Seven Things You Should Know About Cloud Computing

EDUCAUSE has published another in its "Seven Things" series of explicatory briefs, Seven Things You Should Know About Cloud Computing. Each has been a valuable resource and an excellent way to quickly get up to speed on something you might need to know about. Cloud computing has an impact on IT planning, academic planning, and resource and budget planning: 

Cloud computing is the delivery of scalable IT resources over the Internet, as opposed to hosting and operating those resources locally, such as on a college or university network. Those resources can include applications and services, as well as the infrastructure on which they operate. By deploying IT infrastructure and services over the network, an organization can purchase these resources on an as-needed basis and avoid the capital costs of software and hardware. With cloud computing, IT capacity can be adjusted quickly and easily to accommodate changes in demand. Cloud computing also allows IT providers to make IT costs transparent and thus match consumption of IT services to those who pay for such services. Operating in a cloud environment requires IT leaders and staff to develop different skills, such as managing contracts, overseeing integration between in-house and outsourced services, and mastering a different model of IT budgets.