Security in cloud computing: State-of-the-art, key features, challenges, and opportunities

© 2019 IEEE. Cloud computing is used for storing, processing, and exchanging information within a community or organization on demand. It presents an excellent business model for organizations in order to exploit better IT services with a lower cost, and less investment. However, a range of security issues predetermines such approach to use. This study incorporates an exploratory method of research by collecting state of the art literature on security and privacy of cloud computing with showing the possible solutions presented in multiple research studies. We then discussed cloud computing architecture, cloud computing security, and highlighted the major challenges of cloud computing security. This is necessary to understand the details of the chosen solution to the widespread security issues associated with cloud computing. Another major contribution of this research is the development of a framework that can be used by enterprises to evaluate the level of threats and damages in their virtual environment. The framework is supported by previous theories that were reviewed in this study

Conceptual model for software fault localization

Existing cognitive science and psychology studies suggest that a bi-level approach to fault localization is needed with both shallow and deep reasoning. This approach form the underpinnings for developing our Conceptual Model for Software Fault Localization (CMSFL) to aid programmers with the problem of software fault localization. Our CMSFL proposes that, during the fault localization process programmers build two mental models: an actual code model (the buggy code), and an expectation model (the correct code). A multi dimensional approach is suggested with both shallow and deep reasoning phases to enhance the probability of localizing many types of faults

Can E-Portfolio Improve Students’ Readiness to Find an IT Career?

An E-Portfolio Assessment Management System (EAMS) can be an innovative tool that provides students with flexible opportunities to demonstrate the acquisition of skills and abilities in an outcome-based institution. The system has been developed and used for the past ten years to create, reflect, revise, and structure students’ work. It is a repository management system that facilitates collecting, sharing, and presenting artifacts of student learning outcomes via a digital medium. Therefore, it provides students with flexible opportunities to demonstrate the acquisition of skills and abilities to demonstrate growth of achieving learning outcomes. The rationale of the EAMS is to allow students to demonstrate competences and reflect upon experiences to improve their learning and career readiness; hence, they are accountable for their learning. The system was built around two defined set of learning outcomes: institutionally agreed upon set of learning outcomes, and learning objectives that are related to major requirements. The purpose of this study is to analyze students’ perceptions and attitudes when using an e-portfolio to support their employment opportunities. The participants were 217 students in the College of Technological Innovation. The students reported that the developing of e-portfolios was extremely helpful. The results showed that students have positive opinions about using e-portfolios as a beneficial tool to support their readiness for employment; they believe an e-portfolio increases their confidence to find a job in the IT field because it can allow them to showcase artifacts that demonstrate competencies and reflect upon experiences, and they can provide their supervisors during their industrial training with an e-resume that includes views of their actual work of what they have learned and are able to do when they complete their degree. Employers then can review e-portfolios to select prospective employees work readiness skills; hence, graduates are more likely to obtain a job in their workplaces. In conclusion, students do like the idea of e-portfolios when it is presented to them as a career showcase rather than a process for documenting learning. A career center can use e-portfolios as a tool to help students find a job. Furthermore, our analysis and evaluation uncovered learning issues involved in moving from the traditional approach of learning toward an integrated learning system that can be used after graduation

IT Systems Development: An IS Curricula Course that Combines Best Practices of Project Management and Software Engineering

