Is cloud always less secure than a department server?

No. A locked, patched, backed-up cloud can beat an unlocked office tower. Security follows keys, patches, and people, not the slogan ‘our own machine’.

Should all government data go to a US public cloud?

Ordinary open sites might. Citizen databases and secrets should stay on empanelled Indian or NIC clouds under Indian jurisdiction.

Discuss the advantage and security implication of cloud hosting of servers

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Cloud hosting cuts idle hardware cost and makes scale, patching, and disaster recovery easier for ordinary government work. In-house hosting still fits air-gapped and highly classified systems. Cloud risks are multi-tenancy, key control, data location, provider insiders, and lock-in. In-house risks are unpatched boxes, weak rooms, and no second copy. Use GI Cloud with government keys for most data; keep secrets on dedicated government infrastructure.

Model answer

Flow diagram

flowchart TD
  GB[Government business] --> CL[Empanelled cloud]
  GB --> IH[In-house rack]
  CL --> A[Scale backup opex]
  IH --> P[Physical control secrets]
  K[Keys location CERT contract] --> CL
  PT[Patches backup access] --> IH

Conclusion

Classify data: public and ordinary personal data on empanelled GI Cloud; secret and above on dedicated government cloud or in-house with NIC-grade ops.
Use MeghRaj, encryption with government-held keys, and Indian legal jurisdiction for citizen databases.
Ban unapproved public foreign clouds for official files; allow them only for open websites if policy says so.
Train a small cloud security cadre and run annual drills with CERT-In.

Cloud hosting gives government elasticity, professional backup, and lower idle capital. In-house hosting gives physical control for the most secret work. Security is not automatic in either room: cloud needs keys, location, and contracts; in-house needs patches and backups. A classified split on MeghRaj-class clouds is safer than every ministry running its own forgotten tower.

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Next question in the 2015 paper (Q14). View answer →
Is cloud always less secure than a department server?

No. A locked, patched, backed-up cloud can beat an unlocked office tower. Security follows keys, patches, and people, not the slogan ‘our own machine’.
Should all government data go to a US public cloud?

Ordinary open sites might. Citizen databases and secrets should stay on empanelled Indian or NIC clouds under Indian jurisdiction.

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Discuss the advantage and security implication of cloud hosting of servers vis-a-vis in house machine based hosting for government business.

Revision summary

Model answer

Flow diagram

Conclusion

Students also ask

When UPSC asked this

More from this paper

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In the view of the declining average size of land holdings in India which has made agriculture non - viable for a majority of farmers should contract farming and land leasing be promoted in agriculture? critically evaluate the pros and cons.

Toppers' copies