Even after reading several articles on Cloud Computing the information still tends to cloud in my head. We all use some form of Cloud computing. Even right now reading this blog in Blogger you are utilizing cloud computing. I utilize iCloud by Apple, Google Apps (This Blog is utilizing Blogger that is part of Google apps), and Microsoft Office online. Reading about cloud computing is a lot to take in. I have tried to break it down the best I could and posted some useful information from the articles that I read in hopes that it can make Cloud Computing look a little less cloudy and how it is used in Libraries.
Definitions of Cloud Computing
I came across several but these were the ones that made the most sense:
v “Cloud Computing involves a diffuse, distributed computing infrastructure provided through the internet in an abstract way, where neither the programmers who create the service nor the end users of that service need to be involved with the specific hardware components”(Breeding 24)
v “Cloud computing is the availability of IT-type needs offered as services, often through a third- party vendor”(Buck 6)
v This is a table by Matt Goldner that breaks down the structures with examples(Goldner 5) :
There are 3 basic structures in Cloud Computing: IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS
IaaS
Infrastructure as a Service provides an environment to deploy the managed virtual machine.(Feng et al. e0216067) If you look at the chart above, it is basically just renting a space and time, to store your data that you can access from anywhere
PaaS
Platform as a Service provides a platform for developing other applications on top of it.(Feng et al. e0216067) Examples of this service: Google and Facebook
SaaS
While I like to think of this term as what my daughter throws my way, this abbreviated term means “Software as a Service”. This is a more widely used Cloud Computing structure. Instead of loading the software onto our computers from a floppy or CD then hoping for the best, businesses can start utilizing or “renting” the software over the web without any downloading, inconvenient discs, instructions, licensing, and updating by the end user(Buck 8) . The upfront purchasing costs are reduced by using their subscription pay as you go method and when it comes to maintenance, updates and support issues, it’s all handled automatically as part of the service(Buck 3) .
Are there any Privacy and Security Issues with Cloud Computing?
That is a good question and one I think of before putting anything on the cloud. Putting any data on the cloud always has its risks but as Buck states in her article “it is important to read the fine print when looking into cloud computing “ and to “understand the privacy and security policies of the vendor you use as well as the backup plans in case of service disruptions”(Buck 9,10) Another good idea that is mentioned in “How Sound is the Cloud” encrypt your data if you are only using it for storage before saving on the cloud especially if its sensitive material(Goldsborough 68)
Libraries and Cloud Computing
So, now that we hopefully cleared the clouds on the basics of Cloud Computing, let’s talk about Cloud Computing in Libraries.
Libraries started to go down the path towards cloud computing with the first example being the OCLC where data has been aggregated into common pools to share.(Goldner 9)
Cloud Computing is beneficial to libraries by freeing up a lot of their time that it took the libraries to maintain databases, equipment buying, software installing and a lot of software updates(Goldner 13) .
SaaS cloud computing technologies have been a popular form of cloud computing for librarians, especially to the libraries that have limited resources. Google Docs and Dropbox are good examples of these technologies(Tritt and Davis Kendrick 2) .
Cloud Computing benefits patrons as well, especially in Public Libraries where large files such as digital collections could stress a server. By utilizing cloud services, it could free up bandwidth speeding up retrieval of materials for the patron(Buck 10) .
I hope this post helps with clears the clouds on the basics of Cloud Computing and how it is used in our Libraries.
I have included a few links to some interesting articles on Cloud Computing in Libraries
Works Cited
Breeding, Marshall. “The Advance of Computing from the Ground to the Cloud.” Computers in Libraries, vol. 29, no. 10, Jan. 2009, pp. 22–25. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ861520&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Buck, Stephanie. “Libraries in the Cloud: Making a Case for Google and Amazon.” Computers in Libraries, vol. 29, no. 8, Sept. 2009, pp. 6–10. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ858674&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Feng, Danqing, et al. "ERP: An elastic resource provisioning approach for cloud applications." PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 4, 2019, p. e0216067. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/apps/doc/A583658110/OVIC?u=cclc_palomar&sid=OVIC&xid=9a94d977. Accessed 30 Apr. 2020.
Goldner, Matthew R. “Winds of Change: Libraries and Cloud Computing.” Bibliothek Forschung Und Praxis, vol. 34, no. 3, Dec. 2010, pp. 270–275. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1515/bfup.2010.042.
Goldsborough, Reid. “How Sound Is the Cloud?” Teacher Librarian, vol. 40, no. 3, Feb. 2013, p. 68. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=85445405&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Tritt, Deborah, and Kaetrena Davis Kendrick. “Impact of Cloud Computing on Librarians at Small and Rural Academic Libraries.” Southeastern Librarian, vol. 62, no. 3, Fall 2014, pp. 2–11. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=99265537&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
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