Overcoming Cloud Security Threats with AI and Machine Learning

Cloud-security

The increasing flexibility of Cloud services has made the enterprises to embrace them in storing, sharing and managing their data efficiently. Cloud computing has not only increased their operational efficiency, but also have helped them save thousands of dollars in IT investments.

From helping the organizations deliver faster, cost-efficient and quality results to effectively managing their resources, Cloud services has definitely been a boon for enterprises. It helps them focus on their businesses rather than spending their precious time in building and managing their IT infrastructure.

But, with any kind of new technology comes greater and complex security needs associated, making the universal adoption of Cloud services questionable. Some threats associated with Cloud services are:

-Having large amounts of sensitive data in the Cloud (especially for industries like Finance and Healthcare) can be a promising target for the hackers.

-The enterprises are liable to face heavy dues and even criminal charges in-case of consumer data leakage, under compliance regulations like HIPAA.

-BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) systems have been a great advantage for both employers as well as employees in terms of data mobility and accessibility. But, stolen or misplaced devices, if goes in the wrong hands can be a huge expense for an Organization as they are almost impossible to track without proper tools in hand.

-Weak authentications and leaving the credentials in one’s device can also lead to loss in enterprise data in case of any phishing, ransomware and brute-force attacks.

Offering great value for enterprises in terms of scalability, feasibility and cost savings, it is important that they untangle these security concerns before adopting comprehensive Cloud strategies.

AI and Machine Learning for Advanced Cloud Security Solutions:

AI is a system that has the capability to learn and adapt to the change in its environment. Often used with Machine Learning, AI uses predictive analysis which can pre-model the results by analyzing the past events. With the cyber threats advancing at an alarming rate, there is a real need for us to employ the tools that forges ahead of them.

Crucial Role of AI in Detecting Cyber Security Threats

-A recent study on global security conducted by Nemertes research says: the average time taken for an enterprise to spot the threat and respond with a cloud security solution was 39 days. Some companies were able to detect and respond within hours.

-Faster response time means the threats are detected and blocked immediately from the user’s side, preventing further data leakage.

-The organizations those were able to detect the threats faster employed automation which can only achieved by employing AI and Machine learning based cloud security solutions.

-Fully automated AI cloud security solutions use behavioral analytics to determine a path on which the systems operate. Any deviation from the flow, it takes the system off the network bringing this ‘response time’ to effectively zero. Notably, 28.6% of all companies have already employed full automation to their key business processes, as per Nemertes’ reports.

Moving at a Faster Pace than Cyber-Criminals with AI

Cybercriminals were always ahead of the traditional security standards deployed by the enterprises, posing continuous nightmares to the IT teams. They had to spend most of their time and capital investments in optimizing their security standards, each and every time they experience a data breach.

Now, with the AI and Machine learning technology in hand, their adaptive learning capabilities prove as an efficient cloud security solution for enterprises in thinking and acting ahead of cybercriminals:

-The number of patterns processed by the Machine learning programs increases with the increase in data injected. As the patterns increase, it makes AI easier to give early indications of cyber threats whenever it senses a slight change in this pattern flow.

-Machine learning not only processes the real time data quickly, but can also co-relate them across time and geographical locations. This helps the organizations to be aware of the security breaches and prevent them, days before the event.

-Email has always been an easier platform for cybercriminals. AI and machine learning based cloud security solutions can help to plot relationships between different kinds of content sentiments, mail services and communications. In case of any suspicious patterns, the organizations can alert their employees, days before a threat is potentially identified.

The current machine learning technologies have begun to detect even unusual threat events with high volumes of data. The organizations can now leverage their business process more efficiently through Cloud services with AI in hand as their most powerful tool against security threats.

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Future of AWS Cloud Computing

Aws-Cloud-Computing

The extremely customizable cloud computing service provider, AWS has the potential of being the era defining cloud service provider. In a brief period of time it has envisaged an extremely trusted and rapidly expanding cloud infrastructure within its reach—a league which is further growing and dominating the computer and IoT market. It is through these defining parameters that one can easily foresee the tremendous change in cloud computing, dominated by AWS. Unlike its contemporary kinds, AWS aims at greater affordability, customization and “get what I want!” forces of the modern day market.

