The Internet of Things is booming and the predictions are promising-Statista has estimated that there will be 75 billion connected devices by 2025.  https://www.youtube.com/embed/7kpE44tXQakInterestingly, these IoT devices don’t offer any major benefit on their own-it’s the data gathered by them that can translate into meaningful information and pave way for the advancement of IoT. Cloud computing services facilitate instantaneous, on-demand delivery of computing infrastructure, databases, storage and applications needed for the processing and analysis of data points generated through hundreds of IoT devices. 

No wonder 96% of the organizations have adopted cloud in one form or the other. And with the emergence of the likes of Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure and IBM Cloud, the growth prospects of IoT appear even brighter.

In this article, we will discuss why cloud computing is integral to the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT). So, let’s begin without further ado.

How Cloud Computing Augments the Growth of IoT?

Based on the principles of scalability and agility, the cloud is hailed as a revolutionary technology across the globe. Cloud solutions can catalyze the large-scale adoption of IoT initiatives. Here are some key reasons why the cloud is indispensable to the success of IoT.

Remote Computing Power

With rapid strides in 5G and internet speed, cloud technology is getting mainstreamed allowing businesses to access remote computing services at the click of a mouse. By reducing the need for maintaining on-premises infrastructure, the cloud has enabled organizations to transcend the conventional applications of IoT (e.g. in home appliances) and opened the doors for large-scale deployment of IoT in hitherto unexplored territories. 

Security and Privacy

The mushrooming of IoT devices may have allowed organizations to automate tasks, but it also poses grave security concerns. The cloud with its wide range of controls can be a viable solution here. Cloud solutions ease the implementation of foolproof security measures-it allows establishments to adopt robust encryption and authentication protocols. With top-notch cloud solutions, it’s possible to manage and secure the identity of users accessing the IoT devices. 

Data Integration

As IoT continues to gain prominence, establishments have begun experimenting with connected devices to extract real-time information on key business processes. While these devices improve operational efficiency and optimize costs, they also generate gargantuan data that are too cumbersome to process even for their analytical platforms. 

Cloud-based solutions come in handy here-cloud systems with their robust data integration capabilities handle massive volumes of data emanating from multiple sources. As a result, data from both enterprise systems and connected devices get stored, processed and analyzed in the same place. 

Low Entry Barrier 

Innovators in the IoT domain seek hassle-free hosting solutions. Cloud hosting solutions are quite appropriate in such situations. With cloud hosting solutions, IoT players harness the power of remote data centers in India without having to install cumbersome on-premises hardware and software. Besides, these cloud services operate on a ‘pay-as-you-go’ model where the user is billed as per the resources consumed by him. As a result, companies are able to avoid large upfront costs. 

With the emergence of innovative cloud hosting solutions, the entry barrier for most IoT-based businesses is getting minimized, allowing them to implement large-scale IoT initiatives in a seamless manner.

Business Continuity

Cloud computing solutions are known for their agility and reliability. Cloud services sit on the top of a network of servers that are housed in multiple locations. Their systems store copies of your data in multiple data centers in India. 

As a result of this redundancy, IoT-based operations continue to function even if one of the servers goes offline for some reason or the other. Plus, there is no risk of data loss. 

Inter-device Communication

In addition to communicating with us, IoT devices and services need to connect with each other. Cloud solutions facilitate seamless communication between IoT devices. They enable many robust APIs such as Cloudflare and Dropstr and allow interaction between connected devices and smartphones thereby paving the way for the growth of connected technologies. 

Pairing with Edge Computing

Edge computing or the practice of processing data near the edge of the network where the data is being generated is commonly employed in IoT-based solutions to trim down response time and expedite data processing. IoT deployments often employ a combination of cloud and edge computing to get the best of both worlds. 

To understand this better, consider a large factory equipped with thousands of IoT sensors. In such a scenario, it makes sense to aggregate the data close to the edge before sending it to the cloud for further processing. Doing so reduces the direct connections reaching the centralized cloud repository preventing it from getting overburdened. 

Edge data centers in India expedite real-time processing of data allowing the decision-makers to act faster. But an edge-only approach doesn’t offer a holistic picture of business operations. In the absence of a cloud solution, the factory may be able to monitor each piece of equipment individually but won’t be able to assess how these devices are working in relation to each other. Only an optimal mix of cloud and edge can help businesses derive maximum value from their IoT initiatives.

