Cloud Computing and the Power to Choose
6/1/2010
Costs: free
Author: Leo Plugge, Rob Bristow, Ted Dodds and Richard Northam
This international article, written in June 2010, provides insight into the chances and risks in cloud computing and cloud services for higher education and research.
Cloud services, many of these—such as Wikipedia, Hotmail, and YouTube—were available before the phrase cloud service was even coined. What is new is the delivery of these services on an industrial scale through what might be called IT “factories.” Yet the methods and techniques for delivering these services do not concern the user.
From the individual user’s point of view, the only thing that matters is the power of choice: the opportunity to choose among
cheap (or free) competing services that are user-friendly, accessible from any location, and within higher education, potentially more reliable than campus services.
Colleges and universities around the world are thus discussing, planning for, and using cloud computing and cloud services. The rate of adoption varies from country to country, but the need for awareness and preparation is universal. This article will examine cloud issues—both opportunities and risks—by looking at examples from four countries: Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
This article was also published in Educause Review Magazine of May/June 2010.
Cloud Computing and the power to choose