Market Expansion to Battle Competition

With the blasting expansion of digitalization and IoT (especial thanks to smartphone industries), the area of cloud consumption is indeed vast; vast enough that it can and will support the competitors. But, given that the consumer’s discretion is wise, one would opt for AWS at least for a trial, which seems, will be appealing enough to the consumers to embracing it forever. Other competitors are also well equipped, though. Long-tail cloud use cases that AWS won’t optimize and will continue to spring up. Today’s long-tail use case may be the size of the entire 2017 cloud computing market 10-12 years down the line: Google, Digital Ocean, Microsoft are well positioned to pick up what Amazon is proud to offer. But, as far as “need of the hour” is concerned, AWS has a better edge over these competitors.

With its expanding wings where AWS has already shook hands with Nokia for 5G, IoT and cloud services, it is further attracting attention and trust of the cloud consumers/service providers. People are willing to collaborate with AWS due to the gravity built around it. Apart from the goodwill privileges, AWS also readily caters to the modern day needs of cloud services. It allows its customers to have at their disposal a full-fledged virtual cluster of computers, available all the time, through the internet. Therefore, with its doubly tightened bow, AWS Cloud Services will surely overshadow its counterparts and expand its reach as the time progresses.

AWS Competitive Market Strategies

In a practical sense, any company won’t need more than one server until it has users it cannot accommodate. But, in consideration of cost reduction, one might as well rethink over maximizing the profit margin and that’s where AWS will stand high and apart. Having the low margin monopoly in its DNA, Amazon will sweep away the wandering expensive service providers. In the flux of growing enlightenment vis-à-vis cloud computing and its abounding expenses, likewise companies will obviously cut down their cost too to battle the competition, but to what end? They also have to keep up the brand value (as it has been so far carried). They offer services, which AWS also offers, at relatively higher prices. In the event, ultimately the consumer will be benefitting due to the cut throat competition and search of market domination. The prices will be marred down so low that cloud services become cheaper than internet connection. Had the infrastructure not been this wide, with this kind of demand that we see now a days, the same consumers would be facing crisis instead.

Even with respect to its service delivery, AWS stands higher than its counterparts due to its affordability, efficiency and trust. The success of AWS will depend on bringing the center of data mass onto AWS for transactional data. Besides that, other factors such as going up the application stack strategically will also help AWS climb the ladder of success. If the future cloud computing infrastructure demands what AWS is already offering, then it will be highly unlikely for other budding competitors to match steps with the success that AWS would have gained by that time.

Ground Realities of the Market

AWS is safer, cost effective and efficient as compared to its corresponding competitors. Google has proficiency over machine learning (part that defines it is putting greater efforts in machine development than cloud betterment) while Microsoft is good at solving nearly only 80% of the cloud computing needs and problems. So, while AWS brings exclusivity in its approach, it becomes sensible to think of it as a master of the arena. Every firm has its specialty in something and AWS has its in cloud computing. With proper grip over safety, affordability and reliance, AWS Cloud Services will continue to exhibit its mastery over cloud computing in the coming years.

Cloud computing is a sticky business—one has to keep continuing unless something very unfortunate happens and the company/individual has to switch to some other company. AWS delivers a promising cloud service that is capable of lasting with you for the lifetime. You won’t have to spend years and millions of dollars over inter-cloud transfer for AWS Cloud Services will not award you with any discouragement. It will let you keep your customer relation intact and blooming through its seamless services, acquiring its own success, thereby.

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Top 10 Advantages of Cloud Computing

cloud computing

In simple words, cloud computing may be called as computing that is based entirely on the internet. As in the past, where people needed to run programs or applications from software which would be downloaded from a server or a physical computer, cloud computing services help them to access those applications through the medium of internet. When you make any status update on your Facebook account, you make use of cloud computing. When you check your bank account balance on the phone, again you make use of cloud computing. We can say that cloud computing services are becoming the new common.

The most trending cloud computing services are the AWS Cloud Services (Amazon Web Services). It is an evolving and comprehensive platform for cloud computing offered by Amazon. It offers more than three others varied services including RedShift, DynamoDB, and Mechanical Turk etc.

According to the estimates, 90% of the businesses in the United Kingdom are using a minimum of one cloud service. Have you ever wondered why so many businesses are moving towards it? It is simply because there are several advantages of cloud computing. It helps in improving the cash flow, increases the efficiency and numerous others. Have a look at these top 10 advantages of cloud computing.

