Conceptual Model of Real Time Infrastructure Within Cloud Computing Environment

AAmir Shahzad, Shahrulniza Musa, Abdulaziz Aborujilah, Mohd Nazri Ismail & Muhammad Irfan
International Journal of Computer Networks (IJCN), Volume (5) : Issue (1) : 2013 18
Conceptual Model of Real Time Infrastructure Within Cloud
Computing Environment
AAmir Shahzad
Malaysian Institute of Information Technology (MIIT)
University Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
aamir@unikl.edu.com.my
Shahrulniza Musa
shahrulniza@miit.unikl.edu.my
Abdulaziz Aborujilah
abdulazizh@unikl.edu.my
Mohd Nazri Ismail
mnazrii@miit.unikl.edu.my
Muhammad Irfan
Windfield College,
Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
irfanview2@yahoo.com
Abstract
Cloud computing is a new and most demandable technology in communication environment.
Where computing resources such as hardware or/and software are processed as service over
networks. SCADA implementation within cloud environment is relatively new and demandable
over real time infrastructure (industrial infrastructure).The shifting (moving) of SCADA system
(applications and resources) within cloud based infrastructure,meanfully overcome the cost and
improve the reliability and performance of whole system. Cloud computing provides on-demand
network access and batch of computing services for SCADA system. The current research paper
takes two conceptual ideas to implement SCADA system within cloud computing (Hybrid Cloud)
environment. In the first phase, SCADA applications are processed entirely inside the hybrid
cloud. In the second phase, SCADA applications are running in separate application server
directly connected to devices in a SCADA network and rest of paper discusses the security
related to SCADA and cloud computing communication.
Keywords: Cloud Computing, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), Prevention
and Detecteion System,Security attack/issues.
1. INTRODUCTION
“Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system has been deployed/implemented over
several real time infrastructures and the field devices that are connected within
network(LAN/WAN) are control and monitor from central location (SCADA master station).
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system architecture has five main components
such as master station, remote station, user interface/human machine interface (HMI),
Historian/database, and communication media (network), these are used to provide
communication within SACDA system” [8],[11].

Information Technology industry is becoming broader and used in many areas of daily life
activities. Cloud computing as one of new IT Models is widely used in different area including
software and hardware delivery model. Cloud computing provides end users with fixable and
scalable sharable computing services. In study [1], for application development process, the
developers no need to own all requirements of application building. Instead of that they can use
well established development environment available in the cloud (PaaS) platform as service [2].
GAE, Microsoft Azure are some PaaS example .Similarly, several tenants are able to share same
application software simultaneously based on payment as usage agreement [3], which called
(SaaS) software as a service [4]. In addition to that, using computing Infrastructure resources is
available on cloud Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)[3]. This can provide end users with latest
computing technologies based on client and provider agreement .PaaS provider such as GoGrid,
Flexiscale, and Layered Technologies etc. Cloud deployment model is divided into four models,
public, private, community and hybrid. In public the cloud services offered by third-party provider
who own the cloud infrastructures. Moreover, end users are able to utilize cloud services located
in Off-premise location. The main disadvantage (drawback) in public cloud model is weakness of
access security model[5].In private and hydride cloud, cloud services can offered by the
origination or by third party and the same thing for cloud Infrastructure ownership. Cloud services
can be Off-premise or On-premise. The main advantage in this model; resources access and
consumption are more trustable than public[5].
FIGURE 1: SCADA and Cloud Architecture.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
“Greenville Utilities Commission (GUC)” [1], they suggest integration of SCADA with open cloud
technology which give a new opportunity to current business to add new value to their
investments and increase their productivity . They can get more benefit from historical data

existed in cloud to make their business more successful and more concurrent about OS and
platform SCADA (in cloud).This also help GIS to get real time SCADA map, and help also LIMS
to obtain real time report to their laboratory data and SCADA process and help also CMMS
systems to organize maintenance works based on real time data and end customers can get their
SCADA invoice easily using cloud. When several of SCADA system is sharing infrastructure on
cloud that can reduce the cost of all single system infrastructures. SCADA in cloud give a
Decision-makers vision about computation of real time data weather forecasting and electrical
usage rate to make decisions and thus reducing the cost.
In [2], Smart grid is kind smart electrical networks, it use IS (Information system) to enhance
its effectiveness. It give consumers kind of connectivity. Using smart grid applications in cloud is
discussed. The security is one of challenges to involve smart grid in cloud so, paper has
proposed a frame work to handle this problem.
In[3] , the paper argue that there is an urgent need to scalability features in Smart Grid
management . The cloud computing paradigm is able to offer this feature but it still suffers from
some shortages. The most important one is security obstacles. Moreover, the paper also argues
that when this problem is solved smart grid management system in the cloud can be more
effective.
“VS-Cloud” has been proposed to shift SCADA system within cloud computing environment for
SCADA efficiency enhancement and for the purpose of reliability, but security is the major
problem consider within communication [4]. The results have been captured, based on power
consumption and cloud architecture performance in power system within grids network
communication [5].
In [6], SCADA applications(softwraes) are completely install within cloud computing environment
rather than traditional computer system.No longer need to update computing resources in case of
needs instead cloud infrastructure can be used. In addition, with cloud cost of IT staff can be
reduces as well. SCADA Staff collaboration can be easily done in cloud regardless of the time
and location of communicating. However, some of obstacles is still in cloud which make many
reluctant to use SCADA in cloud such as reliability, security, performance challenges. Some of
security risk such as lack in privacy and weakness in performance such as bandwidth overload
and latency cased by losing internet connection.
In [7], Microsoft has proposed to oil and gas company using a new cloud based SCADA
system. This system connected with HMI station and RTU terminal. It also includes online cloud
based SCADA system offering end user with historical data. End can user just kind of thin client
station to get a required report in easy way. This system offer high reliability through databases
redundancy and synchronously.
Cryptography solution has been successfully implemented “between master terminal unit (MTU)
and remote terminal units (RTUs) and/or remote terminal units (RTUs) and master terminal unit
(MTU)”. The implementation successfully achieved the security services and overcomes the
attacks related with SCADA communication [9]. Another research also successfully implemented
the cryptography solution within the layers (application layer and data link layer) of distributed
network protocol (DNP3). The implementation within DNP3 layers successfully enhance the
SCADA security, achieved the security services and minimized the attacks ratio of DNP3 as part
of SCADA system [11].
3. CONCEPTUAL IMPLEMENTATION
A proposed conceptual idea, used to connect Malaysian eight states ports such as Johor, Kedah,
Kelantan, Malacca, Pahang, Perak, Penang and Terengganu together connected with head
quarter which is located in Kuala using hybrid cloud computing infrastructure. These ports are
based on SCADA implementation using TCP/IP connectivity with WAN or Internet.