Software Engineering in IS Curricula Software engineering course is taught to higher education students majoring in Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering (CE), and Software Engineering (SE). Software engineering course is also taught in other disciplines, either as a mandatory or as an elective course, such as Information Systems (IS). IS is a broader field than CS and includes parts of CS. IS fie ld could be described as an interdisplinary field that studies the design and use of information systems in a social context. As noted in IS2002 model curricula (Gorgone et al., 2002) , IS as a fie ld of academic study exists under a variety of at least thirteen (13) different curricula, including Information Systems, Management Information Systems, Computer Information Systems, Information Management, Business Information Systems, Informatics, Information Resources Management, Information Technology, Information Technology Systems, Information Technology Resources Management, Accounting Information Systems, Information Science, and Information and Quantitative Science. The author\u27s early experience was that teaching IS students a software engineering course in the same way as CS students was not successful. This is mainly because IS students have significantly less background in programming than CS students. This experience encouraged him to accommodate topics on project management and SE best practices lab using Rational Suite Enterprise (Rational Suite Enterprise, 2008). This new approach was relevant to IS curricula and with accordance with IS2002.10 project management and practice course guidelines. Hilburn, Bagert, Mengel, & Oexmann (2008) proposed that several computing associations including the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), the IEEE Computer Society (IEEECS), and the Computer Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) have provided encouragement, support, and guidance in developing quality curricula that are viable and dynamic. However, most computing programs still devote little time to software life cycle development, software processes, quality issues, team skills, and other areas of software engineering essentials to effective commercial software development. Hence, new graduates know little about what are best practices in software engineering profession (e.g., practices related to use of software processes, team building, front-end development). Therefore, it is the role of faculty members teaching such courses to redesign and implement curricula that focus on practice of software engineering, and other related issues. This paper is organized as follows: Section 2 presents arguments for the alternative approach. Section 3 presents IS2002.10 course specifications. Section 4 presents IS software engineering body of knowledge. Section 5 presents the project component, Section 6 presents a mapping from IS2002.10 course specification onto the IS software engineering course. Section 7 presents evaluation of the proposed approach. Finally, conclusions are presented in Section 8. Why IT Systems Development Course? We have taught the IT Systems Development course to IS students for seven years, and we believe we hit upon an approach that works. Instead of trying to instruct students in theory of various techniques, we teach them what we believe of as software development. From the management side IS students are expected to deal with non-technical challenges arising from project situations, including understand project domain and requirements, how to be a team player, how to schedule work between team members, and how to cope with time pressures and hard deadlines. As indicated by (Weaver, 2004), students often have limited experience in projects management. They do not appreciate the need for planning and take more time than anticipated to complete tasks. We have developed the creation of a set of guidelines for accommodating topics on project management to help students deal with non-technical issues of software development.

Safe city: Introducing a flawless model and implementation guidelines to reduce crime rate and response time

The safe city approach is implemented worldwide and brought up exceptional results in reducing crimes and securing cities. In an effort of providing a secure environment for the residence of a certain city, the law enforcement authorities leave no clear method to achieve that. Various technologies can be used to enhance the performance of certain devices providing a better environment. Existing models that are implemented throughout the world are studied and compared, and then deliberated the best practices in each implantation scenario. The shortcomings experienced in those cases have been minimized, then a flawless model is introduced. The benefits of our model are mainly to reduce the rate of crimes and to decrease the response time of handling crime incidents. The model consists of four main aspects: monitoring, communication, mobility and command and control center. In addition to that, implementing safe city model with all its potential advantages rises some concerns such as citizens\u27 privacy. For that reason, certain guidelines are introduced to assure best implementation of the project. Finally, future recommendations are suggested in what relate to introducing patterns of previous crimes committed which will rise a flag if the similar actions prior to the crime happened

Adoption Challenges of the Internet of Things: ASurvey

© 2018 IEEE. The internet had been considered as pre-dominantly human-to-human interaction. However, this is changing rapidly with the onset of \u27smart\u27 devices. The potential of a connected world is very much dependent on the adoption of the technologies to realize Internet of Things or IoT. IoT devices produces a unique set of challenges in which the current deployment standards, models technologies fall short. In this survey paper, the various architectures are explored including the newly introduced fog architecture. The challenges in the cloud based IoT architectures and the IoT paradigm are discussed and categorized. Furthermore, some of the identified solutions and future directions toward overcoming the challenges are described

Implementation guidelines for green data centres

Increased reliance on technology and online transactions has increased the heat generated in data centres, due to greater access, storage, aggregation and analysis of such data. This paper discusses the downsides of traditional data centres and highlights the importance of applying green IT practices. It explores the benefits and proposes guidelines on shifting to green data centres. The recommendations to go green are to: a) reduce energy by applying green IT practices, b) eliminate redundancies in server systems and cooling modules, c) turn on power management tools on servers and terminals when applicable, d) utilise newer technologies of power consumption and e) minimise internal barriers to establish a good energy management policy. The benefits expected from the proposed approach are minimised pollution levels and lower the cost of activities, among others. The findings of the study will also contribute to face the challenge of global warming and help in better management and control of power consumption.; Keywords: Traditional data centres, green data centres, green computing, emission