Cloud technology is entering the era of the multi-cloud. When using multiple clouds supported by various cloud providers, organizations can reap the best features of each, thereby making their cloud infrastructure far more flexible.

During his opening keynote at Dell Technologies World Conference in May, CEO Michael Dell expressed his views on multi-clouds as the future of cloud technology. According to Dell, multi-cloud ecosystems will harness the combined power of edge computing with artificial intelligence (AI) to “process and deliver data across 5G networks in highly automated environments.” 

Multi-cloud technology is already expanding rapidly. According to Dell, 90 percent of his company’s customers currently have both on-premise and public cloud environments, while 75 percent are using three to four different clouds. However, he also noted that multi-cloud technology is creating larger amounts of data and security challenges in the process.

“Anything you want to do in today’s world, from [decentralized finance] to blockchain to metaverse, and autonomous vehicles, and robotics, smart everythings, based exploration, AI, disaster recovery, AR/VR — all these things consume and create tremendous amounts of distributed data and distributed computing power,” he said. “And because workloads follow data, the distributed future will be much bigger than you can imagine, and so will the attack surface. Ransomware attacks are the No. 1 threat for most organizations, and are occurring every 11 seconds, with an average cost of $13 million per occurrence.”

Despite some challenges, multi-cloud technology holds huge promises for organizations. When paired with hybrid cloud, in which an organization splits its data between a cloud and an on-premise datacenter, multi-cloud infrastructure can create a truly decentralized cloud platform. This allows an organization to not depend on any singular data center or provider. According to Entrepreneur, this approach allows organizations to customize their technological environment to their specific needs.

How Cloud Technology Is Already Advancing Health Care

One industry that is already gaining benefits from cloud technology is health care. According to Forbes, these benefits include expanding access to telehealth, which has already begun under the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth is working to make it possible for more people in both rural and urban areas to access physicians. 

Other benefits include faster drug testing and manufacturing. For example, vaccine maker Moderna was able to speed approval for its COVID-19 vaccines with support from cloud computing through Amazon Web Services. By using cloud computing, the company was able to build a technology to rapidly test vaccines. 

“Moderna runs its Drug Design Studio on AWS’s highly scalable compute and storage infrastructure to quickly design mRNA sequences for protein targets. It then uses analytics and machine learning to optimize those sequences for production so that the company’s automated manufacturing platform can successfully convert them into physical mRNA for testing,” state Moderna and AWS.

Understanding Challenges of the Cloud

Organizations are only beginning to realize the benefits of cloud computing. However, before they adopt the cloud, they must first understand the challenges that come with embracing this rapidly advancing technology.

To learn more about the benefits and challenges of cloud computing and how it pertains to your organization, check out Cloud Computing on the IEEE Learning Network. This online course program includes 25 self-paced courses focused on various aspects of cloud computing technologies.

Interested in getting access for your organization? Contact an IEEE Content Specialist for more details.

Resource

Kuehne, Joe. (9 May 2022). Dell Tech World: Michael Dell Proclaims That the Future Is Multicloud. BizTech.

Montoya, Sergio Ramos. (10 May 2022). This is how cloud computing advances, a valuable resource for companies. Entrepreneur.

Schnitfink, Theo. (10 May 2022). How Technology Puts The ‘Care’ In Healthcare: The Role Of The Cloud During The Pandemic. Forbes.

Press Release. AWS Powers Moderna’s Digital Biotechnology Platform to Develop New Class of Vaccines and Therapeutics. Businesswire.

By 2025, there will be over 23 billion connections on the Internet of Things (IoT) compared to 15.1 billion in 2021, according to a recent report from GSMA, an industry organization that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide. 

The Internet of Things is a network of interlinked devices that harness the internet to continuously capture and process data and analytics from physical objects. As IoT adoption increases and it becomes more integrated, global supply chains are expected to reap major benefits. For example, IoT devices create multiple interaction points along supply chains that provide advanced data collection, factory automation, GPS shipment tracking, and enhanced communication between machines and people. 

