Risk to cyberinfrastructure systems served by cloud computing technology as systems of systems

Abstract

AbstractBuilding on systems‐based philosophy, theory, methodology, and practice, the challenges associated with modeling, assessing, managing, and communicating the multidimensional risk to cyberinfrastructure systems (CIS) serviced by cloud computing technology (CCT) as systems of systems (SoS) are explored. The article raises concerns about the euphoria in the literature about CCT and stresses the importance of understanding the complex process of modeling, assessing, managing, and communicating the risks associated with CIS‐CCT. Several themes are highlighted: the theory of scenario structuring; the epistemology of the states of the CIS‐CCT systems; the role of systems integration in CIS‐CCT; the risk to CIS‐CCT from malicious insiders' intrusion; the complex definition and quantification of the risk function associated with CIS‐CCT systems; and modeling the multiple perspectives of CIS‐CCT, focusing on hierarchical holographic modeling (HHM) and phantom system models (PSM). The paper concludes with an epilogue and list of references. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng