Cloud Computing

I must admit my knowledge of cloud computing at the start of this lecture was cursory at best. However after reading the lecture, articles and Edmodo posts I feel more confident that I understand the concepts involved in cloud computing. However the technical particulars still allude me, but that is to be expected!

Cloud computing is when you rely on network servers to work on, hold, and backup data, instead of using your computer or other hardware device to perform these tasks.

Advantages:

There are many advantages to cloud computing. Firstly, you don’t have to rely entirely upon your devices to store information and run applications (Schnell, 2009). Schnell (2009) astutely explains this advantage:

“How many have panicked over misplacing a presentation disc, accidentally deleting a presentation file, copying the wrong file version onto a USB key, or simply grabbing the wrong USB key? A misplaced mobile device or a PC crash is devastating since all data and applications are lost if not aggressively backed up (and we all back up, don’t we!?).”

This is no doubt a breath of fresh air for those who have fought against deadlines and experienced their hard drive crash, lost their USB stick, and ran to the computer store just as it closed for the day, all within the hour before a deadline…It is a great comfort to know you could just go to down to the library and access your files via an Internet connection. It is ideal for the person on-the-go.

Disadvantages:

There are also a few disadvantages. Firstly, you may be left defenceless if your Internet connection goes down and the servers crash. Secondly, you have to be online to access the files, which is not always possible. As Schnell (2009) argues “After all, the most important files are the ones we need access to at ALL times!”. Thus, the user loses the control that they have become accustomed to due to the convenience of personal computing. Whereas before you only had to turn on your computer and go through Microsoft Word to access your document, now you need to have Internet access to sign on to Google Docs to edit your document. If your Internet signal goes down or the Google servers went down you would be out-of-luck!

It’s difficult to trust the cloud because you cannot see it. With traditional computing you can see the document icon in your document folder and you can see the software program icon in your application or programs folder, which feels more tangible than the cloud.

Cloud Computing-Security and Privacy:

Security is a big issue with cloud computing. I find it interesting since cloud computing is both heralded as a great step forward and a great step backward.

The Wikipedia explanation shows both perspectives simultaneously:

“Security could improve due to centralization of data, increased security-focused resources, etc., but concerns can persist about loss of control over certain sensitive data, and the lack of security for stored kernels.[17] Security is often as good as or better than other traditional systems, in part because providers are able to devote resources to solving security issues that many customers cannot afford.[18] However, the complexity of security is greatly increased when data is distributed over a wider area or greater number of devices and in multi-tenant systems that are being shared by unrelated users. In addition, user access to security audit logs may be difficult or impossible. Private cloud installations are in part motivated by users’ desire to retain control over the infrastructure and avoid losing control of information security.”

Both perspectives make sense to me. Cloud computing is based on a more complex infrastructure than locally maintained data storage since it uses distributed data storage. With greater complexity comes greater risks. Is there a way to save sensitive information from tech-savvy prying eyes in the cloud or are we doomed to a loss of privacy? I surely hope there is a way to do the former!

Cloud Computing, Libraries, and the Future:

Stephens (2008) talks a lot about the future of cloud computing in the library and makes several interesting predictions. 

Stephens (2008) suggests allowing:

“unfettered access to the cloud… [by] offering multiple browsers, providing the fastest connections you can, and security measures that do not block access to what users want. Hardware access too: I carry a 160GB portable drive everywhere with all of my stuff on it. I may need to plug it into your library computer someday to sync data. Please let me.”

I wonder how libraries will be able to afford the fast connections and large hard drives required for cloud computing. While the complexity of these technological advancements are awe-inspiring, I sometimes feel that we are not ready for the advancements we work so hard to create. It will be interesting to see how the library allocates funds in order to pay for faster connections and larger hard drives. But perhaps Internet connections and hard drives will come down in price? That would be nice!

Interestingly, Stephens (2008) suggests conceptualizing the cloud as an “information resource in its own right”. Stephens (2008) alludes to carrying virtual references through cloud technology “…via Facebook, wikipedia,  blog posts, a Flickr picture, etc.”. We can already see this happening. Slowly but surely the library is moving to the cloud.

I am a bit skeptical of Stephens’ (2008) prediction that

“Maybe only a few computers in your library will need MS Office in the future. Maybe OpenOffice and some online version of the same will allow us a lot more freedom to spend our dollars and time on other improvements.”

As a new user to OpenOffice, I can not believe it could ever replace Microsoft Office or other proprietary options. The poor functionality of OpenOffice coupled with the difficulty in transferring files and opening them with proprietary office software seems entirely too frustrating for users for it to become the main tool used, in my opinion. However, stranger things have happened.

Regardless of how it turns out for libraries it seems as though cloud computing is here to stay. I am eager to learn more about the ramifications of this “paradigm shift” (Schnell, 2009) in computing infrastructure!

References:

Schnell, Eric. (2009, February 17). TechTips: Cloud computing. The Ohio State University: University Library Blogs. Retrieved from http://library.osu.edu/blogs/techtips/2009/02/17/techtips-cloud-computing/

Stephens, Michael. (2008, August 4). How can libraries use the cloud? Tame the Web: Libraries, Technology and People. Retrieved from http://tametheweb.com/2008/08/04/how-can-libraries-use-the-cloud/