Application Of Virtual And Cloud Computing Security

Running head: VIRTUAL AND CLOUD COMPUTING 1

Application of Virtual and Cloud Computing Security

Name

Institutional Affiliation

VIRTUAL AND CLOUD COMPUTING 2

The technological advancements in the 21

century have obligated businesses in all

industries to embrace continuous innovation so as to attain a competitive advantage while

maintaining their consumer base. In healthcare, one of the most recent innovations is

electronic health records (EHR) which not only offers a pool of benefits but also comes with

sincere concerns. In EHR, patient data can be stored digitally either in the clinic or in cloud

storage facilities, as intended by Dr. Nelson’s clinic. This essay outlines the potential

implications of employing third party storage in EHR and presents the functions of the

hypervisor as well as the associated security vulnerabilities. Besides, the essay will identify

various tools that can be used to mitigate vulnerabilities when implementing virtual and cloud

computing, and close with recommendations to harness the novelty of cloud computing

without jeopardizing patient data.

Dr. Nelson intends to employ Software as a Service (SaaS), where a third party will

provide the required applications, and the clinic will save and retrieve patient data over the

internet. Such a distribution model has some potential implications, including concerns for

security and privacy. While cloud technology protects firms from physical dangers such as

fires and theft, Sultan, (2014) ascertains that data would still be lost if the online host

collapses or suffers unplanned encryption. Besides, data has become a rare resource as

companies mine data to aid decision-making. Some firms that offer cloud storage may

illegitimately sell patient data to other companies, which is a threat to privacy. Besides,

malicious attacks such as hacking of the provider’s system is a growing privacy concern as

the stored data may land into unauthorised persons (Li et al., 2013).

In cloud technology, virtual machines are used to facilitate data storage, transmission

and retrieval. In this aspiration, cloud service providers use hypervisors, whose main role is

run virtual machines (Rodrigues et al., 2013). The hypervisor initiates and monitors activities

of the virtual machines thus termed as the “host.” Sultan, (2014) explains that the main

VIRTUAL AND CLOUD COMPUTING 3

vulnerability in this technology is that a failure in the hypervisor would mean that all the

associated virtual machines (guests) would be affected. Similarly, if the link to the virtual

machine is broken, data transmission fails. Since all the guests run on the same hardware, the

operating systems in the guests compete for resources such as random access memory and

data packets. In the long run, a poorly maintained hypervisor may lead to delays or total

failure in data storage or retrieval (Li et al., 2013); which may have a disastrous effect

especially in a clinical setting.

Developers have come up with several tools mitigate the vulnerabilities associated

with implementation of virtual and cloud computing. These include antimalware software,

network security tools, device to device connection capabilities and test management tools

(Rodrigues et al., 2013; Sultan, 2014). Antimalware service ensures that malicious software

does not install in the host or guests, which enhances data security and privacy. On the other

hand, network security tools prevent wiretapping and data loss during transmission. With

device to device capabilities, firms can connect directly to their service providers which

improves efficiency. Test management tools are used to continually appraise cloud

computing services. Such an evaluation ensures that the service can perform as required

without compromising the security and privacy expectations.

Realizing the benefits of cloud storage and the associated vulnerabilities, healthcare

facilities must find ways to reap the merits while ensuring that patient data is not put at risk.

In a small medical clinic as Dr. Nelson’s, protecting patient data would involve identifying a

reputable service provider who will offer secure, affordable service while respecting the

small size of the clinic. Besides, the selected SaaS provider must meet international standards

(Li et al., 2013). Further, the clinic must have state-of the-art devices, an efficient anti-

malware service and a reliable connection to facilitate proper operation and data transmission

(Sultan, 2014). Last, all businesses, including small clinics should have a continuity of

VIRTUAL AND CLOUD COMPUTING 4

operations plan. Such a plan will ensure that healthcare services continue even when cloud

services fail.

To sum up, virtual and cloud computing form a cutting edge technology whose

benefits such as reliability, effectiveness and efficiency overshadow the associated security

and privacy concerns. Dr. Nelson should move forward and implement SaaS cloud

computing as it has lower implementation and maintenance costs than other services. On the

same note, it is important for small clinics to select an appropriate service provider to avoid

missed targets. Healthcare facilities should also have a continuity of operations programs to

employ in the isolated instances where virtual and cloud computing may fail.

VIRTUAL AND CLOUD COMPUTING 5

References

Li, M., Yu, S., Zheng, Y., Ren, K., & Lou, W. (2013). Scalable and secure sharing of

personal health records in cloud computing using attribute-based encryption. IEEE

transactions on parallel and distributed systems, 24(1), 131-143.

Rodrigues, J. J., De La Torre, I., Fernández, G., & López-Coronado, M. (2013). Analysis of

the security and privacy requirements of cloud-based electronic health records

systems. Journal of medical Internet research, 15(8).

Sultan, N. (2014). Making use of cloud computing for healthcare provision: Opportunities

and challenges. International Journal of Information Management, 34(2), 177-184.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."