Security Pattern for Cloud SaaS: From System and Data Security to Privacy Case Study in AWS and Azure

Abstract

The Cloud is fast becoming a popular platform for SaaS, a popular software delivery model. This is because the Cloud has many advantages over the traditional private infrastructure, such as increased flexibility, no maintenance, less management burden, easy access and easy to share information. However, there are many concerns around issues like system security, communication security, data security, privacy, latency and availability. In addition, when designing and developing Cloud SaaS application, these security issues need to be addressed in order to ensure regulatory compliance, security and trusted environment for Cloud SaaS users. In this paper, we explore the security patterns for Cloud SaaS. We work on the patterns covering different security aspects from system and data security to privacy. Our goal is to produce the security best practices and security knowledge documentation that SaaS developer can use as a guideline for developing Cloud SaaS applications from the ground up. In addition to that, we also provide a case study of security patterns and solutions in AWS and Azure.

Keywords

• cloud
• security patterns
• SaaS
• software security
• AWS
• Azure
• security patterns definition methodology