According to Dipti Parmar, writing in CIO, there are two major ways that IoT – combined with artificial intelligence, wireless sensor networks, 5G, and big data – will make supply chains smarter, faster, and more efficient:

Eliminates dependency on complicated infrastructure:

Traditional tracking systems for supply chain analytics are expensive, time consuming, overly complex, and often lead to dependency on vendors. IoT-based data loggers, which can be attached to shipments and send data to cloud-based servers, can solve these issues. Once attached to shipments, these loggers can monitor thousands of goods traveling across the supply chain. This level of detail gives everyone involved valuable insight into any problems —such as temperature changes or container tilting — that could be affecting the shipments in real time. The loggers are also more affordable than traditional hardware used to track shipments, and can provide enhanced analytics for enhanced decision making.

Provides equal access to data:

In an IoT-enhanced supply chain, data is accessible in real time to everyone involved in the shipment of goods. With improved monitoring and visibility, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers can: 

• make better and faster decisions
• save time and money
• improve forecasting
• reduce waste
• take more calculated risks
• increase revenue

IoT Depends on Advanced Cloud Technology

While the Internet of Things has the power to transform supply chains, its success will depend heavily on cloud computing technology. This is because IoT devices must be able to connect and send information to the cloud in a centralized location, which allows devices to communicate with one another. As such, organizations that want to adapt the benefits of IoT also need to embrace advanced cloud technology. 

“The cloud helps in this operation by streamlining and optimizing machine-to-machine communications and facilitating this across interfaces,” writes Ritesh Sutaria, Director of Prompt Softech, a custom forward development company, in IoT for All. “With the increased interactions between many connected devices and immense volumes of data generated, organizations will have to find a cost-effective way to store, process, and access data from their IoT solutions.”

Ongoing Disruptions Will Drive IoT Adoption

Despite its many benefits, industries have been hesitant to adopt IoT. However, ongoing challenges in the supply system, such as disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, will likely encourage more organizations to start adopting the technology in coming years. 

“Speed and reliability have always been and will continue to be the driving factors of the supply chain for the foreseeable future,” writes Parmar. “The next few months will be critical for companies that bank on data to improve their supply chains. They have a never-before opportunity to build on the momentum and insights gained as a result of COVID-related disruptions by adopting newer technology and systems. The ones that fail to adapt to changing realities will likely be left behind by more agile competitors.”

As organizations adopt IoT, they will increasingly depend on technical professionals who understand this complex technology. Learning the applications, principles, and trends behind the technology is a great way to make your skills more relevant. 

Want to Improve Your IoT Skills? Check out the IEEE Academy on IoT

Are you a professional engineer interested in improving your understanding of the Internet of Things? IEEE has created a new academy that combines existing IoT educational materials with the latest research and developments to help guide technical professionals in this expanding field. 

IEEE Academies are primarily for technical professionals who need to understand new technical information quickly so they can apply it to their work. In addition to gaining new skills and knowledge, participants will also earn a certificate upon their completion. There are two IoT learning paths from which to choose— and both are available on the IEEE Learning Network (ILN)!

IEEE Academy on Internet of Things (IoT): Communications Standards

Communication technology is an essential part of the Internet of Things as it allows devices to connect to each other. This learning path covers the basic principles of communication technology and practical usage of standardized communication. Learn more. 

IEEE Academy on Internet of Things (IoT): Computing Platforms

IoT computing platforms are essential to the development and deployment of IoT applications. This learning path covers all these aspects by providing an overview of the current state-of-art and future trends on computing platforms for IoT applications. Learn more.

What Are IEEE Academies?

IEEE Academies are designed to teach in-demand technical concepts in a new way to IEEE members working in industry. This new learning format at IEEE will help members understand a technical concept without needing a deep background in that technology. This will ensure they understand the fundamental concepts so they can apply them in the context of their general work and technical needs. Learn more about IEEE Academies.

Resources

Sutaria, Ritesh. (8 April 2022). Unveiling the Potential Relationship between IoT and Cloud Computing. IoT for All. 

Parmar, Dipti. (12 April 2022). How data from IoT devices is changing supply chain analytics. CIO. 

The Mobile Economy 2022. GSMA.

The COVID-19 pandemic is fueling reliance on remote work, thereby increasing the need for cloud computing in organizations.

The video conferencing platform Zoom has received a 300% day-to-day increase in use, according to a JPMorgan study. Additionally, Microsoft’s collaboration platform Teams saw a jump in 12 million daily users the week of March 18. In India, 64% of organizations are expected to transition to cloud computing amidst the pandemic. In Europe, a cloud computing project dubbed Gaia-X—a collaboration between the European Commission and the French and German governments—aims to create a European-based cloud environment that will lessen the continent’s dependence on private companies. 

