Private cloud computing challenges and architecture for implementing effective security

Cloud computing is a growing area of concern in the IT security community because cloud architectures are literally popping up all over. Public clouds are available from Google.com, Amazon.com, Microsoft, Oracle/Sun, and many other vendors. Private cloud technologies, where the cloud software is loaded on local or in-house server hardware, are available from VMware, Eucalyptus, Citrix, Microsoft, and there are thousands of vendors offering private cloud with all sorts. With all of the hyperbole has come a large swell of early-adopters and developers. This paper aims to provide an architectural blueprint for implementing effective security within a private cloud environment.