How important is cloud-based storage for educational institutions?
The education industry has come a long way over the past years. Teaching and learning are no longer confined to textbooks and classrooms and now reaches laptops, phones and other devices. Today, students are always connected — whether they are on or off the campus.
One of the technologies that drive innovation for the education industry is cloud computing. Cloud computing is the delivery of on-demand computing services – from applications to storage and processing power – typically over the internet and on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Rather than owning their own computing infrastructure or data centers, companies can rent access to anything from applications to storage from a cloud service provider. Some of the most popular cloud storage providers are Apple (iCloud), Amazon (Amazon Web Services), Dropbox, and Google.
In terms of educational institutions, schools and universities do not need to buy their own servers and data centers. Rather, they can take advantage of cloud-based services whenever they need them. This way, they can also be sure that all their resources are secure on the cloud.
The cloud technology is an amazing facilitator that contributes largely to how educators teach and how students learn. With cloud-based software, it becomes possible for educational organizations to have virtual classrooms for the students. It also opens newer opportunities for students especially for those who weren’t served well by traditional approaches.
Furthermore, it improves accountability. While universities need to provide more evidence and indicators to accredit for their academic quality, these platforms facilitate registration and documentation.
Lastly, the use of cloud-based services is cost effective for both the students and the academic organizations. Institutions would only need to pay for the services it uses and the storage it needs.