“Cloud computing, which has been touted for its flexibility, reliability and security, has emerged as one of the few saving graces for businesses during this pandemic,” writes Evan Ellis, CEO and President of K2, in Forbes. “Its use is critical for companies to maintain operations, but even more critical for their ability to continue to service their customers. However, many organizations have lost sight of the original purpose of the cloud and are therefore failing to fully harness its potential.”

The Benefits of Transitioning to the Cloud

Without cloud computing, this large-scale dependence on remote work would not be possible. As the pandemic pushes more organizations to rely on the cloud, it will likely speed a shift from hybrid public-private cloud models to fully-integrated cloud models. According to David Linthicum, Chief Cloud Strategy Officer at Deloitte Consulting LLP, the benefits of fully transitioning to the cloud include:

1) Flexible storage: Because the public cloud is more flexible than physical storage, it offers benefits such as virtual servers that don’t need to be managed manually, quick access to on-demand storage with no limit to the amount you can store, and the ability to embed resiliency.
2) The ability to shift processes to different areas in the cloud and maneuver around disruptions.
3) Enhanced security features including identity advanced encryption in flight and at rest, multifactor authentication (MFA), access management (IAM), and biometrics.
4) Advanced remote control over assets in the public cloud in situations where physical assets cannot be accessed, such as the current situation of widespread business closures during the pandemic.

How to Adopt Fully to the Cloud

To transition fully to the cloud, Ellis recommends the following steps:

1) Have a plan: Make an assessment of your current infrastructure before moving forward.
2) Prepare your apps: Some apps may already be ready to move to the cloud, while you may need to be modernize or replace others.
3) Make the commitment to transition fully to the cloud: Enable and train your users to utilize apps in the cloud. Additionally, prepare to adapt to a cloud system that will require smaller and more frequent updates.

Understand the Challenges

Before moving forward, you’ll need to consider the challenges involved. First, inexperienced IT professionals may inadvertently expose private data when transitioning data to the public cloud—meaning it is vital to make sure they are properly trained before making the transition. Second, it’s important to have a good understanding of how much storage you will need to provision before you make the switch.

“The overall message here is that there is value in looking at potential cloud computing solutions,” writes Linthicum. “When the crisis passes and IT falls into a ‘new normal’ routine, enterprises should assess how well they fared through the event by checking in with their ops teams. If your ops teams have worked regular days during the crisis, chances are you had the right mix of cloud or noncloud technology. A stressed ops team could mean there is much that can be improved.”

Understand the Cloud

Learn more about the benefits and challenges of cloud computing and how it pertains to your organization. Check out the Cloud Computing Course Program, which offers 37 self-paced courses focused on various aspects of cloud computing technologies.

Contact an IEEE Content Specialist for more details about getting access to this program for your organization.

Interested in getting the program for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network today.

Resources

(3 June 2020). 64% Indian firms to adopt cloud computing amid COVID-19 pandemic: IDC. The News Minute.

Potoroaca, Adrian. (4 June 2020). France and Germany back plans to create a European cloud computing ecosystem dubbed Gaia-X. TECHSPOT.

Linthicum, David. (26 May 2020). Leveraging The Cloud During The Pandemic. Forbes.

Ellis, Evan. (22 May 2020). The Current Pandemic Gives Cloud Computing A Needed Jolt. Forbes.

By utilizing multi-cloud systems, organizations are able to run their systems and store data across various cloud providers. According to the IBM Institute for Business Value, 85% of companies are currently using a multi-cloud system to manage their information. While the multi-cloud has its advantages, it also creates specific challenges that organizations need to take into consideration. Learn what you can do to work around the three most common challenges.

Network

Moving data around in the same cloud infrastructure is faster than having that information go across the internet. This means that network bandwidth and latency rates need to be taken into consideration when working with multi-cloud architectures.

If you are using a multi-cloud approach, this bottleneck is unavoidable. Network connectivity is the only way for the various clouds to communicate with one another. Fortunately, your IT team can use the approaches below to keep connectivity issues to a minimum.

• Avoid having large amounts of data stored in one cloud and processed in another. While one cloud storage service might cost less, it is not worth the potential performance issues.
• Compress data before sending it to another cloud.
• If you have workloads that are mirrored across two or more clouds to improve reliability, make sure that each cloud’s instance of the workload can operate independently when not synced. This minimizes data transfer delays that can affect performance.

