Cloud Computing and SOA Convergence in Your Enterprise: A Step ...

228 Chapter 12 Moving Onward
Q: What about security and cloud computing
A: Many who push back on cloud computing point to the security risks as a
reason not to leverage cloud computing platforms. The reality is that cloud
computing does not mean you give up security. You can support an exceptional
level of security and leverage a cloud computing platform. It is just a
matter of establishing the right security model, selecting the right security
approaches and technology, and working with the cloud computing provider
to make sure they adhere to those models, approaches, and technology.
Most cloud computing providers are very aware that security has to exist
and work for them to be successful. They have thought through many different
security models and patterns to provide to their users, including encryption,
role-based security, identity management, and more. The trick is to
think through your security requirements before you select a cloud computing
provider, and make sure they support your requirements.
Q: What is the future of cloud computing and SOA using cloud
computing
A: In a word, bright. We could consider cloud computing as a revolution in the
way we do computing going forward and something that will overshadow architectural
patterns such as SOA. However, cloud computing will be more of
an evolution than a revolution. As time goes on, we will find more of our core
enterprise services, processes, and data on cloud computing platforms.
This will be a slow migration. While many are calling for the “big
switch,” it will initially be a “switch in bits.” Traditional enterprises will move
to cloud computing platforms as it makes sense for them, and only a few systems
at a time. Considering the importance of core business systems, this is
only prudent.
Just a few years ago, traditional enterprise IT would not have thought
any major enterprise systems would run outside of their control. The advent
of software-as-a-service and/or application-as-a-service, including Salesforce.com,
taught us that existing enterprise IT will not implode when they
leverage enterprise applications that exist outside of the firewall and thus
outside of their control. The core benefits, including speed to deployment
and cost, are too great to ignore.
As we move more infrastructure-type resources to cloud computing platforms,
including storage, databases, transaction processing, and application
development, this requires more of a shift in thinking than when we leveraged