Comparative Analysis of the Centralized and Decentralized Architecture of Cloud Computing in terms of Privacy Security

In an era of rapid technological evolution, cloud computing has become indispensable across various industries due to its cost-efficiency, scalability, and accessibility. Yet, privacy and security concerns persist, as sensitive data can be susceptible to breaches and unauthorized access. At present, the two mainstream cloud computing architectures are centralized architecture and decentralized architecture. Both have advantages and disadvantages in terms of confidentiality, integrity and data availability. This paper employs a comparative analysis of these two architectures, synthesizing insights from recent studies and emphasizing the potential of emerging technologies like blockchain to strengthen privacy protection. By examining both architectures through a high-level lens, this study explores how decentralization, supported by distributed consensus mechanisms, can address vulnerabilities and enhance trust among stakeholders. It can be concluded that a decentralized approach, when underpinned by robust cryptographic methods, offers superior safeguards against evolving threats.