Monitoring

Recognizing performance and availability problems is difficult when monitoring multiple clouds. Finding a reliable cloud monitoring tool can help you avoid this issue. Most APM solutions are able to support the majority of clouds. This gives organizations multiple options for finding the right monitoring tool.

Nevertheless, efficient performance monitoring for multi-clouds includes ensuring that the tool understands how the cloud’s workload functions. In order to alert you of incoming problems, the monitoring tool needs to recognize that the two workloads are running in different clouds although they are connected and dependent upon each other.

Scaling

One advantage of cloud computing is the ability to scale resources for workloads quickly depending on demand. However, when it is done across multiple clouds, this can be difficult.

While you cannot use Azure’s auto-scaling to scale up AWS components, you can configure autoscaling for each individual cloud. This approach should not require too much effort from your IT team. However, should this approach not work, teams can rely on a universal control plane to manage their multi-clouds. A universal control plane automates the scaling and load-balancing across multiple clouds, eliminating the need to configure each cloud.

Finding the Best Cloud Solution

Learn more about the benefits and challenges of cloud computing and how it pertains to your organization. Check out the Cloud Computing Course Program, which offers 37 self-paced courses focused on various aspects of cloud computing technologies.

Contact an IEEE Content Specialist for more details about getting access to this program for your organization.

Interested in getting the program for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network today.

 

Resources

Tozzi, Christopher. (25 November 2019). Multicloud Architecture: 3 Common Performance Challenges and Solutions. ITPro Today.

Jen, Miller. (8 November 2019). Multicloud vs. hybrid cloud: What it all means. CIO Dive.

Cloud security threats come in many different forms including data breaches, hijacked accounts, data loss, denial of service, and system vulnerabilities. As organizations and individuals continue to adopt the cloud, securing all of the stored information is a top priority. Companies must be aware of the risks and solutions in order to prevent serious damage.

Security Risks to Cloud Data

Data Breaches

Any data stored in the cloud is at risk for cyber-attack. From phishing to security scams, hackers are constantly developing new ways of gaining access to sensitive information. This type of attack can damage a company’s reputation and affect its market position. Furthermore, it can also lead to legal issues if customers’ personal information was released.

Access Management

Without multi-factor authentication and strong passwords, cyber criminals can easily gain access to accounts. Once they’ve hacked into one account, unauthorized users can access private information. Depending on the hacked account’s permissions, bad actors could cause a sizable data breach.

Insecure interfaces

Because your company’s API and UI are exposed to the public, having strict authentication can help ensure that cyber criminals cannot gain access. However, inadequate security leaves your interfaces vulnerable to attack. Possible consequences include jeopardized confidentiality, accountability, integrity, and availability.

Data Loss

Although many cloud providers heavily focus on security, not all attacks can be prevented. Should hackers gain access to your system, it’s possible that they could erase all of your data with the intention of ransoming it. If no backup storage is in place, your organization could face a permanent loss of data.

Hijacking

Account hijacking is a form of identity theft that involves cyber criminals using stolen information in their attacks. When this occurs, your organization can lose control of its account, data, functions, business logic, and any other dependable applications on the account. A breach of this form should be taken very seriously. It can lead to large data leaks and damage to the company’s reputation.

Insiders

While outside hackers may be the first party that comes to mind, they are not the only threat to your cloud’s security. Current or former employees also pose a risk. Because they already have access to the company’s sensitive information, a malicious insider could expose or sell proprietary information. To minimize the risk of an internal attack, it’s vital to ensure user permissions are kept up to date based on employment status.

Best Practices for Cloud Security

As more people store their information in the cloud, the risk of cyber attacks increases. With a larger pool of potential targets, bad actors are furthered incentivized to develop new schemes. Despite this, the cloud is still a worthwhile storage option.

Steps you should take to secure your information include:

• Encrypting data
• Using two-factor authentication
• Understanding open API frameworks
• Making sure everyone uses hard-to-crack passwords
• Restricting accessibility to sensitive information

Protect your business

Having the right tools and systems in place can prevent data breaches and cyber crimes. As the world becomes more automated, it’s crucial for your organization to understand the available cyber security measures to protect its data and devices. Cyber Security Tools for Today’s Environment, an online 11-course program from IEEE, helps businesses improve their security techniques.

Contact a specialist today to get access to the course program for your organization.