Cloud and IoT: What’s the Way Forward?

With the rising adoption of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments, establishments are waking up to the indispensability of cloud solutions. The IoT landscape is also witnessing a remarkable shift. Newer devices and sensors are being experimented with every single day, necessitating the adoption of more innovative cloud computing solutions. 

In the wake of these developments, it’s safe to conclude that cloud computing will continue to offer avenues for the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT). Connectivity, reliability and computing power from the cloud will usher in a revolution in the IoT space.

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Organizations across the globe are increasingly relying on flexible, scalable cloud storage solutions to keep sensitive, confidential data. Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive all exemplify how cloud has become integral to our day-to-day work.

Cloud storage is convenient for it eliminates the need for carrying hardware devices everywhere. Transferring data to the cloud is far more efficient than creating a physical backup on pen drives or hard discs. It is also more budget-friendly in the long run.

The concept of cloud storage was introduced back in 1969 by J.C.R. Lickliter, America’s leading computer scientist. Lickliter conceived the idea of an “intergalactic computer network,” a global connection that let users with an internet connection access a remote storage system. 

Even after the inception of the World Wide Web in 1989 and first popular browser ‘Mosaic’ in 1993, the concept of the cloud was in infancy in the 1990s. Cloud storage gained ground in 2006 when Amazon released Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). This was followed by the release of cloud application systems such as Google Docs and Google Sheets. 

Over the last 10 years, cloud solutions have soared in popularity, so much so that robust cloud storage is a must-have for any organization, large or small. As more and more data gets stored remotely, the danger of a cyberattack lurks around.

So, what are the possible risks of cloud-based storage solutions? Is it possible to eliminate these risks? Let us dive deep and explore.

Why Is the Cloud Considered Safe in Comparison to Hardware Storage?

Cloud storage solutions are considered safer in comparison to hardware storage on account of several factors.

Cloud solutions offer a high level of redundancy. Popular cloud storage services by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft store minimum three copies of each piece of data and that too in different locations. To lose the data, you have to lose all three copies. That will happen only when three different hard drives in separate locations fail. The probability of such a mishap is understandably low. Even if the data gets lost from all the locations, it is still possible to recover the data. It will take a couple of days. 

In cloud storage, your data is kept on drives placed in remote data centers with multiple, almost impenetrable layers of security. Besides, cloud applications have password-restricted access that makes difficult, if not impossible for malicious entities to access the data. 

In addition to all this, cloud applications have a safe sharing policy. Those who use Google Drive for data storage might have a good idea of how cloud sharing works. 

The administrator can restrict access to files in the shared location. He can share a file with another user without letting him edit it or share it with a third user. He can prevent users outside his enterprise from accessing files, viewers, and commentators from downloading, copying, and printing files. The varying levels of control make the cloud a much secure platform.

However, we should not forget that the cloud is a trove of valuable information and, therefore, susceptible to cyberattacks. This brings us to the next point, i.e. the possible risks of keeping data on the cloud.

What Are the Risks of Storing Data on the Cloud?

Data stored on the cloud may be safer than that on physical devices, but it isn’t impenetrable by any standard. 

Let us discuss the risks involved with storing data on the cloud.

Authentication: Cloud storage applications are password-protected. Users are recommended to keep strong passwords, but this does not always happen. Weak passwords put enterprise data at risk. Passwords stored in easily-accessible locations raise the risk of a data breach.

Insecure Application Programming Interfaces (APIs): Cloud service providers offer a set of APIs that customers use to interact with cloud services. These interfaces allow the cloud service provider to provision, manage, and monitor the cloud platform. 

Tampering with the APIs can affect the availability and security of the cloud platform.

Account Hijacking: While account hijacking is not exclusive to the cloud, cloud applications are more vulnerable. 

In account hijacking, the attackers gain access to user credentials and impersonate the account owners. They eavesdrop on activities and transactions in the cloud, manipulate data, return counterfeit information, and direct clients to illegitimate sites. Stolen account credentials allow malicious actors to access critical data and exploit it to their advantage. 

