Preview

The Ethical Implications of Cloud Computing on Society

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1740 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Ethical Implications of Cloud Computing on Society
Barry Young
Individual Research Paper:
The Ethical Implications of Cloud Computing on Society

MGMT 505
Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Policy
Spring 2013
Niki A. den Nieuwenboer

Cloud Computing is a popular term for “enabling on-demand network access to a shared pool of computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction” (Brian, 2012). The concept of Cloud
Computing was first developed in the 1960’s by scientists who envisioned a world in which computation would be generated in a global network, and delivered as a public utility (Cantu, 2011). It was not until 1997 that the term was used in a presentation by
Professor Ramnath Chellappa (Cantu, 2011), and in the same year Microsoft and Intel presented the NetPC concept (Zhou, 2009). Cloud Computing has picked up adoption since then, and between 2010 and 2011, the worldwide market for cloud services has grown by 21% (Gartner, 2012). It is predicted that the compound annual growth rate of
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) will grow annually by
42% and 26% respectively, through 2016 (Gartner, 2012).

With this growth in Cloud Computing, there is a need to analyze the ethical nature of this shift in technology, and in particular to look at the motivations and decisions of the corporations who are delivering these cloud services. In this paper, I will discuss the business strategies and how these relate to corporate responsibility, the environmental impact of moving infrastructure to highly efficient data centers, and the global impact on society that this technology brings.

Advantages of Cloud Computing for Businesses and Society
Cloud Computing offers many advantages for businesses and society worldwide. Small and large businesses alike are able to reduce their overhead costs by outsourcing their IT

infrastructure, which leads to a more efficient, scalable, and


References: Berl Andreas, 2010, Energy-efficient Cloud Computing, The Computer Journal http://www.beknowledge.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/16790Energy-efficientcloud-computing_2010_Computer-Journal.pdf Bozdag Engin, 2010, The Ethics of Cloud Computing, academia.com, http://www.academia.edu/646838/The_Ethics_of_Cloud_Computing Brian Oliver, 2012, Cloud Computing White Paper, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences http://www.cloud-finder.ch/fileadmin/Dateien/PDF/News/2012-1106_SATW_White_Paper_Cloud_Computing_EN_1_.pdf Cantu Anu, 2011, The History and Future of Cloud Computing, Forbes.com, http://www.forbes.com/sites/dell/2011/12/20/the-history-and-future-of-cloud-computing/ Castro Daniel, 2010, Cloud Computing Requires National Policy Leadership, itif.org http://www.itif.org/files/2010-cloud-computing.pdf Essers Loek, 2013, EC pressed to charge Google in antitrust case, computerworld.com Galante Joseph, 2011, Sony Network Breach Shows Amazon Cloud’s Appeal for Hackers, Bloomberg.com http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-15/sony-attack-shows-amazon-s-cloudservice-lures-hackers-at-pennies-an-hour.html Gartner, 2012, Forecast Overview: Public Cloud Services Worldwide, 2011-2016, Gilbert Francois, 2011, Server Location: A Significant Factor in Cloud Computing Services, techtarget.com http://www.globalprivacybook.com/blog-multinational/194-server-location-a-significantfactor-in-cloud-computing-services Grimes, Justin (2009) Weathering the Storm: The Policy Implications of Cloud Thomson Clive, 2006, Google 's China Problem, nytimes.com http://www.d.umn.edu/~jford/phil3242/Google 's%20China%20Problem%20(and%20Chi na 's%20Google%20Problem)%20-%20New%20York%20Times.pdf IBM, 2013, Computing as a service over the Internet, ibm.com, http://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/us/en/what-is-cloud-computing.html Jaeger Paul, 2008, Computing in a Policy Cloud?, Journal of Information Technology Jones Penny, 2013, SALESFORCE.COM COMMITS TO RENEWABLES IN DATA CENTER, datacenterdynamics.com http://www.datacenterdynamics.com/focus/archive/2013/03/salesforcecom-commitsrenewables-data-center Kanter James, 2013, European Regulators Fine Microsoft, Then Promise to Do Better, Kshetri Nir, 2010, Cloud Computing in Developing Economies, IEEE Computer Society http://www.ptc.org/ptc10/program/images/papers/papers/Paper_Nir%20Kshetri_B8.pdf Lee Jyh-An, 2013, Searching for Internet Freedom in China: A Case Study on Google 's China Experience, Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal http://www.cardozoaelj.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Liu-Li-Lee.pdf Marinescu Dan, 2012, Cloud Computing: Theory and Practice, University of Central Florida, http://www.cs.ucf.edu/~dcm/LectureNotes.pdf McMillan Brad, 2011, Cloud Computing: What It Can Do for Your Business, McKendrick Joe, 2011, Cloud Computing 's Vendor Lock-In Problem: Why the Industry is Taking a Step Backward, forbes.com, http://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2011/11/20/cloud-computings-vendor-lockin-problem-why-the-industry-is-taking-a-step-backwards/ Moran Rick, 2012 Are e-Readers really green?, themillions.com, http://www.themillions.com/2012/05/are-ereaders-really-green.html Reeves Drue, 2012, The truth about Cloud economics, hbr.org, http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/04/the_truth_about_cloud_economic.html Washburn Doug, 2011, Cloud Computing Helps Accelerate Green IT, forrester.com, http://www.forrester.com/Cloud+Computing+Helps+Accelerate+Green+IT/fulltext/-/ERES58938 Zhou Guofu, 2009, One Program Model for Cloud Computing, Springer.com,
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Cis 500- Cloud Computing
    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Cis 500- Cloud Computing

