Over recent times, there has been a paradigm shift in the way education is viewed, practised and, perhaps most importantly, absorbed. Long gone are the days of classrooms being reliant on blackboards and notepads; lesson plans, resources and assignments have been digitised, thus increasing the dependence on Cloud computing in education.
Inherently, these changes to Higher Education come with their own set of challenges and benefits, and it is up to you to decide whether Cloud computing in education is the right fit for your institution.Challenges of Cloud computing in Higher Education
1. How Secure is Your Data?
One of the most beneficial components of Cloud computing is its accessibility. However, this does also pose the issue of security. This is especially pertinent when enabling access to the Cloud through multiple devices, as the threat of cyberattacks, or data breaches, does increase. It is therefore integral that you employ best practices for cloud security, such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and security awareness training for those accessing Cloud computing in education.
2. Relinquishing Control
Cloud migration can seem a daunting step at first, as you’ll no longer have absolute control over your institution’s sensitive data. Your Cloud software provider manages all updates, be it to training or scheduling platforms that may be in use, alleviating the burden from your in-house IT teams. This does lessen your overall control, but it also diminishes the need to worry about staying up to date with your provided services in Higher Education, as this service is delivered by your Cloud software provider.
3. Reliance on the Internet
By utilising Cloud computing in education, institutions will, by default, become more reliant on internet service providers. If classrooms are experiencing outages or have a poorly established internet connection, online learning will suffer. It is therefore essential that a strong bandwidth is established prior to the adoption of cloud-based platforms.
Benefits of Cloud computing in Higher Education
1. Collaboration
Cloud computing enables real-time communication between:
- Students
- Students and teachers
- Teachers and parents
This encourages a more collaborative approach to Higher Education, as an environment where students, teachers and parents can communicate has been created.
2. Scale with Ease
As Cloud computing in education is offered as Software as a Service (SaaS), the solutions you use scale according to your exact requirements. This means that regardless of the size of your institution, or however many Higher Education facilities you manage, your cloud-based software will adapt to your needs.
3. Save on Cost
While the up-front costs involved in migrating to the Cloud can seem intimidating, the long-term savings are incredible. Cloud computing in education helps you save on:
- Data storage costs
- Old IT hardware
- Operating expenses
- And much more
For more information on the benefits and challenges associated with Cloud computing in Higher Education, read through our recent eBook.
