Today I have been learning about cloud computing. Cloud computing seems to be taking the technology world by storm and is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet. Essentially it provides a convenient way of accessing computing services irrespective of your location and also lessens the need to store software on your own device.
Here are a couple of links I found interesting:
http://www.techsoupforlibraries.org/blog/what-is-cloud-computing-and-how-will-it-affect-libraries
http://www.guardian.co.uk/cloud-computing/processing-for-all
I've also just read Google's 'Official Blog' and something that really interested me is the fact that cloud computing can also save energy. A recent report by the Carbon Disclosure Project and Verdantix estimates that cloud computing has the potential to reduce global carbon emissions by millions of metric tons. This can only be a good thing!
You might be interested in skim reading the following article which highlights a few security issues linked to cloud computing: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/law_librarian_blog/2010/02/privacy-and-data-security-risks-in-cloud-computing.html
ReplyDeleteThat mentioned, whilst I think with need to be aware of security issues and take steps to protect our data, I believe that if approached sensibly,fears over security should not impede use of cloud computing for various tasks.
Thanks ClaraGlocke. I have had a quick read of that article and although I found it very thought-provoking I agree with you that use of cloud computing should not be impeded due to fears over security.
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