Introduction
Reputation services show the reliability of a particular online source or specific software. The reputation parameter is calculated on the servers of a corresponding manufacturer on the Internet. To ensure the safety of user data, special algorithms for protecting against malicious programs are developed. However, in addition to standard blocking mechanisms, customers want to receive comprehensive security of personal data that are in virtual storage. At the same time, one should take into account that the requirements and revivals of different customers may be distinctive. Obtaining the benefits of cloud-based reputation technologies is possible if the reputation service is maintained responsibly and has all the necessary certificates to ensure all-round data protection.
Users’ Requirements
One of the main requirements imposed by clients is the transfer of data in a strictly unidirectional manner and over secure channels. Van Der Westhuizen (2016) cites examples of modern organizations that provide storage services for user information and mentions Amazon in which special algorithms analyze client activity. A company should be able to ensure data security; otherwise, such a resource is unreliable. According to Papadakis-Vlachopapadopoulos et al. (2019), users often test the performance of individual programs and applications to make sure of the reliability of their reputations. At the same time, despite identical security principles, the requirements of customers and enterprises are distinctive due to such factors as storage volumes and the purpose of using cloud services.
Customers’ Expectations
Since data stored in cloud services require protection from any malicious software or cyberattacks, users count on the safety of their information in a continuous storage mode. As Papadakis-Vlachopapadopoulos et al. (2019) state, for this purpose, many providers use special frameworks that calculate the reliability and performance of cloud systems. In addition, users look for indemnification guarantees in case of data loss or leakage, and Peng et al. (2016) mention some providers’ obligations to pay compensation if security work does not achieve the declared standard. These aspects are usually sufficient for customers to entrust their data to reputation services.
Enterprises’ Expectations
Enterprises’ requirements may also be stringent and even more demanding due to the amount of data stored in cloud services. However, as Van Der Westhuizen (2016) remarks, the size of organizations themselves should be taken into account. The author gives an example of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and notes that one of their important positions in relation to the reputation service is cost efficiency (Van Der Westhuizen, 2016). In addition, the ease of use is often an essential requirement due to the need to process large volumes of information, which can be problematic for employees unfamiliar with the specifics of such work. Therefore, while security expectations are similar, users’ and enterprise’s requirements may differ.
Data Owners
Data served by the reputation service can belong to both individual users utilizing security technologies and corporate clients. Papadakis-Vlachos Papadopoulos et al. (2019) argue that cloud providers that process information from clients give privacy guarantees and create conditions for secure storage. Van Der Westhuizen (2016), in turn, describes the entire process of preparing data for processing and mentions such procedures as scoring, filtering, weighting, and some others. The key essence of these activities is to create a background for the secure processing of user information that may contain malicious components or unnecessary clusters. Data owners can be different, including private customers and corporate clients. However, regardless of this criterion, any information entering a cloud storage system is not owned by providers. The work of data verification services is carried out by direct requests. In addition, reputation services function as a defense mechanism, which makes it illogical to utilize them for the personal purposes of the providers themselves.
Customers’ Reciprocal Expectations of Protection
To protect personal data when accessing reputations, customers need to ensure that other customers using the same repositories utilize the necessary requirements for applying such resources correctly. According to Van Der Westhuizen (2016), “a specialised reputation system can only target a specific group of customers” (p. 113). This means that public certificates that are intended to process user-uploaded digital content should be granted to all the participants of a single network. For instance, when using e-mail services, a person applies the same principles of data encryption as other people using this resource. In case the software does not comply with official licenses or has an incomplete configuration due to malfunctions, this carries risks for other customers. Therefore, grouping the target audience into a single entity for the effective use of reputation services is a prerequisite for following the principles of the correct use of specific programs and applications.
Conclusion
Applying the reputation service to secure digital data is a task that requires specific conditions to be met to provide users with the comprehensive protection of their information. Private clients’ and enterprises’ expectations of these functions may differ depending on the amount of data utilized, but the general processing algorithms are standard. Users are the main owners of all processed information, but due to the addressing of data from one group of clients, corresponding security certificates are to be available to all participants in a single network.
References
Papadakis-Vlachopapadopoulos, K., González, R. S., Dimolitsas, I., Dechouniotis, D., Ferrer, A. J., & Papavassiliou, S. (2019). Collaborative SLA and reputation-based trust management in cloud federations. Future Generation Computer Systems, 100, 498-512.
Peng, H., Jiang, W., & Su, R. (2016). The effect of service guarantee strength on service quality of online merchants. International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 22(1-2), 4-17.
Van Der Westhuizen, C. (2016). The design of a configurable reputation service [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Johannesburg.