1. Less Costs The services are free from capital expenditure. There are no huge costs of hardware in cloud computing. You just have to pay as you operate it and enjoy the model based on your subscription plan.

2. 24 X 7 Availability Most of the cloud providers are truly reliable in offering their services, with most of them maintaining an uptime of 99.9%. The workers can get onto the applications needed basically from anywhere. Some of the applications even function off-line.

3. Flexibility in Capacity It offers flexible facility which could be turned off, up or down as per the circumstances of the user. For instance, a promotion of sales is very popular, capacity can be immediately and quickly added to it for the avoidance of losing sales and crashing servers. When those sales are done, the capacity can also be shrunk for the reduction of costs.

4. All over Functioning Cloud computing offers yet another advantage of working from anywhere across the globe, as long as you have an internet connection. Even while using the critical cloud services that offer mobile apps, there is no limitation of the device used.

5. Automated Updates on Software In cloud computing, the server suppliers regularly update your software including the updates on security, so that you do not need to agonize on wasting your crucial time on maintaining the system. You find extra time to focus on the important things like ‘How to grow your businesses.

6. Security Cloud computing offers great security when any sensitive data has been lost. As the data is stored in the system, it can be easily accessed even if something happens to your computer. You can even remotely wipe out data from the lost machines for avoiding it getting in the wrong hands.

7. Carbon Footprint Cloud computing is helping out organizations to reduce their carbon footprint. Organizations utilize only the amount of resources they need, which helps them to avoid any over-provisioning. Hence, no waste of resources and thus energy.

8. Enhanced Collaboration Cloud applications enhance collaboration by authorizing diverse groups of people virtually meet and exchange information with the help of shared storage. Such capability helps in improving the customer service and product development and also reducing the marketing time.

9. Control on the Documents Before cloud came into being, workers needed to send files in and out as the email attachments for being worked on by a single user at one time ultimately ending up with a mess of contrary titles, formats, and file content. Moving to cloud computing has facilitated central file storage.

10. Easily Manageable Cloud computing offers simplified and enhanced IT maintenance and management capacities by agreements backed by SLA, central resource administration and managed infrastructure. You get to enjoy a basic user interface without any requirement for installation. Plus you are assured guaranteed and timely management, maintenance, and delivery of the IT services.

Even the few of these advantages of cloud computing might be enough to persuade businesses to move onto the cloud computing services. But when summed up all of these 10, it is accosting no-brainer domain.

Cloud Computing: Empowering Businesses of all Sizes

Cloud computing is now widely accepted as a solution that is here to stay for businesses looking to streamline, centralise and add value to their operations. Pavin argues that cloud, while not a game-changer for large companies, has brought forward a revolution for a huge number of businesses, in particular when it comes to adding enterprise-level capabilities on a small business budget.

In a business, it also offers an easy way to deploy tools, services and manage access. Pavin notes from his personal experience the ease of no longer having to ask the IT department in order to get access to specific tools, to get accesses validated for different systems, or having to ask an IT guy to come and actually install software on a laptop. Cloud allows for easier deployment and management in a controlled and secure environment.

Read more..

Best Cloud Services

Choosing the best cloud service comes down to personal preference based on whether you want to access files on the go, back up your files for security or collaborate with colleagues on projects.

As ethereal as cloud computing sounds, it simply refers to an external server where you store data. It’s essentially a hard drive on which you lease space. Cloud computing has improved over the past several years, which has extended to storage space, software as a service (SaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).

For our buying guide, we chose the best cloud services that let you store all your data, including media files, documents, emails, contacts and calendar information. They also let you access those items through the cloud service’s desktop and mobile app, and via browsers, which is important whether you’re running a small business, you’re an entrepreneur or you’re an individual who simply wants more space.

Some cloud service providers in our guide are made for Mac lovers, and some are great for any device. A handful let you edit files in the cloud, whereas others require you or your client download files first. All the services we included here let you store music, photos, videos and documents, while others offer broader storage options.

Choosing the best cloud service comes down to personal preference based on whether you want to access files on the go, back up your files for security or collaborate with colleagues on projects. Many of these services are excellent choices, regardless of your storage needs, but if you’re running an enterprise-level business, you may require a business cloud storage service. For more information on what the cloud is and how it can change how you do business, read our articles on cloud computing. Read more..

