The coronavirus pandemic has illustrated how flexible the education industry now is when it comes to delivering curriculum. Teaching and learning are no longer confined to textbooks and classrooms. Today, teachers and students are always connected, whether they are on or off school grounds. Technology has played a major role in this disruptive change.
One of the technologies that is driving innovation to meet the demands of virtual and remote learning is cloud computing. IT leaders and network managers are looking at this model and comparing the pros and cons versus on-premise or hybrid solutions.
With so much information (and misinformation) around the implementation of cloud computing for schools, we thought it would be helpful to provide an overview for those interested in learning more about the cloud and how this deployment option fits the evolving needs of many school environments for both learning and digital safeguarding requirements.
What is cloud computing?
In simple terms, cloud computing, or “the cloud” refers to shared computer resources accessible over the internet.
Applications and data are no longer stored on local computers, but instead all resources are available to users on demand.
In education, this opens the door to not only cost-savings but new opportunities, performance improvements and security.
Types of Cloud Computing Requirements
Public Cloud
Public clouds are owned and operated by third-party cloud service providers, who deliver their computing resources such as servers and storage over the Internet. Microsoft Azure is an example of a public cloud. With a public cloud, all hardware, software, and other supporting infrastructure are owned and managed by the cloud provider. You access these services and manage your account using a web browser.
Private Cloud
A private cloud refers to cloud computing resources used exclusively by a single business or organization. A private cloud can be physically located on the company’s on-site data center. Some companies also pay third-party service providers to host their private cloud. A private cloud is one in which the services and infrastructure are maintained on a private network.
Hybrid cloud
Hybrid clouds combine public and private clouds, bound together by technology that allows data and applications to be shared between them. By allowing data and applications to move between private and public clouds, a hybrid cloud gives your business greater flexibility, more deployment options and helps optimize your existing infrastructure, security, and compliance.
Key Benefits of Moving Towards a Cloud Model
Flexibility
Scalability – Cloud infrastructure scales on demand to support fluctuating workloads.
Storage options – Users can choose public, private, or hybrid storage offerings, depending on security needs and other considerations.
Control choices – Organizations can determine their level of control with as-a-service options. These include software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
Tool selection – Users can select from a menu of prebuilt tools and features to build a solution that fits their specific needs.
Security features – Virtual private cloud, encryption, and API keys help keep data secure.
Efficiency
Accessibility – Cloud-based applications and data are accessible from virtually any internet-connected device.
Speed to market – Developing in the cloud enables users to get their applications to market quickly.
Data security – Hardware failures do not result in data loss because of networked backups.
Savings on equipment – Cloud computing uses remote resources, saving organizations the cost of servers and other equipment.
Pay structure – A “utility” pay structure means users only pay for the resources they use.
Strategic value
Streamlined work – Cloud service providers (CSPs) manage underlying infrastructure, enabling organizations to focus on application development and other priorities.
Regular update – Service providers regularly update offerings to give users the most up-to-date technology.
Competitive edge – Organizations can move more nimbly than competitors who must devote IT resources to managing infrastructure.
At Netsweeper, we work closely with our clients to provide implementations that address their specific needs, making our cloud-based filtering the best decision for your organization. Netsweeper enables ease of movement of components between cloud and local network with minimal technical management to facilitate the perfect match between cost, safeguarding, and management.