10 Questions and Answers about the Cloud

Welcome, University Business readers. Thanks, UB, for putting a link to my blog in your story about the cloud.

I was interviewed by University Business editor Tim Goral about IHE’s using the cloud. I hope the story is able to shed a little light about potential uses of the cloud in higher education in the future.

I’m glad Mr. Goral touched on security in the story, it’s a question I get a lot from people want to learn more about the cloud or are wary about security concerns in the cloud. This is a topic I’ll blog more about in the future, but here’s a snip of what I said in the story:

“There is some data, such as our student registration, that will always reside on campus,” he explains. “If you’re buying a cloud server and you are uploading code and applications, that’s no different than a server that lives in your data center. You are going to put the same protections on it that you put in your on-campus infrastructure. You are going to lock out certain ports, you are going to make sure you are always patching and getting the most up-to-date software, and so on. If your data is not secure on your own campus, it is not going to be any more or less secure in the cloud.”

I’d like to expand on these thoughts in the future. Thanks again to Tim Goral for including me in the story. If you don’t get University Business, you definitely should. Even if you aren’t in a financial area (I’m in web and marketing), it’s a great way to leran about challenges your institution will or are currently facing, and it never hurts to try to learn as much as possible about the different offices and functions of a college. I’ve learned a great deal in the years I’ve been a (free) subscriber.

Interesting side note, this is the third month in a row I’ve been in UB, and my fifth time over all. Here are a few links:

The Power of Podcasts, February 2006
Facebook Applications: Game changer? February 2008
Should You Twitter, January 2009
How to do more with less, February 2009
10 Questions and Answers about the Cloud, March 2009

1 thought on “10 Questions and Answers about the Cloud”

  1. Geez, if only I got “thanked” like you thank my boss at UB when I included you in my previous columns… 😉

    You’re a great source and expert on several topics – the UB editorial team reads my columns, no wonder they noticed an interesting pattern.

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