Computing over the cloud may have become less expensive but it’s not free. Most of the applications that are developed today are delivered using the secured HTTP, resulting due to TLS or SSL. Cryptography forms the basis of secured data transfer between applications and user. Cryptograph is all set to cause performance problems and enterprises cannot trade security over performance creating tangle between different operational functions. The current advances in technology are all set to make the processing speed fast and many technologies have an in-built capacity of security infrastructure that once specialized in cryptographic hardware. Using the increased hardware performance and technology foundation we are able to reduce the speed issues with cryptography. Many of the industry experts believe that cryptography cannot harm the performance based on the specific requirements for certain individuals but as the demand goes higher it will soon become a problem. The encryption and decryption will be two different functions and when multiplied with users the performance is certain to defer.
Applications don’t just consist of the single endpoint; there are multiple intermediate touch points and proxy that affect the message/ command journey that single endpoint that is encountered during the application access. There are several endpoints that affect the security and access control, load balancing and routine endpoint requirements. The security infrastructure already in place leads to inspecting the message on the clear idea in order to execute its designated role based on the complex requirements for the modern data path.
Some of the current arguments towards cryptography technology are that it’s not as expensive as it is projected. One of its single endpoints introduces little delay, however, when used multiple times at every endpoint in the data path those individuals delays add up to something more noticeable. When we watch through this delay as the information transfer across the database we can see that they cause operational demands to rise to make the delay hurt the application. Cryptography is operationally expensive enough that can hurt the data flow; this means it takes a lot more of the CPU cycles to encrypt and decrypt the message, so executing simple business logic will take a much longer time. In the cloud technology, a CPU cycle, in turn, affects the money being spent for a certain application. Many of the enterprises feel that such operational costs will affect the requirement but it means that they are also investing in the right direction.
Enterprises have also raised concerns over the operational requirements that will increase the need for infrastructure technology to encrypt and decrypt several of the messages on given time. A person paying for the same cryptographic process multiple times, so when you see complete cost requirements, a single process might cost a dollar but if performed 100 times can cost 100 dollars. So if you are a consumer based application and the same process is performed multiple times in a day, we can understand how the complete cost will affect the requirement. Enterprises also have to remember that each CPU cycle consumed by the cryptographic processing is a CPU cycle not spent on business logic. It might also demand to scale sooner than expected as each additional instances will add additional costs to handle the load. Though we need to understand that SSL everywhere can be impractical in the name of security.
Improving the Decryption
To improve the operational speed and reduce the cost of encryption and decryption every time a command is entered, to reduce the costs and maximize the efficiency of the CPU it’s better that we completely design the cloud-based architecture on a decryption profile. Decrypt once means that you should minimize the number of endpoints in the data path that must decrypt and re-encrypt messages in transit. This, however, requires proper planning taking in consideration different application services usage based on securing and scaling the applications.
Many of the enterprise’s data over the course of time doesn’t need a monetary need based on the regulations the need of end-to-end encryption, architect the data path is such a way that messages are described as early as possible to avoid additional decryption cycle that needs to be followed during the decryption latter. If the enterprises are bounded by the regulations, combining the services whenever possible will be the most effective way of computing the resources. Combining the services that are based on the load balancing with a web application firewall, with a single platform means reducing the number of times you need to decrypt the message in the transit. It also provides the added advantage wherein it can reduce the number of connections and time on the network improving the performance by benefits with the use of more decryption based platform. Many of the CPU cycles will also be saved with reduced repeated decryption and re-encryption. Encryption and decryption have a major effect on the app that is lightly used currently, the current revenue generation will certainly not be covering if see the cloud adoption and cryptographic process in place.
Conclusion
Cryptography isn’t going anywhere as the consumers increasingly demand better security for their data transfer, but the added pennies certainly don’t tell a complete story of data. Planning that can satisfy the security requirements and ease the operational needs will depend on making the input and output of the data much more channelized.
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