Big Data And Cloud Computing Research Assignment (Research Paper Sample)

BIG DATA AND CLOUD COMPUTING
By (Name)
The Name of the Class (Course)
Professor (Tutor)
The Name of the School (University)
The City and State where it is located
The Date
Abstract
Recent advances in the field of virtualization have seen cloud computing become a key platform for sharing IT resources across all fields of organizations. In today’s world, IT infrastructure, applications and Softwares are rapidly been migrated to virtual systems due to the efficiencies these platforms provide. Furthermore, this migration is seen in all aspects of life, from public institutions to private organizations most of which are profit based businesses. However, while migrating services to the cloud may prove beneficial to operations, their size and complexities do hold several serious challenges most of which may affect the overall objectives of cloud based solutions. In light of this outcome, this paper analysis cloud computing as an environment of storing big data for organizations. Through the analysis, the paper highlights the opportunities, challenges and the risks involved.
Keywords: Cloud computing, Cloud computing models, cloud migration process, Cloud service provider (CSP)
Table of Content
ContentPage
Introduction …………………………………………………………….. 4
Opportunities, challenges and risks of cloud migration ……………… 5
Opportunities …………………………………………………… 5
Challenges ……………………………………………………… 7
Risks ……………………………………………………………. 9
Recommendations ……………………………………………………… 10
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………… 11
References ……………………………………………………………… 13
Introduction
According to IT experts, cloud computing presents a new paradigm of conducting technological operations. Furthermore, based on the existing cloud solutions, the concept itself is not a new technology but a different computing structure/model that delivers resources using online systems i.e. the internet (Bhopale 2013). In addition to this definition, cloud computing utilises the concept of outsourcing resources where an organization’s needs are provided by another. Now, most organizations irrespective of their field or category seek cloud solutions because of the data problem they face i.e. big data. Big data, on the other hand, is a consequence of the availability of information seen today as caused by the digital environment. Therefore, to handle the data produced by clients, employees and the world at large, organization lease resources such as storage, applications and Softwares (Sabiri & Benabbou 2015).
To understand the opportunities, challenges and risks associated with the technology, it’s important to understand its operational structure. Cloud computing can be categorised into three major groups based on the services it offers; infrastructure as a service (IaaS), software as a service (SaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS). Now, IaaS offers computational resources such as storage and networking equipment as a service. SaaS, on the other hand, will offer software or application resources as services e.g. email facilities through browsers. Finally, PaaS will provide software developing platforms. The diagram below highlights these functions and their relation (Sahandi, Alkhalili & Opara-Martins 2013). At the top, are the subscriber who leases the resources and below them the CSP who offer service based on the highlighted layers. The logical structure given represent the exact layout of the functionalities and how they relate to one another.
Fig: Cloud computing model
Opportunities, challenges and risk of cloud migration
A migration to cloud based resources will involve the models highlighted above, moreover, it will involve either entirely on a service provider or a combination of a service provider and the organization itself. This outcome yields the public, private and hybrid cloud systems.
Opportunities
According to studies conducted on SMEs (Small to Medium sized businesses), organizations are will engage in cloud computing due to the conveniences they offer, such as cost efficiencies, flexibility and scalability of IT resource (Sahandi, Alkhalili & Opara-Martins 2013). However, other benefits beyond these main conveniences exist as highlighted below:
a. Technical opportunities
Big data storage, management and transmission – due to the velocity, volume and variety of data today, traditional storage facilities such as hard disks are inappropriate as they easily fail. However, cloud computing facilities offer unlimited storage that is based on the needs of the user (Yang, Huang, Li & Hu 2016). Furthermore, since most big data systems are based on different paradigms it is easier to lease the facilitating technology e.g. Hadoop and NoSQL among others. Moreover, it’s easier to handle the challenges of metadata as they are a regular occurrence with large volumes of information. Finally, the transmission is readily available based on the IP (Internet Protocol) systems of the internet.
b. Business opportunities
Cost saving is the first and most obvious benefits owing to monetary resources that are saved as a result of leasing IT resources when they are needed. In most cases, resources such as storage will go unused while being paid for, which increases expenses for no good reason. However, with cloud computing, an organization will lease a server and tools such as Hadoop and NoSQL when needed. Furthermore, the cost is based on a pay-as-per-use model which means an organization can release a resource when it’s not needed (Wlodarz 2013). Consider the figure below highlighting this difference over a span of 8 years.
Fig: Cloud vs on-promise annual cost (Source Azure projections, Wlodarz 2013)
Secondly, consider the flexibility and scalability introduced when leased resources are used. An organization can acquire storage and other IT resources when needed, moreover, it can either increase or decrease its requirement at minimal costs. Furthermore, the same resources can be accessed from any location or anytime so long as the users have an internet connection. This outcome enhances the mobile deployment of services which increase the delivery time. Finally, it’s easier to backup resources as the service provider will have several host centres of an organization resources. Therefore, in the case of disasters, the data (including business analytics and projections) will be conserved with ease (Kelkar 2015).
29717993428990024574500Efficiency020000Efficiency458978040957500center-24765000
1162049271780003476625290830457200058420Accessibility020000Accessibility342900220345Savings020000Savings314325508000229552523368000
229552510160Cloud computing020000Cloud computing
110489957150028575018191600328612557150030353043434000
4705350159385Opportunities020000Opportunities2476500349885Scalability020000Scalability323850178435Flexibility020000Flexibility46659801079500center20129500
Fig: Summary of the opportunities
Challenges of cloud computing
Although cloud computing is highlighted as a technological transformation and not a new technology, it does present new operating principles which introduces several challenges to the users, more so during its deployment. The challenges are mostly technically inclined which may affect the overall goals of cloud based solutions.
a. Hosting services
To start with, the service provider will offer subscribers the facilities they require from storage to software packages. However, very few subscribers will assess or even explore the back end resources used by the service providers (CSP). Some of these back-end resources will lack the necessary requirements needed to protect the data of the users. In this case, the challenge is not the consequences of the back-end resources but the inability of the subscriber to evaluate the resources he/she leases (Paul & Ghose 2012). Furthermore, in most circumstances, the subscriber will have minimal access to the said resources and in fact, will lack an accurate record of where their information is stored. In addition to this, consider the cases where CSP outsources other services to subsequent CSP. For instance, the analytic servers of NoSQL server are outsourced while the primary provider host the data. In such an event SLAs are useless and the client cannot guarantee his data i.e. big data
b. Technical hitches
In the event of a new technology or even a conventional technology, the supporting structures are always subject to failure. Therefore, the CSP may develop a glitch in his structures, be it the server or the network which disconnects the subscribing organization from accessing its leased resources. Moreover, the internet connection used by the su...