Mobile Cloud Computing Security (Thesis Proposal Sample)

Mobile Cloud Computing Security
Student names
University
Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Abstract PAGEREF _Toc416824148 \h 3Acronyms PAGEREF _Toc416824149 \h 41.0 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc416824150 \h 51.1 Problem definition PAGEREF _Toc416824151 \h 61.1.1 Consuming Web Services (WS) from Mobile Clients PAGEREF _Toc416824152 \h 61.2 Objective of this Thesis proposal PAGEREF _Toc416824153 \h 71.3 Aims of the Study PAGEREF _Toc416824154 \h 72.0 Initial Literature Review PAGEREF _Toc416824155 \h 82.1 Characteristics of Cloud Computing PAGEREF _Toc416824156 \h 82.2 Mobile Web Services (MWS) PAGEREF _Toc416824157 \h 92.3 Middleware for Mobil Device PAGEREF _Toc416824158 \h 103.0 Methodology PAGEREF _Toc416824159 \h 113.1 Research framework PAGEREF _Toc416824160 \h 113.2 Proposed design for Mobile Client and Cloud Middleware PAGEREF _Toc416824161 \h 123.3 proposed Cloud Central Security platform PAGEREF _Toc416824162 \h 134.0 Implementation and discussion PAGEREF _Toc416824163 \h 14Reference list PAGEREF _Toc416824164 \h 14
Abstract
The cloud portents a fresh era of computing where there is unlimited providence of application services within the network. Cloud computing offers the capability to satisfy growing business requirements. Furthermore, the cloud architecture facilitates the sharing of application and data from anywhere at any time. However, the daunting barrier that prevents organizations from adopting cloud computing is their concern for the security of the data placed in the cloud. In the IT sector, cloud computing has proven and continues to prove its capacity as an emerging paradigm which facilitates fresh business sculpts for institutions to utilize software, hardware and application resources devoid of upfront investment. With the current investment in the IT sector, specialists in this industry have enhanced in cloud computing to facilitate mobile applications of the same, to come up with MCC (mobile cloud computing). MCC facilitates a platform where users utilize cloud services on their mobile gadgets. Such usage of MCC diminishes the compatibility, performance and deficient of resources issues within the environment of mobile computing. Regardless of all these efforts, MCC users are still below expectations due to the allied risks in terms of privacy and security. It is such risks and hitches that play significant role in drawing back the rate of MCC adaptation by organizations within the sector. Due to this predicament, a vast amount of probe has been engaged by different scholars and researchers in identifying any possible measures that can be engaged to end this challenge. Consequently, this paper presents a proposal that intends identify such security issues, discuss them and finally provide a suitable solution to them. This paper intends to accomplish its objective and aims thorough a thorough review of related literature and a proposed methodology.
Acronyms
CP Cloud Platforms
CS Cloud Services
DC Distributed Computing
MCC Mobile Cloud Computing
MOM Message Oriented Model
MWS Mobile Web Services
PaaS Platform as a Service
POM Policy Oriented Model
IaaS Infrastructure-as-a-Service
SaaS Software-as-a-Service
1.0 Introduction
From a definition perspective, cloud computing is identified as "an up-and-coming computer paradigm where services and data reside in intensively scalable data hubs in the cloud and can be retrieved from any connected systems over the internet" (Nandkishor et al. 2012). Cloud computing’s central concept is quite simple, that the numerous computing services and resources that users need will exist somewhere within cloud of computers where individual users can connect and utilize of them when need arises.
Computing can be expressed as any activity of utilizing creating computer software and hardware. Regardless of the above amazing merits of cloud computing, its security is a major issue. With reference to a previous survey conducted and published by IDC (International Data Corporation) in 2009, it is worthy stipulating that privacy and security hitches are the key setbacks experienced by institutions embracing adaptation of cloud computing (Opovi and Hocenski, 2010). Another survey indicated that above 70% of CTOs (Chief technology officers) depicted their concerns regarding data privacy and security related issues within cloud computing context (Chen and Zhao, 2012). This thesis proposal intends to formulate a MCC (mobile cloud computing) design which embraces Cloud-hosted middleware (software) to aid mobile users consuming Cloud Services. This design facilitates Client-WS interface as well as facilitating individual service mashup policy for the users.
1.1 Problem definition
1.1.1 Consuming Web Services (WS) from Mobile Clients
For mobile users, consumption of web services is far much diverse in comparison to the
Consuming WS from a mobile client (see figure 2.4) is different compared to the typical WS setting due to a number of factors such as:
* Limited resources of mobile devices, such as screen size, CPU power, RAM capacity
* The interaction between server and client is conveyed though a cell network(wireless)
* Past Cloud’s WS do not sustain mobile users/clients
With respect to the above assertion, this thesis proposal identifies three problems in MCC and intends to come up with a probable solution to them. These challenges include:
1 Loss of connection:
Due to the wireless nature of interaction between the user and server, there occurs disconnection from network hence hindering a stable connection, which results to failure of data delivery.
2 Bandwidth/Latency:
It is evident that mobile phones are regularly billed with respect to the total data consumed or transferred, which is an impact of their limited bandwidth. Unfortunately, even a plain Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) text incorporates a vast chunk of XML (Extensible Markup Language) data, which leads to plenty bandwidth consumption and resulting to network latency due to transmissions hitches.
3 Limited resources
Mobile users tend to exhibit limited power of processor, hence creating low level of data processing within mobile users.
1.2 Objective of this Thesis proposal
This thesis proposal intends to formulate a MCC (mobile cloud computing) design which embraces Cloud-hosted middleware (software) to aid mobile users consuming Cloud Services. This design facilitates Client-WS interface as well as facilitating individual service mashup policy for the users.
1.3 Aims of the Study
* To reduce incurred cost by users of mobile cloud computing
* To facilitate a steady connection between mobile users and the Cloud
* To employ Cloud platform as a criterion of advanced reliability and scalability of the middleware
* To facilitate a service mashup policy for clients (mobile users)
2.0 Initial Literature Review
This chapter intends to scrutinize the current and past literature relating to the topic under study. The literature to be reviewed will mainly target the following areas:
* Mobile Web Services
* The interface between WS and mobile gadgets
* Middleware for sustaining mobile users
* Characteristics of Cloud Computing
2.1 Characteristics of Cloud Computing
Nandkishor et al. 2012 identify a number of cloud characteristics such as self healing, multi-tenancy, linearly scalable, service oriented, SLA driven, virtualized, and flexible. On self healing, the researchers argue that any application running within an environment of cloud computing has the adaptability of self healing (Nandkishor et al. 2012). Where a hitch or failure occurs, there is another backup application standing by to take into action immediately. On multi-tenancy, the authors depict that the application allows multiple users to share allocated infrastructure without any of the users realizing. Cloud computing is termed linearly scalable in the sense that the application is capacitated to fragment the workload hence deal with separate fragments of processes (Nandkishor et al. 2012).
2.2 Mobile Web Services (MWS)
Farley and Cap (2005) define MWS as "the mobile service client as well as to WS in the mobile environment" (p.213). The discharge of novel mobile designs enhances the achievability of Mobile Web Services. A study conducted by Oliver (2008) assessed the level of adaptability to mobile network by the current mobile platforms and brands including BlackBerry, Windows mobile, Android, Symbian(S60) and iPhone. With reference to the above survey, all the listed brand platforms entail certain hitches and limitations. For instance, it was noted that Android version 1.0 lacked Bluetooth heaps and the capacity to access network interfaces programmatically, which is rectified in version 2.0 of Android.
Tian et al. (2004) came up with a design to increase performance with vibrant compre...