Guides

Cloud computing

The issue

Institutions are under greater pressure than ever to improve performance and compete on the world stage, while reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Cloud computing can help institutions drive down costs and drive up performance.

What you can do

Cloud computing allows data, software and computing power to be stored and accessed from a shared, remote server. It provides an institution with greater resources and IT capability than it could develop in-house, to the benefit of research, teaching and learning.

Before adopting cloud computing, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with:

  • safeguards to operate legally and protect information and privacy
  • risks
  • cloud computing models
  • institutional strategy
  • costs and savings.

All of these are covered in detail in our detailed guide on cloud computing.

For general discussions about the use of cloud in further and higher education, see the Guardian debate and this workshop report.

Looking ahead

We are managing the University Modernisation Fund Shared Services and the Cloud Programme which has recently delivered the Janet brokerage and the Research Management and Administration System (RMAS).