Cloud Security and Privacy

Chapter 12. Conclusion, and the Future of the Cloud

As we have noted throughout this book, cloud computing has the potential to be a disruptive force by affecting the deployment and use of technology. The cloud could be the next evolution in the history of computing, following in the footsteps of mainframes, minicomputers, PCs, servers, smart phones, and so on, and radically changing the way enterprises manage IT. Yes, plenty of questions are still left to be answered regarding security within the cloud and how customers and cloud service providers (CSPs) will manage issues and expectations, but it would be a severe understatement to say simply that cloud computing has generated interest in the marketplace.

The hype regarding cloud computing is unavoidable. It has caught the imagination of consumers, businesses, financial analysts, and of course, the CSPs themselves. Search for “cloud computing” on the Internet and you will uncover thousands of articles defining it, praising it, ridiculing it, and selling it.

So powerful is the term cloud computing that according to some, just the mere mention of it may help to drive additional attention and revenues for providers. Take, for example, the case of Salesforce.com. According to Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, his software-as-a-service (SaaS) organization did not embrace the use of the term until he read an article that referred to Google and Amazon as cloud computing leaders in December 2007. Soon afterward, Salesforce.com started ...