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PKI is an abbreviation for Public Key Infrastructure. It is a comprehensive system aimed at providing digital signature services and public-key encryption. Purpose of a PKI is to provide management of certificates and keys. When an organization opts for public key infrastructure for management of keys and certificates, it establishes a reliable and safe networking environment. Furthermore, with PKI, a wide array of applications can take advantage of stipulated services. What Makes PKI Inevitable For Cloud Computing With the prevalence of cloud computing, PKI technology heralds a new era of renaissance where computer to computer communications are more secure than ever before. PKI can be thought of as an arrangement which is directly responsible for handling issues like public key assignment and digital certificate. These digital certificates are issued by a certification authority which is the part of the process followed by the PKI. This process also involves the binding of validated user identities to public keys. User identities are either verified by a certification authority or an individual registration authority is used. Once the user identity is issued, the certification authority uses a unique digital signature to seal and stamp the certificate. Since secure online network communications and online transactions are the most sought-after features cloud computing is expected to provide, it can only be made possible with PKI. Furthermore, PKI also provides a certificate holder authentication of his business identity. How It Reduces Web Vulnerability There are several services that PKI is expected to provide to ensure its effective implementation. What makes PKI valuable for cloud computing is that it allows the use of digital signatures and encryption in multiple applications. At the same time, transparency is the most significant constraint on a public-key infrastructure which establishes that the cloud computing can be used optimally only when the users are not required to understand how the keys and services are being managed by the PKI. A handful of areas that comes under the jurisdiction of PKI for providing the desired services of certificate and public key management are outlined below: • Issuance of key certificates; • Repository of certificates; • Revocation of certificates; • Support for backup and recovery; • Assurance of non repudiation of digital certificates; • Automatic update of certificates and keys; • Cross-certification service. How It Works To Build Trust on Clouds PKI plays a vital role when it comes to building trust on cloud computing services. Some aspects that PKI brings to cloud computing are briefly listed below: • Security When documents of confidential nature are to be communicated over the cloud, security is of paramount importance. Since PKI ensures secured signing by making use of digital signatures with a digital ID that can be accessed exclusively by that user, it implies comprehensive protection. • Reliability Reliability offered by a service is a telltale of its capabilities, seamless implementation and high level of security. With PKI, review of quality, monitoring and development are aligned with cloud service, hence substantiating reliability. • Open communications Successful communication is directly associated with trust and cloud services are require to respond and acknowledge the digitally aware end-users in the desired manner and this is what the use of PKI offers. With several ways of communication available, it is the responsive and prompt communication PKI streamlines that makes the real difference.
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PKI, Cloud, IAAS, PAAS, digital signatures,
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