Cloud computing
JISC has launched three studies to take a good look at the cloud. These studies will give a rounded view of the implications of the cloud in the area of research and also its likely environmental impacts and the implications for enterprise computing within institutions (also see JISC’s Flexible Service Delivery programme).
The final reports for these studies will be available in May 2010, and there will be interim outputs before this date.
Microsoft's Azure platform will launch in the new year (1 Jan 2010) and is a further area that JISC will be exploring. It’s had some mixed press, but the overall aim – to provide a framework where applications can run either locally or in the cloud - may find favour in places committed to the Microsoft way of doing things.
Cloud studies
Technical review of cloud computing for research
- Provide a technical review of the current state of cloud computing for researchers in the computing and data storage areas
- Provide advice and guidance on the technical aspects of cloud systems
- Make recommendations to the JISC what development work should be carried out to enable cloud computing for researchers
- Delivery of main report – May 2010
See the ITT for this study
Using cloud computing for research
- Document the use cases for cloud computing in research
- Provide advice and guidance on the governance, legal and economic issues around using cloud computing for research
- Make recommendations to the JISC on further useful work that can be carried out in these areas
- Delivery of main report - May 2010
See the ITT for this study
Review of the Environmental and Organisational Implications of Cloud Computing in Higher and Further Education
- Review the current evidence for the environmental costs and benefits of cloud computing
- Review the implications of cloud computing for institutional activities outside the research area
- Review the changes to institutional governance, policies, procedures and skills from the adoption of cloud computing
- Make recommendations to the JISC for further areas for development
- Final Report now available (see bottom of page)
Project Details
Events
This will bring together software developers, repository managers, service providers, funding and advisory bodies to discuss the potential policy and technical issues associated with cloud computing and the delivery of repository services in UK HEIs.
Programme as known to date includes:
- Sandy Payette, DuraSpace Foundation
- Alex Wade, Microsoft Research (tbc)
- Les Carr, EPrints
- Terry Harmer, Belfast eScience Centre
- Paul Miller, Cloud of Data
JISC-CETIS have produced a discussion paper on Cloud computing in institutions
The JISC Project APT STAIRS (Appropriate & Practical Technologies for Students, Teachers, Administrators & Researchers) investigated the use of Google Apps for teaching and learning
The JISC Project Fedorazon (2007) was a rapid innovation project that sought to remove the hardware barriers involved in launching and maintaining a repository. It explored the use of the Fedora Commons repository on top of Amazon’s cloud severs. This would allow an institution to simply “rent” some space and launch their own secure Fedora based repository, with minimal set-up work.
In it’s final report, the project muses on the possibility of a future model of SaaS computing where institutions cooperate to develop a shred cloud instance where applications can be run, with shared help-desk and support.
In the repository space, the project recommends JISC support for standardised AMIs between cloud providers to enable swappable cloud components, and work by JISC to help develop business models to help institutions develop cloud-sharing arrangements.
Beyond JISC
Beyond the work that JISC is doing its worth noting the existence of initiatives such as the Open Cloud Manifesto and the various standards bodies and organisations that are active in forging standards for interoperability in the cloud space.
Cloud Standards Wiki is useful for standards work.