Benefits+and+Challenges

These two videos provide a good overview of some of the main opportunities available in Cloud Computing, as well as some of the challenges. While the one video is a general overview of Cloud Computing, the second video is created for a business audience. Both present information which is applicable to the use of Cloud Computing in education. media type="custom" key="20160628" width="575" height="575" align="center"

=Depending on the how far you decide to delve into Cloud Computing and how sensitive the information you are choosing to place in the cloud, you may want to examine/ask some of the following: =

=Protecting Yourself in the Cloud ([|Spinola], 2009, pp. 9-12) = =Key Questions to Ask Cloud Computing Providers ([|Spinola], 2009, pp. 14-15) =
 * 1) **Data Safety**: Evaluate how their security works and how they segregate data.
 * 2) **Compliance**: How is compliance with published privacy policies ensured?
 * 3) **Monitoring SLA’s (Service-Level Agreements) and Contracts.** Examine such documents to fully understand what is guaranteed and what is not. Be sure to examine any dashboards on their site which show updates to these agreements.
 * 4) **Integration with your current systems**: ensure your security on existing programs and applications (in-house) are secure as they interact with the Cloud based applications.
 * 5) **Application Mobility**: Look to see if you can move applications from one Cloud to another (such as when a Cloud provider disappears, or if there are “migration” costs).
 * 6) **Balance**: Examine the balance between risks and benefits of Cloud Computing.
 * **Where is my data and who has access to it?** The provider’s access control and authentication procedures should be reviewed, and companies should find out if third parties have access to the information
 * **How is data being protected?** Ask to review the service provider’s architecture to make sure proper data segregation is available; review their data leak prevention (DLP) deployment to prevent insider attacks; review the vendor’s data protection techniques to ensure appropriate cryptography is used for both data in rest and in motion; and make sure the appropriate documentation is available for auditors.
 * **Will you maintain the features we contracted?** And what are the penalties? What's customer support like? How can I ensure that my data and the cloud services will continue to be available, in the event of the provider’s bankruptcy or change in business direction? What's the exit strategy?

Apexcould Ltd. (2009, October 17). //Pros and cons of cloud computing//. Retrieved from []