18-07-2011, 11:04 AM
[attachment=14547]
What is it?
In its broadest usage, the term cloud computing refers to the
delivery of scalable IT resources over the Internet, as opposed to
hosting and operating those resources locally, such as on a college
or university network. Those resources can include applications
and services, as well as the infrastructure on which they operate.
By deploying IT infrastructure and services over the network, an
organization can purchase these resources on an as-needed basis
and avoid the capital costs of software and hardware. With cloud
computing, IT capacity can be adjusted quickly and easily to accommodate
changes in demand. While remotely hosted, managed
services have long been a part of the IT landscape, a heightened
interest in cloud computing is being fueled by ubiquitous networks,
maturing standards, the rise of hardware and software virtualization,
and the push to make IT costs variable and transparent.
Who’s doing it?
Cloud and cloud-like solutions appear to be widespread
and growing in higher education, though in relatively focused areas,
such as student e-mail. E-mail notwithstanding, higher education
institutions are more likely to obtain new services from the
cloud than to transition established services that have long been
operated by the campus. Many colleges and universities see pockets
of cloud service usage in other areas, often led by individual
faculty or students looking for the added flexibility and convenience
that the cloud can provide. Among the drivers that are
encouraging more institutions to contemplate cloud services are
budget pressures, calls for increased reliability of and access to IT
systems, and the need for institutions to provide timely access to
the latest IT functionality.
How does it work?
In traditional enterprise computing, IT departments forecast
demand for applications and capacity and invest time and money
to develop those resources in-house or purchase them from others
and operate them in-house. With cloud computing, institutions procure
IT services from remote providers, and campus constituents
access these resources over the Internet. E-mail, for example, long
considered a staple of an institution’s IT operations, can be obtained
from a range of sources, and a growing number of campuses
contract with outside suppliers for this function. Software is hosted
by the provider and does not need to be installed—or maintained—
on individual computers around campus. In some cases, a large
university or a consortium might become a provider of cloud services.
Storage and processing needs can also be met by the cloud.
Institutions pay only for the resources used, and users can access
the applications and files they need from virtually any Internet
What is it?
In its broadest usage, the term cloud computing refers to the
delivery of scalable IT resources over the Internet, as opposed to
hosting and operating those resources locally, such as on a college
or university network. Those resources can include applications
and services, as well as the infrastructure on which they operate.
By deploying IT infrastructure and services over the network, an
organization can purchase these resources on an as-needed basis
and avoid the capital costs of software and hardware. With cloud
computing, IT capacity can be adjusted quickly and easily to accommodate
changes in demand. While remotely hosted, managed
services have long been a part of the IT landscape, a heightened
interest in cloud computing is being fueled by ubiquitous networks,
maturing standards, the rise of hardware and software virtualization,
and the push to make IT costs variable and transparent.
Who’s doing it?
Cloud and cloud-like solutions appear to be widespread
and growing in higher education, though in relatively focused areas,
such as student e-mail. E-mail notwithstanding, higher education
institutions are more likely to obtain new services from the
cloud than to transition established services that have long been
operated by the campus. Many colleges and universities see pockets
of cloud service usage in other areas, often led by individual
faculty or students looking for the added flexibility and convenience
that the cloud can provide. Among the drivers that are
encouraging more institutions to contemplate cloud services are
budget pressures, calls for increased reliability of and access to IT
systems, and the need for institutions to provide timely access to
the latest IT functionality.
How does it work?
In traditional enterprise computing, IT departments forecast
demand for applications and capacity and invest time and money
to develop those resources in-house or purchase them from others
and operate them in-house. With cloud computing, institutions procure
IT services from remote providers, and campus constituents
access these resources over the Internet. E-mail, for example, long
considered a staple of an institution’s IT operations, can be obtained
from a range of sources, and a growing number of campuses
contract with outside suppliers for this function. Software is hosted
by the provider and does not need to be installed—or maintained—
on individual computers around campus. In some cases, a large
university or a consortium might become a provider of cloud services.
Storage and processing needs can also be met by the cloud.
Institutions pay only for the resources used, and users can access
the applications and files they need from virtually any Internet
