Welcome to Week 8: Files in the Clouds

For week 8, we have organized our material here: Cloud Computing: Beyond the Silver Lining

The launchpad, experiences and discussion interactivities are located there. We sincerely hope that you enjoy your week with us!

Your Week 8 Team:

Ashley, Jim & Stephen

Purpose of this wiki

This wiki will be used as a collaborative space for us to collect and organize our experiences and learning. We have begun this wiki with a suggested structure. However, we are very comfortable with the "wiki way" and encourage and expect that you create new sections and/or reorganize the knowledge on this page as you see fit.

We only have one rule: Before you make your edit to the page, ask yourself: will my edit improve the knowledge of the page? If you can answer yes, then do it! And be bold!

Cloud Storage Service Providers

Cloud storage providers are organization who only provide data storage services. Please add to this list by listing the name of the provider, link the name to their web site, and include a concise review of the service, for example, the pros and cons of using that service.

Provider	Pros	Cons
Dropbox	2GB for free and works on any operating system. Has mobile apps for many devices.	Example
SugarSync	5 GB for free; backs up & syncs with any folder on computer; supports a variety of mobile devices	Linux not supported, uses a file management client
Amazon Web Services	offers attractive cloud storage features for small businesses, customers are not required to purchase hardware, users have the ability to order computing services and storage on an as-needed basis to meet individual hosting needs	outage recently, Users need to pay a small fee
Box.net	5 GB for free, integrates directly with applications using plugins, administrative controls and settings, mobile access, sharing and management features	only basic functions are free, advanced features such as computer syncing are not free, pricing plans are perhaps higher than competitors

Cloud Computing Service Providers

Cloud computing providers are organization who provide data storage services plus data processing capabilities such as integrated online apps. Please add to this list by listing the name of the provider, link the name to their web site, and include a concise review of the service, for example, the pros and cons of using that service.

Provider	Pros	Cons
Google Apps	Powerful collaboration - simultaneous editing of documents	Example
IBM	New provider with Smart Business Test and Development Cloud, good for business purposes	Just for test and development purposes, complex strategy

Benefits to Converting to Cloud Computing

What are the benefits to converting a business or school district to cloud computing?

Security and privacy
Easy access: Applications can be accessed from any computer, anywhere in the world
Peace of mind
Increased storage
Reduced cost
Highly automated. No need to worry about repairing and fixing hardware for storage
Flexibility
More mobility
Less pressure on IT staff
Service quality
Access to a huge range of applications without having to download or install anything
Companies can share resources in one place
Creating communities for sharing and building information from different locations
Environmental care