Cloud Computing Assignment In Education Sector
Question
Assessment
This task focuses not only on two ‘Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs)’ of this unit but also five ‘Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)’. These will be assessed through:
- (ULO1) teamwork to investigate the needs of current IT services and justify the benefit of adopting cloud computing technologies.
- (ULO3) identification and analysis of IT service problems and propose justifiable technical solutions related to cloud computing and potential improvement actions based on findings.
- (GLO1) student knowledge of cloud computing issues identified with evidence from published literature.
- (GLO3) student ability and competence in locating, using and documenting cloud solutions to process information.
- (GLO4) student ability to reflect and critically analyse the information in literature to justify the validity of proposing solutions.
- (GLO5) student competence in utilising cloud computing technologies to solve real?world problems.
- (GLO7) students’ team work skills from self and peer review.
Answer
Future Research & Discussion: It is evident from the discussion above that cloud computing is one of the most disruptive technologies in existence and is still growing. The challenges need to be mitigated to leverage the full capacity of the cloud leaving multiple opportunities. Additionally, from the discussion above it can be emphasised to state that no adequate tool or technique is available for mitigating the challenges identified from the review of the literary work. Hence, the discussed paper can pave path for future researches on the mitigating strategies for the security challenges that are associated with the cloud in educational sector.
Another notable scope that is evident from the discussed work is the lack of literary work that discusses physical security of the cloud equipment in the educational institutions. Though it is well-known that the cloud based IT infrastructure of an organisation is based in a remote data centre, however, the controls of the organisational infrastructure based on cloud is generally associated with the systems (computers, lab machines and others). The organisational systems can be trespassed locally and hence is a gap in literature that needs to be addressed. Moreover, cloud computing is an adverse technology and going bigger in terms of using. Therefore, the past research work still not discovered lots of areas and the changes that are frequently happening. Therefore, in future, research can be designed on the latest technologies as well as changed architecture of cloud computing.
Conclusion:
The discussed report can be summarised to state that cloud is one of the technology that is witnessing a major surge in the adoption ratio globally. The adoption of the cloud services is not limited to only one sector but has paved its way in different sectors, one of which is the education sector. Additionally, unlike most of the other sectors the cloud in the educational institution has not limited itself to the organisational management or organisational operations, but have extended itself to the platform of learning & research as well. The e-learning tools & methods are offering significant advantage in building & developing skills of the young minds which will lead the growth of the state & country in future. Hence, it can be stated that the importance of cloud services in the education is very prominent However, the discussed prominence of the cloud services in the education industry is challenged by one of the most significant threat posed by the cloud service.
The discussed challenge is security concerns offered by the cloud. The ‘security’ challenge is a very strong challenge which is capable of formulating the perception over the adoption of cloud services in an educational institute. The concerns that the security offers in a cloud based IT infrastructure of educational institutes are more significant. The reason for the above made statement lays on the fact that if adequate attention is not cited on the security then the cyber malefactors can manipulate with the e-learning resource which can ultimately ruin the educational structure of the institution. The ruined educational structure will cite adverse effect on the institution along with having an adverse impact on the sustainability of the country or state when those students are sent in the corporate world. Additionally, the students can manipulate the cloud database of the institution to practice unethical means in the exams.
The concern associated with the security of cloud services in an educational institution is not limited to only education context. It can be further expanded to understand the adverse effect that the organisation will face due to security issues. Due to weak security of the cloud services equipped by the organisation, its resources (financial, inventory, human and others) will always stay at risk. The privacy of the institution’s stakeholders, the financial strategy of the organisation, the inventory which includes the organisation’s study material & patterns along with several other factors will stay at risk. Hence, it is advisable that the educational organisations should mitigate the security challenges posed by the cloud services in the shortest time frame and if the former is planning to adopt the services of latter, then they should devise the strategy to mitigate the challenges first.
In conclusion, the report can be emphasised to state that though cloud services can offer significant benefit in educational organisations it is can even pose significant threat. Hence, it is advisable that the organisations should develop strategies to mitigate the security challenge posed by the cloud services before adopting its services.
Bibliography:
[1] D. M. Wink, “Cloud computing,” Nurse Educ., vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 3–5, 2012.
[2] I. Bojanova, J. Zhang, and J. Voas, “Cloud computing,” IT Professional, vol. 15, no. 2. pp. 12–14, 2013.
[3] S. E. Wilhite, “Cloud computing?,” HDA Now, vol. 51, no. 7, p. 12, 2012.
[4] D. C. Marinescu, Cloud Computing. 2013.
[5] C. Computing, “Success stories,” Smart Vend. Solut., pp. 22–28, 2015.
[6] C. Computing, “IEEE Cloud Computing,” IEEE Pervasive Comput., vol. 13, no. 1, pp. c4–c4, 2014.
