Paper Title
Cloud Based Graduation Certificate Verification Model

Abstract
The graduation certificate issued by universities and other educational institutions is one of the most important documents for a graduate. It is proof of the graduate�s qualification and can be used anywhere. However, due to advances in printing and photocopying technologies, fake certificates can be created easily and the quality of a fake certificate can now be as good as the original. The certificates issued by many prominent universities have been forged and these forgeries are difficult to detect. Moreover, many factors have led to reduced operational efficiency in student services at universities. One of the most significant factors that has had a detrimental effect on the quality of university services is the verification process for educational certificates and related documents. Yet, certificate verification is essential in order to ensure that the holder of the certificate is genuine and that the certificate itself comes from a real source. However, the verification of graduation certificates is a challenge for the verifier (the prospective employer who wants to verify the certificate). To address this issue, a cloud-based model for certificate verification is proposed. The university, the graduate and the verifier are the three parties involved in the proposed solution in order to accomplish accurate certificate verification. Three key aspects � security, validity and confidentiality � are considered in the proposed model. Several internal and external benefits can be obtained by using the proposed model. Internal benefits include improved work processes and ease of use for university staff due to the digitization of the verification process. External benefits include the receipt of faster and more efficient verification results by students/alumni and employers. The proposed model could also improve the links between universities and government entities. Keywords- Cloud Computing, Graduation Certificate Verification, Data Security, Information Confidentiality.