Introduction
Cloud computing has revolutionized the way organizations in the aviation sector approach the management of information systems. A company may opt for a particular method of deploying the infrastructure and computing resources in a cloud computing system. The common cloud computing methods include public, private, community, and hybrid clouds. Such cloud computing deployment approaches provide an array of benefits to aviation cyberspace, especially regarding information safety and assurance. Hence, it is crucial to examine the importance of cloud computing while using examples to illustrate the application of private and hybrid deployment methods in aviation cyberspace.
Cloud Computing Deployment Models
As Jansen and Grance (2011) reveal, deployment models, help to classify different categories of consumers who use cloud-computing services. The two common deployment models in the aviation sector include private and hybrid clouds. A private cloud constitutes a framework that provides infrastructure and computational resources via the Internet to facilitate the accessibility of services to a single organization. A third party or the organization itself can manage this category of deployment models. The implication is a private cloud can also be hosted externally by the vendor or within the specific company’s data center (Jansen & Grance, 2011). This deployment model allows organizations to store, manage, and process classified data.
The $85 million deal between IBM and Emirates Airline sealed in January 2018 shows the extent to which leading aviation companies prefer the private cloud as a deployment method (Desouky, 2018). This agreement informed the decision by IBM, the cloud computing service provider, to concentrate on the day-to-day management of Emirates’ IT infrastructure. Emirates Airlines was required to focus on its strategic initiative in the competitive aviation sector.
Specifically, IBM handled the backup environment for Emirates. It also facilitated the implementation of a private cloud solution at the aviation company’s two data centers situated in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (Desouky, 2018). Thus, the private cloud was hosted internally at the airline’s information stores to enable it to manage its information security effectively.
A hybrid cloud is regarded as one of the complex deployment models in the cloud-computing field. This form of cloud incorporates two or more deployment models, which include the public, private, or community clouds. Hence, each member accessing cloud services is considered a unique entity that is required to observe the proprietary of standardized technologies, which facilitates the application and accessibility of data (Jansen & Grance, 2011). Therefore, a hybrid cloud is shared among various members who demonstrate a particular have a degree of uniqueness when using multiple deployment methods.
Boeing, a leading aircraft manufacturer, has been applying the hybrid cloud deployment model for several years. It utilizes this framework to foster the management of information security as it carries out its operations. In 2014, David Nelson, the company’s chief cloud strategist, described how Boeing uses both the public cloud and on-premises data centers to establish a hybrid cloud computing environment (Butler, 2014). As a result, this company has managed to realize greater efficiency in running its applications. It has also recorded decreased costs of managing information security.
The Importance of Cloud Computing Information Security and Assurance
The above cloud computing deployment methods are beneficial to stakeholders in the aviation industry as far as information security and assurance are concerned. For instance, cloud computing helps to redefine aviation cyberspace, thus presenting an array of opportunities arising from the effective management of information security. The benefits of cloud computing information security and assurance range from reduced costs of ownership to enhanced customer engagement levels.
Cloud computing is vital in aviation cyberspace because it not only lowers the total cost of ownership (TCO) but also provides other benefits (Vagdevi & Guruprasad, 2015). The deployment of cloud computing in the aviation sector is cost-effective since it significantly reduces administrative and maintenance costs. Furthermore, cloud-based disaster recovery (DR) is a very beneficial strategy for retrieving data after the occurrence of a disastrous event (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2014). Compared to the traditional methods of DR, cloud-based DR is considerably affordable because organizations only pay for resources consumed while at the same time offering high-speed recovery.
Inter-cloud computing platforms such as hybrid clouds contribute to the flexibility of various deployment methods. They offer backups that provide uninterrupted availability of cloud services (Vagdevi & Guruprasad, 2015). Hence, cloud computing allows aviation companies to realize instant and sustainable protection of data. Therefore, according to NIST Cybersecurity Framework (2014), the resilience of cloud computing resources enables businesses in the aviation cyberspace to access real-time global services associated with the management, storage, and processing of data.
Overall, cloud computing is important since it significantly enhances the privacy and security of information. The integration of highly recurred infrastructure and computing resources ensures that a company using cloud services is protected from privacy and security threats such as data breaches, virus invasions, and DoS attacks (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2014). Thus, data privacy and security associated with cloud computing fosters airline operations by guaranteeing high customer engagement levels and, consequently, the productivity of businesses in this sector.
Conclusion
Deployment methods applied in the aviation sector include private and hybrid clouds. The private cloud allows a single organization to access could computing services hosted either on-premises or externally by the provider. The hybrid cloud consists of a combination of deployment methods such as private and public clouds to ensure that an organization realizes the benefits arising from inter-cloud computing. The aviation cyberspace experiences greater information security and assurance from cloud computing, which reduces costs while at the same time enhancing data recovery and the privacy and security of information.
References
Butler, B. (2014). How Boeing is using the cloud. Web.
Desouky, L. (2018). IBM signs US$85 million private cloud managed services agreement with Emirates airline. Web.
Jansen, W., & Grance, T. (2011). Guidelines on security and privacy in public cloud computing. Web.
National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2014). Framework for improving critical infrastructure cybersecurity. Web.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework. (2014). NIST cybersecurity framework (CFS) reference tool. Web.
Vagdevi, P., & Guruprasad, H. S. (2015). A study on cloud computing in aviation and aerospace. International Journal of Computer Science & Engineering Technology, 6(3), 94-98.