Interested in learning about getting access to the course for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network to learn more.

 

Resources

Nailwal, Mukesh. (14 October 2019). CLOUD SECURITY BASICS: HOW TO ENSURE THAT YOUR DATA IS SAFE. Techgenix.

Soni, Rakesh. (11 October 2019). The Rise of Cloud Computing Threats: How to protect your cloud customers from security risks. Customer Think.

Depending on how many of the 30 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices forecast for global deployment by 2020 rely on the cloud, managing the deluge of IoT-generated data makes proper processing seem near impossible. Traditional cloud computing has serious disadvantages, including data security threats, performance issues, and growing operational costs. Because most data saved in the cloud has little significance and is rarely used, it becomes a waste of resources and storage space.

In many instances, it would be incredibly beneficial to handle data on the device where it’s generated. That’s where edge computing comes in. Edge computing helps decentralize data processing and lower dependence on the cloud.

Edge computing has several advantages, such as:

• Increasing data security and privacy
• Better, more responsive and robust application performance
• Reducing operational costs
• Improving business efficiency and reliability
• Unlimited scalability
• Conserving network and computing resources
• Reducing latency

 

Edge Computing Use Cases

Prime use cases, which take full advantage of edge technology, include:

Autonomous Vehicles: The decision to stop for a pedestrian crossing in front of an autonomous vehicle (AV) must be made immediately. Relying on a remote server to handle this decision is not reasonable. Additionally, vehicles that utilize edge technology can interact more efficiently because they can communicate with each other first as opposed to sending data on accidents, weather conditions, traffic, or detours to a remote server first. Edge computing can help.

Healthcare Devices: Health monitors and other wearable healthcare devices can keep an eye on chronic conditions for patients. It can save lives by instantly alerting caregivers when help is required. Additionally, robots assisting in surgery must be able to quickly analyze data in order to assist safely, quickly, and accurately. If these devices rely on transmitting data to the cloud before making decisions, the results could be fatal.

Security Solutions: Because it’s necessary to respond to threats within seconds, security surveillance systems can also benefit from edge computing technology. Security systems can identify potential threats and alert users to unusual activity in real-time.

Retail Advertising: Targeted ads and information for retail organizations are based on key parameters, such as demographic information, set on field devices. In this use case, edge computing can help protect user privacy. It can encrypt the data and keep the source rather than sending unprotected information to the cloud.

Smart Speakers: Smart speakers can gain the ability to interpret voice instructions locally in order to run basic commands. Turning lights on or off, or adjusting thermostat settings, even if internet connectivity fails would be possible.

Video Conferencing: Poor video quality, voice delays, frozen screens— a slow link to the cloud can cause many video conferencing frustrations. By placing the server-side of video conferencing software closer to participants, quality problems can be reduced.

Further Enhanced Security

Although edge computing is a sensible alternative to cloud computing in many instances, there’s always room for improvement. According to “Reconfigurable Security: Edge Computing-Based Framework for IoT”, a paper published by IEEE Network, existing IoT security protocols need improvement.

A possible solution to better secure IoT-generated data is an IoT management element called the Security Agent. This new piece would use routers and other near-edge boxes to manage the computing the IoT device could not take on. In addition to being more secure, it’ll simplify the management of keys. The Security Agent box has the capability of running copious sensors that are difficult to access. The researchers’ state that if the needed authentification is not completed quickly, IoT applications will fail.

Getting Up to Speed

Designed for organizations investing heavily in this critical technology, IEEE Introduction to Edge Computing is a five-course program designed to train your entire team to support edge computing. The online, on-demand courses included in this program are:

• Overview of Edge Computing
• Practical Applications of Edge Computing
• Research Challenges in Edge Computing
• Designing Security Solutions for Edge, Cloud, and IoT
• Tools and Software for Edge Computing Applications

To learn more about getting access to these courses for your organization, connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today.

 

Resources

Aleksandrova, Mary. (1 Feb 2019). The Impact of Edge Computing on IoT: The Main Benefits and Real-Life Use Cases. Eastern Peak.

Nelson, Patrick. (10 Jan 2019). How edge computing can help secure the IoT. Network World.

Caulfield, Matt. (23 Oct 2018). Edge Computing: 9 Killer Use Cases for Now & the Future. Medium.

Talluri, Raj. (24 Oct 2017). Why edge computing is critical for the IoT. Network World.