Applying authentication and network security to in-cloud enterprise resource planning system

Nowadays the service-oriented hosts (e.g. ERP system, websites, databases, AP Server, file servers) in enterprises have often encountered the crucial problem of unexpected down-time or system failure that will cause data error, the termination of production lines, the pause of operating procedures, and even the loss of a huge of important data. Traditionally, a real host is difficult to transfer everything to another host timely and then resume its task as usual, and further data cannot be updated to the latest ones. Apparently software, hardware, and data are the most challenging problems for the failover problem. In this paper, we introduce in-cloud service solutions to the above-mentioned crucial problem to avoid data loss and system termination, as well as make good use of virtual machine (VM) cluster [1‐3] to resolve the failover problem. As for information security, both access control authentication and network security have been implemented in the cloud computing system to prevent the service-oriented hosts form external fraud, intrusion, or malicious attacks. Advantages of in-cloud services include significant decrease of hardware cost, centralized monitoring, rapid and convenient management, dynamic optimization, highly efficient backup, and faster operational speed.

This paper introduces in-cloud enterprise resources planning (ERP) [4, 5] in virtual environment and mobile device users can easily access the in-cloud services via wired or wireless network, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with access control authentication and network security [6]. As shown in Fig. 3, a open source ERP, OpenERP [7], has deployed successfully. In addition, its access control authentication [8, 9] has brought into the VM to achieve identity verification, safe sign-in, and attendance audit, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Besides, the VMs are also used to establish the firewall and gateway to isolate the virtual (internal) network from Internet where this scheme has secured the OpenERP and its related database enough. This scheme is not similar to traditional intrusion prevention system (IPS) to prevent the system from potential BotNet [10] and malicious attacks [11] using a demilitarized zone (DMZ) between internet and intranet because the latter costs a lot.

Virtual machine clustering system in cloud is an integration of virtualization, VMs, and virtual services so that it can make existing resources be fully applied, such as VMware ESX/ESXi Server [12], Microsoft Hyper-V R2 [13], or Proxmox Virtual Environment [14]. This system can let users run many operating systems in a single physical computer simultaneously which largely decreases the expense of purchasing PCs. Most important of all, it has the following major functions, including VM live migration, virtual storage live migration, distributed resource scheduling, high availability, fault tolerance, backup and disaster recovery, the transfer from physical machines to VMs, direct hardware accessing, virtual network switching, and so forth. For commercial purpose, it can promote energy efficiency, lower the demand for hardware, and increase the ratio of servers to operators to have a cost reduction. Besides, users can just use so-called low-cost thin client or PDA to link to the cloud platform to complete the routines rather than PCs. Furthermore, thin client has its own simple device architecture, extremely low possibility of malfunction, shutdown by overheating, and attacked by viruses. That mentioned above indeed saves not only cost but also power consumption.

Enterprise resources planning (ERP) is an enterprise resource management system that is a combination of enterprise management concepts, business processes, basic data, human and material resources, and computer hardware and software. ERP is an advanced business management model, that is also able to elevate business benefits. Having an overall balance, coordinating every management department, developing market-oriented activities, improving core competitiveness, and even attaining the best business benefits are the key functions. Cloud computing is highly beneficial for ERP. It is not necessary to modify or redesign the old system for transferring the original ERP to the cloud platform, but all we need to do is simple transformation. The system will lessen the cost of redevelopment of programs, as well as there is no necessity for staffs to be retrained or to get accustomed to a new environment. In other words, we can create a similar system-dependent environment based on the virtualization technology, but it will actually become a more efficiently brand-new architecture. Staffs in enterprises operate at the same ERP as usual, and they conduct Web remote connection operation via the end-user devices like smart phones and tablets. With excellent flexibility and mobility, it broaden the working range from only offices to almost everywhere. This study introduces the open software, Proxmox Virtual Environment [14] hypervisor, as the cloud computing and service platform with the virtual environment. The kernel-based virtual machine (KVM) acts as the main core of VM, and it has installed the kernel of Linux-based operating system. OpenERP [7] is adopted in this study as an ERP application which provides many solutions for open-source softwares in the future, having it more expandable, making a great progress on cost deduction.

This paper introduces in-cloud ERP deployed in the VM cluster together with access control authentication and network security. This scheme can resolve three problems: (a) unexpected down-time or system failure that will cause data loss and system termination, (b) failover cannot be done successfully between physical hosts, and (c) traditional information security using DMZ approach costs a lot. It turns out for easing data management, quickly responding to users’ demands, making the products to be relatively outstanding among many enterprises, and obtaining the maximum benefit. Access control authentication and network security have been designed in the cloud computing system to prevent the service-oriented hosts form external fraud, intrusion, or malicious attacks. As a result, according to the experiments the proposed approach in this paper outperforms two well-known benchmark ERP systems, in-house ECC 6.0, and in-cloud ByDesign.