Databases and Cloud Computing

A database can be defined as a collection of related data. Any business generates data that must be saved. Databases are a logical way to store data. Various database models use various logical structures to store data. Database models are classified into four types: hierarchical, network, relational, and object-oriented. The most common database model is the relational database model. Data in this paradigm is organized into relations, which are sometimes known as tables. The table contains information about an entity. Tables often have columns and rows. A column with unique data is usually referred to as the primary key, and the data in a row is referred to as a record. A relationship indicating the association between the field of one table and another can be established from this model.

In the hierarchical model, data is organized in a tree-like structure whereby a record has a parent, and the siblings are arranged in a given order. Another database model is the network model which is simply an extension of the hierarchical model. A many-to-many relationship occurs between records that are linked together. Therefore, there are multiple root records. The model supports complex relationships (Agrawal, Das & El Abbadi, 2011, March). The object-oriented database is a hybrid model in that it offers support for tables but also contains objects and methods. I recommend a relational database for the company.

Cloud Computing Infrastructure

Cloud computing refers a contemporary information technology paradigm that enables access to shared and distributed resources. Cloud computing serves at economizing the use of computer resources, providing efficient backup and data recovery system. Virtualization is an important aspect as it enables a company to adopt cloud computing. Cloud computing delivery of services is based on utilizing components and subcomponents that could be described as a frontend, backend, cloud-based delivery, and a network. Front-end components platform consists of either a mobile device, a thin client, or a fat client. Backend platform is made up of servers and data storage mechanisms. The network resource components could be the intercloud, internet, or intranet. The components are not only hardware but also software.

Cloud computing infrastructure is based on service models. Cloud computing service models are Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). IaaS is a basic level cloud service. It is a service that allows access to resources including virtual storage, physical machines, and virtual machines. PaaS is another service in cloud computing infrastructure that creates a provision of a runtime environment. The runtime environment is provided to application software, development tools, deployment tools, and network configuration utilities. SaaS model creates the provision of applications being availed as a service to end-users. The most efficient architecture for the company is a resource pooling architecture.

Cloud architecture utilizes a virtual server to enable a single server to be used by multiple services (Agrawal, Das & El Abbadi, 2011, March). Apart from the virtual server, the following components also make up the cloud computing architecture; audit monitor which seeks to check if legal and regulatory necessities are met for a network that spans multiple jurisdictions. A hypervisor balances the load between the virtual servers; resource cluster helps to balance the load between the various nodes in the architecture, logical network perimeter creates an isolation between consumer workload distribution in the cloud and resource replication which is a contrivance used to create an instance of a new virtual resource or workload.

One of the core parts of cloud computing is the cloud storage. Cloud storage is important as it provides a mechanism for holding data that is in transit or is at rest. At most times, cloud computing puts more emphasis on using off-site storage. In a company that deals with financial activities, the availability of data are very important. The data should be saved securely and managed well using an appropriate database management system as discussed above.

File storage in the cloud computing can be categorized as unmanaged or managed. Unmanaged cloud storage is conventionally configured before a client can utilize it. The client is only limited to reading and writing into the storage and cannot format it (Feng, Zhang Zhang, & Xu, 2011). On the other hand, managed cloud storage is a cloud storage system that provides online storage space when the request is made. The user can read, write, and format the space given to them. In a credit processing company, it is essential that the administrator of the system is given a managed cloud storage which they will be mandated to configure so that the end users can only access unmanaged cloud storage. The amount of storage supported by the system of such a company should relatively be high to support scalability.

Interfaces Used to Access Data

Virtualization creates a hurdle of accessing data. The dynamics of data falls in the access and modification. Therefore network storage interfaces provide a mechanism for accessing data. Cloud storage interface is divided into two namely; a relational storage which depends on relations to consolidate similar data into tuples and fields. In this storage type data is accessed from the respective tables as views using an API such as SQL. Another way is the non-relational or NoSQL data storage which focuses on forming an association between data to provide high normalization.

Security Technologies for Data at Rest in the Cloud

Security of data is paramount in such a company. Any compromise in the integrity, credibility or availability would be deemed as a security breach. Data that is at rest on the cloud storage devices discussed above needs to be secured. The first thing to secure data at rest is its availability. Availability of data is important, and thus there is need that it is always available. Feng, Zhang Zhang, and Xu (2011) indicate that to be able to secure the availability of data; the cloud infrastructure needs to be designed, so that creates redundant storage mechanism of the data. Confidentiality of data means that it is protected against getting into the wrong hands. Confidentiality will be achieved if a firewall and authentication are set up to secure stored data. Finally, the integrity of data is compromised if the data is altered by an unauthorized persons or software. Therefore, data integrity can be maintained through authentication before access and encryption.

Conclusion

A credit card processing company needs a well-defined database storage mechanism, and cloud computing is the way to go. There are numerous types of databases including hierarchical, network, relational, and object-oriented databases. Cloud computing would be the best move for a company of this type. Cloud computing is achieved primarily through virtualization. Cloud computing architecture is based on the front end, back end, network, and cloud-based delivery. The infrastructure as a service is the preferred model. The potential interfaces for accessing the company data would either be relational storage interface or the NoSQL database interface. Security of stored data is based on maintaining Confidentiality, Integrity, and availability through encryption, authentication, and redundancy respectively.

References

Agrawal, D., Das, S., & El Abbadi, A. (2011, March). Big data and cloud computing: current state and future opportunities. In Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Extending Database Technology (pp. 530-533). ACM.

Feng, D. G., Zhang, M., Zhang, Y., & Xu, Z. (2011). Study on cloud computing security. Journal of software, 22(1), 71-83.