Cloud Computing Standards and Security - Deploying and Managing a Cloud Infrastructure - page 324

With the advent of the cloud, the IT industry has seen the
proposal of many standards. This has led to confusion, despite
the standards being largely trivial and mostly insufficient.
Furthermore, problems in cloud adoption, security, and interoperability can cause a lack
of standardization and coherence in the cloud ecosystem. In this chapter, we describe what
cloud computing standards are and explain their importance. We cover important security
concepts and tools, encryption techniques, and access control methods. We also explain
how to implement guest and host hardening security techniques.

Cloud Computing Standards

The need for cloud computing standards stems from the presence of numerous tech compa-
nies in the ever-growing cloud space. There is an obvious advantage to more tech compa-
nies: a whole lot of technological innovation due to competition and preferences. However,
the downside is that each company will have its own technology based on a set of require-
ments perceived in a completely different environment and culture than exists in the other
companies. It is hard to imagine a coherent cloud ecosystem without a basis for standard-
ization. In the following sections, we'll explain why standards matter, what cloud comput-
ing's ad hoc standards are, and what standards are being followed.

Why Do Standards Matter?

Imagine you own a company and have chosen to put an application on a certain provider's
cloud platform. Obviously, deploying will require necessary modifications, relevant con-
figurations, and testing. Once all this is done, the application starts working. A few days
later you discover another provider that matches your needs in a more comprehensive way
and with a lower price tag. Or maybe the provider you chose decides to go out of business,
citing major losses. That leaves you, the consumer, in a tricky position. A number of hard
questions arise:

Will you be able to successfully transfer your application and data to a new vendor?

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How hard is it to transfer application and data?

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Is the application using any vendor-specific application programming interfaces (APIs)?

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Is vendor lock-in going to be a concern when you switch to the new cloud provider?

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How will jurisdiction of data pan out?

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