metastructure

In traditional computing paradigm, there are networking, storage and computing silos. Whereas in cloud computing, with the help of automation, integration, virtualization, the resources are provided as service. In other words, cloud computing provides these silos as services via IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. Moreover, the primary difference between cloud and traditional computing is the metastructure model.

There are four layers of logical models of cloud computing. These are;

• Infrastructure: This layer is consists of the core components of a computing system namely compute, network, and storage. This is the foundational layer where everything else is built on.
• Metastructure: It is the set of mechanisms that connects the infrastructure layer to the applications and data. A layer comprised of the protocols and techniques that provide the interface between the infrastructure and other layers. It integrates the technology stack and enables management and configuration as well.
• Applistructure: This layer is where applications are deployed in the cloud platform and further contains the underlying services to build applications.
• Infostructure: This layer is where the data and information resides. It includes a database, file storage, etc.

Different security controls can be applied on each layer to prevent prevalent cloud threats.