An Approach to Ensuring Distributed Accountability in Cloud Computing – A Survey

Cloud computing is the emerging technology which makes it possible for you to access your data from anywhere at any time. Where in traditional method computers setup requires you to be in the same location as your data storage service. A distinct feature of the cloud services is that user’s data are remotely proceeds in unknown machines that user do not own or operate. Data handling goes through complex and dynamic hierarchical chain through various abstraction layers. While enjoying this new emerging technology, user’s fear of losing control of their data particularly (health & financial data, etc.).Hence cloud computing can become a significant barrier to the wide acceptance of cloud services. To solve this problem data should be shared and used in cloud environment with the help of trust components such as privacy, security, accountability & auditability techniques in order to achieve the customer’s confidence level and long term customer relationship. This paper discusses the cloud accountability life cycle through different phases of the log data. And various frameworks has been addressed to the automated logging for ensuring accountability and distributed auditability performed by any entity, carried out at any point of time at any cloud service provider. Keywords: Accountability, auditability, cloud computing, data sharing, security, privacy, trust