Insider Threat: An organization’s worst nightmare can be a disgruntled employee leaking confidential information in public. Cloud applications have expanded the scope of insider threat. The vast number of cloud applications, along with their inadequate governance controls, have opened new avenues for data infiltration. The cloud providers also need to protect the data from unsolicited intrusion within their premises.

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): An advanced persistent threat is a sophisticated cyber attack program often orchestrated by a group of hackers. Designed with a specific motive, the attack targets carefully-chosen government networks or large enterprises.

An APT on the cloud can result in theft of intellectual property, website takeover, compromised sensitive information, and/or sabotaging of organizational infrastructure (through deletion of data, etc.). 

Distinct from traditional attacks, APTs are manually executed against a specific mark. They often infiltrate an entire network and remain there for a long time to steal as much information as possible.

Accidental Loss of Data: In addition to malicious attacks, data stored on the cloud can also be lost through accidental deletion by administrator or cloud service provider or a physical catastrophe such as floods or earthquake.

Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attack: One of the most common cyberattacks, a denial-of-service attack is designed to prevent the legitimate users of a cloud storage service from accessing it. A DoS attack forces the cloud service to consume disproportionate amounts of finite resources such as memory, disc space, network bandwidth, and processing power, making it unavailable to the intended users. 

While DoS may not result in significant loss of information or assets, the victim is often required to spend a lot of time and money fixing it.

Phishing: As per a report by Wombat Security, 76% of the organizations suffered phishing attacks in 2017.

The sheer number of cloud services have opened new routes for accessing critical enterprise data. Experts believe that phishing attacks involving cloud storage will soon outnumber the attacks on financial institutions.

Majority of phishing campaigns involving the cloud have lures saying an important document and/or picture has been shared with the user. This entices the user to log in on a fake webpage resembling Google Drive or Dropbox. Once the user enters his credentials, the cyber attacker gets this information and uses it to log in to the real cloud application account.

Inadequate Access and Identity Management: Organizations need to define and manage the roles and access privilege of individual network users and the conditions under which those users are granted or denied access. 

There should be just one digital identity per user. Once this digital identity has been established, it needs to be monitored throughout the life cycle of the user.

Inadequate access or identity management can cause unauthorized users to access the data and cause irreversible damage. Malicious entities masquerading as legitimate users can access, modify, or steal valuable data, control management functions, and release malware that appears to be coming from a legitimate source.

The Way Forward: Dealing with Cloud Security Issues

While there is no denying that data stored on the cloud poses certain security risks, it is possible to avert the threat to a great deal by bringing in stringent cloud security measures, some of which are:

Strong Passwords: Strong passwords are an easy way to minimize the chances of unsolicited parties accessing your data. 

Enterprises need to have unique, complex passwords that are tough to crack. A password should have a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. It should have at least 8 characters. Right to stay away from obvious passwords such as qwerty, 12345678, password to name a few.

Then, different applications should have different passwords. These should be changed at regular intervals, stored in secure locations, and shared sparingly. 

You can choose a much safer two-step verification for logging in if your cloud vendor offers the option.

Regular Backup: Although most of the cloud services provide regular backups, it is good to create an additional local backup. You can either choose a local cloud or back up manually with an external storage device such as a hard disc.

Effective Anti-Virus: Systems not adequately shielded against bugs and viruses offer easy access points to intruders. Robust anti-virus software prevents such malicious actors from making way into your systems.

Data Encryption: While most cloud services offer local encryption, some provide encryption during the uploading and downloading of files as well. Such a cloud security feature benefits businesses with sensitive data.

Even if your cloud service encrypts the data automatically, it is a good practice to use third-party tools that apply encryption to your files once you are done with editing.

Test your Security Measures: Even when you have all the necessary cloud security measures in place, it is vital to assess how difficult or easy it is for bad actors to gain authorized access. Some organizations hire ethical hackers to gauge their security position. If these hackers can easily make their way into your data, so can unsolicited entities.

The Final Word

Cloud storage solutions are an incredibly convenient way of storing your critical files. However, being a repository of valuable data, the cloud remains vulnerable to unsolicited parties. Selection of an appropriate cloud vendor and the adoption of robust security measures can go a long way in ensuring the safety and security of your data.

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