Securing the Cloud: Cloud Computer Security Techniques and Tactics [Paperback]

Vic (J.R.) Winkler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2011 | ISBN-10: 1597495921 | ISBN-13: 978-1597495929 | Edition: 1st

As companies turn to burgeoning cloud computing technology to streamline and save money, security is a fundamental concern. Loss of certain control and lack of trust make this transition difficult unless you know how to handle it. Securing the Cloud discusses making the move to the cloud while securing your piece of it! The cloud offers flexibility, adaptability, scalability, and in the case of security-resilience. This book details the strengths and weaknesses of securing your company's information with different cloud approaches. Attacks can focus on your infrastructure, communications network, data, or services. The author offers a clear and concise framework to secure your business' assets while making the most of this new technology.

• Named The 2011 Best Identity Management Book by InfoSec Reviews
• Provides a sturdy and stable framework to secure your piece of the cloud, considering alternate approaches such as private vs. public clouds, SaaS vs. IaaS, and loss of control and lack of trust
• Discusses the cloud's impact on security roles, highlighting security as a service, data backup, and disaster recovery
• Details the benefits of moving to the cloud-solving for limited availability of space, power, and storage

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With so much buzz around Cloud Computing, books like this one written by Winkler are much in demand. Winkler's experience in the computing business shines through and as readers we are spoiled with a great deal of useful strategic information  jam packed almost 300 page volume on securing the cloud. As a former pre-sales engineer, what I loved most about this book was the obvious hands-on strategic and technical experience that Winkler bought to every aspect of it. It is really a practitioner's guide to cloud computing security. I appreciated the descriptive figures, the tips, the warnings, the notes, the tools, the stories of failures and successes but most of all the comprehensive nature of the real world descriptions."--Computers & Security

"Securing the Cloud is the most useful and informative of all the books published to date on cloud security. If you are going to procure a cloud solution, or are already operating a cloud system, I would strongly recommend that you buy a copy."--Best Identity Management Book by InfoSecReviews Book Awards

"The author states this book will be a practical resource for anyone who is considering using, building or securing a cloud implementation, including infrastructure engineers, integrators, security architects, right up to execute-level management. The challenge with such a broad audience is pitching the text at the right level; I suspect some security professionals and executives may find the book far too detailed .. In the final chapter the author covers the operational aspects of managing a secure cloud. Overall a fairly technical but effective book, although perhaps a little too in-depth for execute-level management"--BCS.org

"Overall, this book is effective in delivering its message. However, it is very technical in nature; readers should be aware that it is more than a basic level text for understanding the requirements to be considered in securing cloud computing networks."--Security Management.com"[Winkler] - who has an impressive background in security, including at government level - makes a valiant attempt to cover the challenges that face them.The book doesn't so much as tell you how to do it as provide a generic blueprint detailing all the factors you'll need to consider to make safe use of cloud services.What [Winkler] does successfully is create a document against which you can judge your own policies and strategies. There are so many facets to cloud computing - and particularly to securing it - that it's easy to overlook something important. With this book, you can evaluate your plans and see where the gaps are."--networksecurity.com

"provides the reader with a good overview of what you need to do to ensure that your cloud-based infrastructure provides you with an adequate level of security.The booked is written for those who need a good high-level framework in which to design security around their cloud initiatives. The author provides many real-world examples of how you can implement the various scenarios he details. This makes some of the more abstract concepts a bit easier to understand."--Ben Rothke: Security Reading Room

"Overall, Winkler's book certainly achieves its goal, that is to 'help one facilitate the design, deployment and secure using of a cloud.' The work confirms that even advanced issues may be presented and explained in a transparent and comprehensible way. The author manages to guide a reader through all steps in cloud computing, from implementation or choice of a service provider to efficient protection of a user's data. This book is highly recommended to network engineers but may also be worth reading for anyone interested in cloud computing."-- IEEE Communications September 2011, p. 20

"This comprehensive guide to security concerns and best practices for cloud computing and cloud services provides practical advice for assessing security risks in remote infrastructure and applications and implementing security standards both in the design of new cloud products and the use of existing services. Topics discussed include cloud computing architectures, risk issues and legal topics, data security, internal and external clouds, information security frameworks and operational guidelines. Chapters include summaries, numerous illustrations and organizational charts, tables and sidebars. Winkler works for Booz Allen Hamilton, a security consulting firm working for the US government."--SciTech Book News

"Securing the Cloud might be the very first considerably technical book that I read as if it were a novel, and I attribute that to the author's great writing. He doesn't complicate what is simple, and has a way of simplifying complex concepts that makes for some very easy reading."--HelpNetSecurity.com

From the Back Cover

As companies turn to burgeoning cloud computing technology to streamline and save money, security is a fundamental concern. Loss of certain control and lack of trust make this transition difficult unless you know how to handle it. Securing the Cloud discusses making the move to the cloud while securing your piece of it! The cloud offers flexibility, adaptability, scalability, and in the case of security-resilience. This book details the strengths and weaknesses of securing your company's information with different cloud approaches. Attacks can focus on your infrastructure, communications network, data, or services. The author offers a clear and concise framework to secure your business' assets while making the most of this new technology.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Syngress; 1st edition (April 29, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597495921
• ISBN-13: 978-1597495929
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good intro to cloud security July 19, 2011

By Ben Rothke

Format:Paperback

Cloud computing is one of the hottest technologies around. Using Amazon as a barometer, there are scores of books on cloud computing. Companies are spending billions of dollars migrating applications and data centers to the cloud. In fact, one is hard pressed to find many of the Fortune 500 who has not yet used some semblance of cloud computing.

But in the rush to move to the cloud, many companies have neglected to ensure that cloud security is built into their model. Firms often assume that a cloud vendor is a secure cloud vendor. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not all cloud vendors are created equal and the levels of security and privacy protection they provide ranges from world class to world's worst.

With that, Securing the Cloud: Cloud Computer Security Techniques and Tactics provides the reader with a good overview of what you need to do to ensure that your cloud-based infrastructure provides you with an adequate level of security.

At 275 pages, the book provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of the core topics around cloud security. The 10 chapters progress from introduction to more detailed technical issues, all in an easy to read style.

The booked is written for those who need a good high-level framework in which to design security around their cloud initiatives. The author provides many real-world examples of how you can implement the various scenarios he details. This makes some of the more abstract concepts a bit easier to understand.

The first two chapters of the book provide the reader with an introduction to cloud computing and security and the various cloud computing architectures. If you don't now know the difference between such acronyms as Iaas, SaaS or PaaS; you will after finishing these chapters.

Chapter 8 is one of the best chapters in the book on the topic of Selecting an External Cloud Provider. The chapter goes through the many details on what to do to and what criteria to create in order to make an effective decision on select a cloud provider. This is not a trivial decision, as the provider will ultimate determine if your cloud solution works or is a disaster.

For those that want a more detailed and comprehensive view of the cloud, titles such as Cloud Application Architectures: Building Applications and Infrastructure in the Cloud, Cloud Security and Privacy: An Enterprise Perspective on Risks and Compliance and Cloud Computing Bible will give them the breadth they need.

For those looking for a fundamental introduction to cloud security, Securing the Cloud is a good place to start.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview June 4, 2011

By M. A. Filippelli VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Securing the cloud is perhaps one of the most difficult things to do on a network. Unless your building your own cloud you will be relying on vendors that provide the cloud service. It can be hard to understand the topology which is key for network administration implementation, intrusion detection, auditing and forensics.

Cloud computing is beginning to redefine how we use our computers on the network and redefining networks themselves as we move away from information and programs being stored and installed locally.

Author JR Winkler has done an outstanding job detailing what a network cloud is, how it functions, it's advantages, disadvantages and how to secure it. Winkler takes the reader through the basic idea of a cloud through the design architecture, storage and security. How to plan for your cloud, testing and implementation. Building a data center including specifications, planning for expansion etc.

Other then the subject of security one of the most useful parts of the book id dedicated to asking all of the right questions of your csp (cloud service provider)

I found this book easy to read and understand. There aren't a lot of screen shots here and that's ok. it means more space dedicated to technical explanation however when there are screen shots they are very useful.

I found this book to be very complete. It's laid out in an order that makes sense. I believe that a novice network administrator or even someone vaguely interested in network computing will find that this book makes sense. Securing the cloud is written in chronological order from idea to completion. Very easy to understand.

If you are trying to learn what cloud computing is this book is a good straight read through (not as dry like most technical books) but an excellent excellent book. Security is a complex subject. You could write a book about any one subject. Winkler does a great job of covering all of the subjects in good detail

This book is edited by an accomplished technical editor. I have read technical books edited by editors that aren't familiar with IT subjects. Believe me this makes all the difference. The editing, layout and writing in Securing the cloud are very good if not excellent.

My personal experience. I have been in IT for 14 years and have a good understanding of cloud computing. This book will help me improve that skill set beyond that. There's a lot of great information here for the beginner to intermediate administrator. I'm not sure that there is much here for the advanced administrator hence my 4 star rating.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good medium tech-level overview July 8, 2011

By owookiee VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Securing the Cloud goes beyond what I had anticipated. It begins with a discussion of various manifestations of cloud infrastructure and service models, then talks about security concerns even regarding contractual responsibility between consumer and provider of cloud services. Key topics addressed are HIPAA privacy, secondary use of data, disaster recovery (a big one for me), and what happens during/after a security breach.

To some degree, a chunk of what is covered in the book are simply generic network computer security concerns (monitoring, auditing, encryption, etc); but this is necessary if you are using the book to help you design an internal cloud network of say, VM instances. The checklists in Chapter 9 will really help you organize thoughts on the process.

Though commercial cloud services are listed (such as Amazon Web Services, Salesforce, Google Apps Engine, etc) I would have liked to have seen a more in-depth objective look at those offerings. As it is I will have to scan lengthy user agreements to figure how each would handle various security issues such as intrusions and restores, and that still doesn't tell me what I should actually expect.