    Technology has taken great leaps of advancement. Some of the new technology that companies and consumers are taking advantage of to store and process data is cloud computing. Cloud computing was derived from virtualization. Virtualization allows companies to separate business applications from hardware. Doing this gives the company the capability of assigning applications as needed. The option to manage applications is a great benefit to companies. Resulting from the virtualization error, cloud computing has emerged to provide flexible IT infrastructures. This has not only enhanced the options companies now have, but it is also proven to be more cost efficient. This has increasingly become a preferred method of companies and consumers alike. (Turban, & Volonino, 2011, p.47)…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    TXch1
    • 1571 Words
    • 10 Pages

    TXch1

    and 1980, growing at an annual rate of 2.7 percent. The growth rate between 2000 and…

    • 1571 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Itm434 Mod 5 Case
    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Itm434 Mod 5 Case

    Google's position of increasing global dominance and economic power is beginning to reveal a few cracks in the facade: first, its flirtation with the Chinese Government's censorship regime though, to Google's credit, it subsequently disengaged from these censorship controls at the cost of the virtual destruction of its business in China. Second, its policy on ad words which some see as an encroachment on intellectual property; and, third, its denial of responsibility as a publisher for the excerpts reproduced by its search engine (although the provider of a search engine has no responsibility for search results, the law is nothing like as clear when the search engine reproduces material from the destination site).…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Hcs/440 Health Care Spending
    • 1584 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Hcs/440 Health Care Spending

    relatively to the late 1990s and early 2000s it is expected to grow at a rate faster than the…

    • 1584 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Google, Inc
    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Google, Inc

    Prior to end 2005, Google had faced little negative press. In January of 2006, Google began to face negative rapport when they refused to provide information to the United States Department of Justice and filter “objectionable content” results that were forbidden by Chinese government (Agrenti 2009, p. 16). “The search engine giant knew bad publicity could be part of any trade-off if it wanted to become a major player in China’s burgeoning economy” (Agrenti 2009, p.16). As a result, Google was placed in a position where they had to comprise to keep from losing their position in the “engine search” market.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Human Rights Violations in China - Should Western Companies Continue to Do Business with China?
    • 1624 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Human Rights Violations in China - Should Western Companies Continue to Do Business with China?

    References: Amnesty International (2010). Google challenges China to end censorship. Retrieved, March 28, 2010 from http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/google-challenges-china-end-censorship-2010-03-23…

    • 1624 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Censorship In China Research Paper
    • 998 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Censorship In China Research Paper

    The majority of people in America take for granted the vast amount of knowledge at their disposal due to the internet. Unfortunately, in some countries, the most prominent being China, the internet is heavily restricted to citizens, so that they are aware of very little of what's going on outside of their home country. China’s censorship of the internet restricts people from having full access to the knowledge it provides, as well as preventing them from expressing their opinions regarding sensitive topics.…

    • 998 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Censorship in China
    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Censorship in China

    Internet use in China is very restricted. As of 2010, all Internet users are required to register online with their real names before posting anything in a chat room or on a social networking site. Another example of the Internet troubles in China is the “China-Google” story. Google entered the Chinese market in 2006, on the condition that Google would agree to censor all of the search results according to the Chinese government. An example of this censorship is searching “Tiananmen Square Massacre” in China will return no results. It is as if it never happened. But, in summer of 2010, Google’s relationship with China came to a screeching halt when, after being hacked from China-based hackers, Google decided to no longer censor any of the search results. Currently, Google has withdrawn from China and directs all Chinese web users to the Hong Kong Google site, which is not filtered. To combat this, China created its own Internet search Engine, called Baidu. This search engine does censor results.…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Cyber Security
    • 4964 Words
    • 20 Pages

