A methodology for management of cloud computing using security criteria

Desirable requirements of cloud computing are to avoid wasting underused resources and increasing response time due to shortage of resources. We notice that recent literature in the field prioritizes the administration of resource provisioning and the allocation algorithms for an energy-efficient management of cloud computing environments. Security metrics can be seen as tools for providing information about the security status of a certain environment. With that in mind, we tackle the management of cloud computing security by using GQM methodology to develop a cloud computing security metrics hierarchy. The main goal of the proposed hierarchy is to produce a security index that describes the security level accomplished by an evaluated cloud computing environment. In a second step, this security index is used to compute an allocation index that helps in setting management priorities with a security bias. We also present a methodology for cloud computing management using security as a criterion.