Mitchel Zilbershteyn

MIS 3406 Bonus Assignment

The topics I chose to discuss are edge computing and cloud security. Edge computing is a method for transmitting data that moves the necessary data closer to the source of it rather than towards a central data collection system, which lets on site servers perform analysis of the data directly at the source of collection rather than in a central data center. This allows for real time data insight to occur, which then can be sent to a central data collection system for further analyzation. It also takes the strain off of the network by retaining data instead of transferring tons of it at once, which can cause disruptions on the network due to its size. Cloud security is a branch of cyber security solely dedicated so securing cloud assets. It keeps data that is transmitted across cloud services safe by securing not just the network itself but also all of the devices that the network consists of, such as data servers, operating systems, and network applications.

Both of these topics play into the concepts covered in MIS 3406. Edge computing, while different in the fact that it utilizes physical data centers rather than virtual ones like AWS does, is still similar in the way that it can capture and interpret data in real time. One cloud computing concept that relates to edge computing is CloudWatch, which mimics the concept behind edge computing by analyzing instances in real time and triggering actions based on the amounts of data being used. Cloud security also relates to cloud computing because services like AWS utilize security groups and firewalls in order to secure virtual machines. Cloud security is very important when it comes to services like AWS because those cloud computing services need the data being transmitted to remain secure.

The topics also relate to one another because edge computing requires security for data transmission and storage. Without cloud security, the data collected from devices through edge computing would be vulnerable to attacks. If an edge computing database is not secure, bad actors could manipulate it, which could cause massive disruption on the network and for the device to malfunction. The data being transmitted from a server that does edge computing to a central data collection point must be secure as well in order to prevent it from being rerouted or exploited with malicious intent.

One example of edge computing can be sensors on a railroad track. These sensors can collect data about rail traffic, which can in turn be reviewed in order to derive information about the system, such as determining arrival and departure times from stations. By having sensors at the site as well as an on site server that does edge computing, operators of the system can execute real time decisions and updates, such as deriving the amount of time a train will be delayed. An example of cloud security in practice can be end-to-end encryption of data. By using a cloud security service to encrypt data for transmission, the data will be much less vulnerable to exploitation because it will require a specific key to be viewed, which only the intended recipient possesses, therefore making it much more difficult to be accessed by anyone else.

Works Cited:

Bigelow, S. J. (2021, December 8). What is edge computing? everything you need to know. SearchDataCenter. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/edge-computing