    Cyber Security

    This research paper tackles the issues that faces Cloud Computing today and gives the experts and industry’s point of view on the matter. The aspects explored are the significant industry questions that have risen about the use of Cloud Computing, business value, organization impact, adaptability, limitations, initial cost of implementation, and the severe business security risks due to centralization of resources. Brian Proffitt will argue in is IT World article [24], there are some serious limitations with cloud computing that is being blithely ignored such as bandwidth limitation, storage, and availability. Interviews conducted with colleagues that are experts in the Enterprise Systems network arena reveals that, the impact is all in planning before implementation, the selected architecture and the security policy. Findings in manuscripts and online libraries reflect that Cloud Computing is a technological revolution that provides computer resources as a service; offering flexible IT usage, computing efficiency through improved utilization and reduced administration and infrastructure costs. Users are not limited to applications confined to a computer, data stored to a hard drive, or bounded by the organization’s network. Also known as the sum of Software as a Service (SaaS) and Utility Computing, Cloud Computing is argued to be more efficient and scalable. My hope is to identify the common issues that face Cloud Computing in organizations that have implemented it, and find the answer or probable solutions.…

    • 4964 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Business Ethics of Google in China
    • 7952 Words
    • 32 Pages

    Business Ethics of Google in China

    In early 2006, search-engine giant Google struck a deal with the People’s Republic of China and launched Google.cn, a version of its search engine run by the company from within China. Launching Google.cn required Google to operate as an official Internet Service Provider (ISP) in China, a country whose Communist government requires all ISPs to selfcensor, removing content that is considered illegal from search results. From a financial perspective, China represented for Google a dynamic and fast-growing, though increasingly competitive, market. Google’s decision to self-censor Google.cn attracted significant ethical criticism at the time. The company’s motto is “Don’t Be Evil,” and prior to entering China, Google had successfully set itself apart from other technology giants, becoming a company trusted by millions of users to protect and store their personal information. The choice to accept self-censorship, and the discussion and debate generated by this choice, forced Google to re-examine itself as a company and forced the international community to reconsider the implications of censorship. This case was prepared as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either the effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation.…

    • 7952 Words
    • 32 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Censorship in China
    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Censorship in China

    As Google’s chief executive officer, I would abide by China’s internet policies, simply so I could get my company’s foot in the door. Although it would be much more profitable for my search engine to serve Chinese citizens without restrictions, having my company at least partially submerged in the hundreds of millions of internet Chinese users is better than having none at all. With most of the world’s population residing in the East, as well as where countless technological advances are being honed and fostered every day, getting my company out there is absolutely pivotal, regardless of the current restrictions.…

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Self Censorship In China
    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Self Censorship In China

    China is a prime example of internet censorship as their censorship laws are especially strict on political groups against the People's Republic of China. The internet is a place for people to find other like-minded people so China targets the internet with its law extensively. For example, when China finally went after Google for giving Chinese citizens access to content the government wanted restricted, Google complied and had to create a separate Chinese version. As mentioned above, Google was self-censoring themselves by disallowing search results and therefore lessening traffic to those websites. Up until May of 2009 all business was well between Google and China. In May of 2009, Chinese censors blocked YouTube, which is owned by Google. It was blocked because a user had uploaded a video of Chinese police brutality and was quickly being shared around the internet. Google suffered majorly because of China wanting to omit this information from its citizens. Google was tired of having to deal with the special version of Google designed specifically for the overbearing laws of the Chinese government, and in January of 2010 they let search results bypass the barrier of the filter. China immediately responded and blocked all of Google. Trying to mend the wounds of what happened just two years ago, in May of 2012, Google announced it would…

    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Censorship In China
    • 2379 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Censorship In China

    "Internet Censorship in China." New York Times 22 03 2010: n. pag. Web. 1 May 2011. .…

    • 2379 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Ethics of It Organizations
    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ethics of It Organizations

    * A job situation in which an individual does not have an explicit or implicit contract for long-term employment. Examples are…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Cloud Development
    • 1679 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cloud Development

    Armbust, M., Fox, A., Griffith, R., et al (2010) A View of Cloud Computing. Communications of the ACM 53(4).…

    • 1679 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics