Despite being among the first to successfully and profitably implement cloud computing solutions, AWS officials said the company still has to constantly deal with questions about the reliability, security, cost, elasticity and other features of the cloud. In short, there are myths about cloud computing that persist despite increased industry adoption and thousands of successful cloud deployments. However, in an exclusive interview with eWEEK at Amazon's headquarters in Seattle, Adam Selipsky, vice president of AWS, set out to shoot down some of the myths of the cloud. Specifically, Selipsky debunked five cloud myths.

"We've seen a lot of misperceptions about what cloud computing is," he said.

Thus, the Cloud Computing Expo, as well as the virtual Cloud Lab and Cloud Slam events happening during the same week, provides a solid backdrop for Amazon’s myth busting.

Myth 1: The Cloud Is Not Reliable

Setting the tone for his argument, Selipsky first laid out the landscape. He noted that chief information officers (CIOs) in enterprise organizations have tough jobs and often are responsible for several thousand applications. They very much feel on the hook for the performance and security of these applications. And, when there are problems, they are used to walking down the hall or picking up a phone and choking their own person. There’s a certain comfort in knowing you can take some action if there is a problem. And, relinquishing that control and ability to scurry and take action is understandably difficult.

However, Selipsky says there are a few things customers should consider, and more and more customers are doing so as they adopt the cloud. One key thing to consider is that AWS' operational performance is quite good. In addition, customers have full control over their data. Said Selipsky:

·         They own the data, not us

·         They choose which location to store the data and it doesn’t move unless the customer decides to move it

·         They can encrypt their data at rest and in motion

·         Regardless of whether customers choose to encrypt or not, we never look at the data

Moreover, Selipsky said, "We have very strong data durability -- we’ve designed Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) for eleven 9’s of durability. We store multiple copies of each object across multiple locations."

Selipsky also said AWS has a "Versioning" feature that allows customers to revert to the last version of any object they unintentionally delete or somehow lose due to application failure. And customers can ensure additional fault tolerant applications by deploying their applications in multiple Availability Zones or using AWS' Load Balancing and Auto Scaling features.

"And, all that comes with no capex  [capital expenditures] for companies, a low per unit cost where you only pay for what you consume, the ability to add or shed servers for your business (and balance sheet) in minutes, and the ability to focus engineers on unique incremental value for your business," Selipsky said.

The origin of the reliability claims come from an illusion of control, he said. "People think if they can control it they have more say in how things go. It's like being in a car versus an airplane, but you're much safer in a plane."

Myth 2: Security and Privacy Are Not Adequate in the Cloud

Security is an end-to-end process and companies need to build security at every level of the stack, Selipsky said. Examining Amazon’s cloud, you will see that the same security isolations are employed as would be found in a traditional data center, he said. These include physical data center security, separation of the network, isolation of the server hardware, and isolation of storage. On the physical data center side, well before Amazon launched its cloud services, data centers had already become a frequently shared infrastructure. Companies realized that they could benefit by renting space in a data facility rather than building it, added Selipsky. Indeed, citing security fundamentals, Selipsky said:

·         Security could be maintained by providing badge-controlled access, guard stations, monitored security cameras, alarms, separate cages, and strictly audited procedures and processes.

·         Amazon Web Services’ data center security is identical to the best practices employed in private data facilities today. It has the added physical security advantage that customers have no need to access to the servers and networking gear inside. Because of this, access to the datacenter is even more strictly controlled than traditional rented facilities.

·         At the physical data center level, the Amazon cloud has equal or better isolation than could be expected from dedicated infrastructure.

Regarding the network, networks long ago ceased to be isolated physical islands, Selipsky noted. As companies found the need to connect to other companies, and then the Internet, their networks became connected with public infrastructure. They used special network functionality, such as firewalls and switch configurations, to prevent bad network traffic from getting in or important traffic from leaking out. As their network traffic increasingly passed over public infrastructure, companies began using additional isolation techniques, such as Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS) and encryption, to maintain the security of every packet on (or leaving) their network. Amazon’s approach to networking in its cloud is the same:  maintain packet-level isolation of network traffic and support industry-standard encryption. Because Amazon Web Services’ Virtual Private Cloud allows a customer to establish their own IP address space, customers can use the same tools and software infrastructure they’re already familiar with to monitor and control their cloud networks. Finally, Amazon’s scale allows significantly more investment in security policing and countermeasures than almost any large company could afford.

"Our security is strong and dug in at the DNA level," Selipsky said.

For original article by Darryl K. Taft click here