Each port has an own private cloud and every cloud is connected with headquarter cloud (public
cloud) in Kuala Lumpur, same as distributed SCADA application in cloud infrastructure. In first
phase illustrated in figure 2; all SCADA applications (such as HMI software, reporting, monitoring,
visualization and execution etc) are processed entirely inside cloud and simultaneously all
processing will save in headquarter (Kuala Lumpur) for monitoring and backup storage using
WAN and allow remote user to interact with SCADA. Each time when communication will occur
between Master Terminal Unit and Remote Terminal Unit are preceding using cloud [10]. In the
second phase illustrated in figure 5, SCADA applications are running in separate application
server directly connected to devices in SCADA network [10], and send Information to cloud for
monitoring and storage and simultaneously all processing will save in headquarters (Kuala
Lumpur). SCADA implementation within cloud computing is new technology and processing is
quite different from traditional networks. SCADA solution providers and users have adopted this
FIGURE 2: Cloud Base SCADA System (Phase 1).
technology to save costs, scalability, reliability, and enhance performance results. Security is a
big issue in SCADA within the cloud as compared with traditional networks because of SCADA

systems are based on real time delivery of message/data but the TCP / IP protocol doesn’t
provide functionality related to real time Message delivery such as DNP3, Modbus, Field bus and
other SCADA protocols.
FIGURE 3: SCADA Communication.
FIGURE 4: SCADA Communication with TCP/IP Stack.

Each private cloud and headquarter cloud (public cloud) Uses SSL/TLS in their communication
(Illustrated inFigure 4). However, the SSL / TLS protocol has limitations because the SSL / TLS
protocol relies on transport protocols such as TCP/IP, and cryptography and signature algorithms
for security purposes. So, the best solution / approach is to be used Cryptography or signature
algorithms to secure SCADA communication within the cloud. Figure 3 illustrated the simple
SCADA architecture connected with the MTU / RTU
FIGURE 5: Cloud Base SCADA System (Phase 2).

4. CONCLUSION and FUTURE WORK
The implementation within cloud computing is new and demandable over real time infrastructure.
Using cloud environment, SCADA overcomes the cost and improve the reliability and
performance but the same time current platform has a lot of risks and security issues related to
detection and prevention inside communication. Current research using SCADA within cloud
environment ;gives new research direction for implementation of our proposed framework in real
environment and directions to secure SCADA communication within cloud using TLS/SSL and
more advance to apply cryptography and covariance mathematical model .
5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are sincerely and heartily grateful to our supervisors Assoc .Prof.Dr.Shahrulniza Musa and
Dr. Mohd.Nazri Ismail for the support and guidance they showed us throughout our research
paper writing. We are sure it would have not been possible without their help. Besides we would
like to thank to our parents and our friend, Irfan boosted them morally and provided us great
information resources.
6. REFERENCES
1 Langley, R. and M.J. Moreau, SCADA – Mining Value Beyond Process Control Ricky
Langley, Advanced Enterprise Systems Corporation (AESC), 740 SE Greenville Blvd.
STE400 BOX323 Greenville, NC 27858.
2 Fayyaz, S. and M.M. Nazir, Handling Security Issues for Smart Grid Applications using Cloud
Computing Framework. Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences,
2012. 3(2).
3 Birman, K.P., L. Ganesh, R. van Renesse, Running Smart Grid Control Software on Cloud
Computing Architectures, 2011.
4 Alcaraz, I.A , David Nu˜ ez, J. L,Managing Incidents in Smart Grids a la Cloud Cristina.
5 Geberslassie, M. and B. Bitzer, Cloud Computing for Renewable Power Systems.
6 White Paper Cloud-Based SCADA Systems: The Benefits & Risks Is Moving Your SCADA
System to the Cloud Right For Your Company.
7 Global Energy forum 2012, Cloud Based SCADA system for the Oil and Gas Industry.
8 www. wikipedia.org
9 S. Musa, A. Shahzad, A.Aborujilah,Simulation base implementation for placement of security
services in real time environment, Proceeding ICUIMC '13 Proceedings of the 7th
International Conference on Ubiquitous Information Management and Communication.
10 Cloud Computing for SCADA, http://www.controleng.com.
11 S. Musa, A. Shahzad, A.Aborujilah, Secure security model implementation for security
services and related attacks base on end-to-end, application layer and data link layer
security, Proceeding ICUIMC '13 Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on
Ubiquitous Information Management and Communication.

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