APSU IPC Clouducation 101

2011 Innovative Professor Conference

Thomas Danford

@tdanford | #ipc11

November 7, 2011

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Clouducation 101

Discussion Items

• An Historical Precedent?

• The Quantitative and Qualitative Benefits of Cloud Computing

• Arguments Against & Challenges to Cloud Computing?

• A New Paradigm for IT

• Benefits of a Cloud Strategy to Higher Education

• Closing Observations

• Questions & Discussion

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A precedent fromthe past?

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My lights don’t work!

Is there electrical equipment I could

use to project equations?

Did you turn them off and then back

on again?We’re not funded

for that.

I can’t get heat in my classroom.

There is a denial of service as the coal barge is blocked by ice on the

river network.

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It’s too expensive!It’s unsecure!

It’s not ready for production!

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?

The Quantitative and Qualitative Benefits of Cloud Computing

• Commoditization of Hardware

• Virtualization & Clustering• Speed & Agility to

Provision• Redundancy & Uptime• Security & Data Integrity• Specialization

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Arguments Against & Challenges to Cloud Computing?• Data in the cloud is vulnerable to hacker attacks

and other security issues• Meeting service level agreements (SLAs)• On-premises systems are less expensive• On-premises systems are still in good shape and

the ROI is yet to be achieved.• The IT Department

• Fear of loss of control, power, and personnel• Changing job responsibilities from “heads down” to

“heads up” end user support• Moving from a purveying mindset to one that also

encompasses sourcing/leveraging

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”Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A New Paradigm for IT

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Administrivia or Academics?

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Benefits of a Cloud Strategy to Higher Education

• Portable, personalized, participatory• Nearness education vs. distance education• Cronospatial vs. geospatial• High tech but also high touch

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Closing Observations

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Questions & Discussion

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[email protected]

My sincere thanks for the opportunity to meet you all.