EDUCAUSE Review on Cloud Computing

The May/June 2010 issue of EDUCAUSE Review features two (2) articles on cloud computing:

• Cloud Computing and the Power to Choose: "[...] called cloud services, many of these — such as Wikipedia, Hotmail, and YouTube — were available before the phrase cloud service was even coined. What is new is the delivery of these services on an industrial scale through what might be called IT 'factories' (...) From the individual user's point of view, the only thing that matters is the power of choice: the opportunity to choose among cheap (or free) competing services that are user-friendly, accessible from any location, and within higher education, potentially more reliable than campus services. Colleges and universities around the world are thus discussing, planning for, and using cloud computing and cloud services. The rate of adoption varies from country to country, but the need for awareness and preparation is universal. This article will examine cloud issues — both opportunities and risks — by looking at examples from four countries: Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom."
• Looking at Clouds from All Sides Now: "On February 9 and 10, 2010, thanks to support from IBM, Pearson, and SunGard Higher Education, fifty leaders from colleges, universities, corporations, professional associations, and state networks met in Tempe, Arizona, to discuss cloud computing and the impending shift in the mix of where infrastructure, applications, and services are sourced. This group identified a set of actions that colleges and universities could take to prepare for what these leaders concluded was a promising, risky, and inevitable shift. "

The Pew Internet and American Life Project also recently published a report on The future of cloud computing.