utilizing, and managing their applications ‘on the cloud’ involve virtualization of resources that keeps and directs itself are conducted by available facilities to users. The description of Cloud Computing by scientists at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was influenced by an earlier guideline of the Cloud Security Alliance. Researchers have collaborated with the NIST to come out with the Working Definition of cloud computing, and generally, it has been well accepted. Thus, there was coherence and unanimity around a common language, and we can pinpoint on applicable cases rather than semantic nuance. As a result, organizations world-wide used and applied this guide. The NIST, however, is a US government organization, and the wide acceptance of this definition should not suggest that differing view’s or views of other countries are ignored. The NIST definition of Cloud Computing comprised five essential qualities, three cloud service models, and four cloud deployment models. Table 1 shows a schematic representation of the definition, and further explained in the following subsections (Brunette & Mogull, 2009; Mell & Grance, 2011; Mirzaei, 2008; Subashini & Kavitha, 2011).