Archive for the ‘Cloud Computing’ Category

I gave a presentation today at the Online Information 2010 conference on Cloud Computing in Libraries. It ran about 25 minutes and touched on the 3 different types of cloud computing – SaaS, Paas, Iaas – and the different ways libraries are implementing these new services.

Thursday Bram at GigaOm writes about Online Project Management: What Are the Legal Concerns? If you’re considering hosting client/patron information in the cloud you’ll want to give this article a look. Advising patrons of the use of SaaS or other cloud services in non-disclosure agreements ahead of time is recommended as a best practice.

“Depending on your clientele, explaining your data storage plans within a context that they understand can be difficult. But Roberts points out that such steps are necessary: “We would recommend explaining the use of certain types of software—i.e., software that stores documents in the Cloud, or SaaS, etc. The point is to explain the data usage in context. That context could also include an assurance that the software provider follows industry standards for data security.””

Gartner, the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2011. Each year the Gartner group puts together this visionary list of tech that will prove to be influential in the coming year. Here they are:

1. Cloud Computing
2. Mobile Applications and Media Tablets
3. Social Communications and Collaboration
4. Video
5. Next Generation Analytics
6. Social Analytics
7. Context-Aware Computing
8. Storage Class Memory
9. Ubiquitous Computing
10. Fabric-Based Infrastructure and Computers

via Greg Hardin

Library trainer Lori Reed talks about her move to the cloud for file storage and applications in Living in the Cloud: My Top Five Apps. I’m a huge fan of Dropbox and GoogleDocs which made her list and I’m excited to try out Aviary for editing images, audio, and video files. Be sure to check out her complete list of recommendations!

Zenoss, the corporate sponsor of the cloud-based networking and management project Zenoss Core, has created an infographic to represent The State of Cloud Computing. The infographic is based on a survey of 200 IT professionals during the 2nd quarter of 2010.

Highlights from the survey include:

• 40.7% indicated that they preferred to deploy servers virtually, 29.3% indicated they used virtualization whenever possible
• The leading virtualization technology used by respondents was VMware that was in use by 79.3% of survey respondents who were using virtualization
• 43.3% of participants indicated flexibility as the reason for using virtualization while 33.3% indicated hardware savings as a reason for using the technology
• The number one stated goal with regards to virtual infrastructure was Cost Savings (64.7%) followed by Deployment Control specifically controlling virtual sprawl
• Security was the number one concern for cloud computing followed by management and monitoring

via Stephen’s Lighthouse

Bridget McCrea at Campus Technology discusses Gartner’s recent publication of the Rights and Responsibilities for Consumers of Cloud Computing Services in How Solid Is Your Clouded Data? This new document is a “bill of rights” for cloud consumers addressing data ownership and security of hosted data.

“The right to retain ownership, use, and control of one’s own data is one area that Plummer cited as especially relevant for institutions using cloud computing. “Basically what we’re saying is that you should have the right to look at your own data, even when that data is placed on a cloud server,” said Gartner. “In the university setting, there’s intellectual property flying all over the place–from researchers sending files to one another to the e-mail system that’s running on a Google or Yahoo data center.”

The latest issue of Educause Quarterly is dedicated solely to the topic of Cloud Computing. Similarly, the May/June issue of Educause Review covered the cloud as well. Here are just a few of the articles from this excellent issue:

• Cloud Computing Explained
• Universities and Libraries Move to the Mobile Web
• Embracing the Cloud: Six Ways to Look at the Shift to Cloud Computing
• Using Cloud Infrastructure as Part of a Digital Preservation Strategy with DuraCloud

MakeUseOf has an excellent run-down of the 4 Best Sites To Get 10GB Free Online Backup & Storage by Mohan Ramkumar. Each site in the list is briefly reviewed including details of features and storage limits. I was excited to find out about Windows Live SkyDrive, offering a whopping 25GB of free online storage!

The latest issue of Educause Review focuses on cloud computing “as college and university, association, and corporate leaders discuss the opportunities/risks and the promise/peril in using cloud services”.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has issued a new report concerning The Future of Cloud Computing. Here’s a quick overview:

“Technology experts and stakeholders say they expect they will ‘live mostly in the cloud’ in 2020 and not on the desktop, working mostly through cyberspace-based applications accessed through networked devices. This will substantially advance mobile connectivity through smartphones and other internet appliances. Many say there will be a cloud-desktop hybrid. Still, cloud computing has many difficult hurdles to overcome, including concerns tied to the availability of broadband spectrum, the ability of diverse systems to work together, security, privacy, and quality of service.”

via Stephen’s Lighthouse

Web Directions has issued a report on The State of Web Development 2010. The study is based on responses to 50+ questions about technologies, techniques, philosophies, and practices that today’s web professionals employ. I found the information on cloud computing usage particularly interesting and useful.

Erik Mitchell, Ph.D has published Using Cloud Services for Library IT Infrastructure in the current issue of Code4Lib.

“While much of the focus on cloud computing in libraries has been on subscription service or platform (e.g. ILS hosting) there are cases where libraries need computing resources for requirements that are not provided by service or platform providers. This article looks specifically at the experience of one library in moving its IT infrastructure to cloud-based environments. The article seeks to address how well these systems fill library IT needs, asks what other elements define the success of the use of cloud-based infrastructure and concludes with a case study discussion of one experience.”

Today I had the pleasure of presenting on cloud computing in libraries in Copenhagen to the IT-faggruppen interest group of the The Danish Librarian (Workers) Union. It was a great all-day conference dedicated to cloud computing topics.