Cloud security faces the public sector test – a Q/A with Doug VanDyke of AWS

One highlight of the Infor Federal Forum was a view from AWS on the dynamics of public sector security. I missed him that day, but I tracked down AWS presenter Doug VanDyke to get his take on cloud security, and share the reactions to his keynote.

Few things bug me as much as an interview opportunity missed. I covered the Infor Federal Forum event from several angles, but I wasn’t able to sit down with an important piece of the puzzle: a guest keynote from Amazon Web Services on public sector cloud security. Read more..

Benefits of Cloud Services for Businesses

Cloud-Businesses- Services
Cloud Services have undoubtedly become one of the most valuable computing services available on the Internet these days. There is no denying the fact that the Cloud has changed the very essence of running applications on different platforms. In the past, people used to run applications or programs hard stored in their computers. However, with the advent of Cloud Computing, people can run these applications from anywhere on the Internet.

For this very reason, there have been a lot of benefits which have come to the fore, with respect to Cloud Computing. No matter if you own a small business or are the CEO of a conglomerate, chances are, your business can benefit immensely from the use of Cloud Computing.

Here are some benefits of cloud services for businesses:

Cost savings: Every business owner wants to save money. Cloud storage can go a long way when it comes to securing and providing affordable storage solutions to businesses through Cloud computing. This way, providers can effectively distribute the costs of their infrastructure and make it cost effective for businesses wanting to conduct their business through the use of Internet. At the same time, Cloud storage can help save costs related to hardware and maintenance, since these are all considered capital expenditures, which add to the overall cost of a business’s expense list.

Convenience: Convenience is yet another factor which helps keep the Cloud business going. Since everything moves to the Internet, there are no physical servers or hardware you need to maintain to keep everything running smoothly. Everything gets transferred to your Cloud provider, who will be incurring the cost of maintaining the Cloud storage systems for your business and keep the services running without interruptions.

Security: All the Cloud storage is housed in an exclusive data center; this way, since no hardware is stored within the office, it becomes easier to maintain security. As the security is enhanced, there is no single point of failure, making the concept of storage all the more exclusive and safe. In other words, in case even one server crashes, your data will always remain safe, making it a fool proof way to maintain and store data.

Mobility: One of the main reasons for employing Cloud Storage in a business world is the mobility it offers to the customers. All you need is an Internet connection to get going and you will be all set to work from anywhere. No matter if you are waiting at the airport or sitting at home or travelling to another country, if you have an Internet connection, you can always stay connected.

Scalability: What you use is what you pay for! This is how simple it is. You don’t need to worry about ending up with unused storage space at the end of the month. This is the flexibility you get with Cloud storage. Modify your needs as your usage increases or decreases, so that you can adjust your usage with convenience.

Automatic software updates: Since the servers are not on the same premises as your business, you don’t have to worry about anything at all. The service providers roll out different updates for you periodically, thereby allowing you to stay abreast of all the latest services being provided by the Cloud storage providers.

Increased team collaborations: Since a lot of teams can be brought onboard to manage the data, there is always someone available to streamline and perform data monitoring. Gone are the days when each team member had to wait to access data from the server. With the Cloud services in place, everyone can access data at the same time, thereby making team collaboration more effective and well coordinated.

Environment friendly usage policies: As you increase/decrease your usage, the carbon footprint also fluctuates. This way, the environment also gets the love it deserves as your company does its bit in making the environment healthier and better.

Licenses: Pre-procured licenses can go a long way in the Cloud industry. However, procuring licenses from Cloud providers again and again can often prove to be a costly affair in the long run. This way, it’s always beneficial to have a set of licenses which can be used again and again.

Considering the points above, there are endless benefits a business can avail by making use of the Cloud service. The sooner you move to the Cloud, the faster and more effective the results you can garner in the short run and the long run alike.

AWS Still Owns the Cloud

When Amazon announced its earnings for its Amazon Web Services cloud division on Thursday, the results were hardly surprising. While AWS might not have the eye-popping growth percentages of its rivals, it still grew at a decent 47 percent, with earnings of $3.53 billion on an astonishing $14.2 billion run rate.

You may point to the rivals and say, well, they had better quarters from a growth standpoint, but it’s important to remember it’s easier to grow from a small number to a bigger small number than it is to grow from a big number. In that sense, AWS could be seen simply as a victim of its own success. Read more…