Abstract
The development of digital technologies has opened up new opportunities for e-learning in higher education. These technologies include cloud computing, which promises a scalable and reliable computing environment for both staff and students. This has not only changed the teaching, learning, and research environment, but also affected the way IT support services must now operate in the university sector. This chapter investigates the adoption of cloud computing in higher education through a case study of a major UK university and focuses on how this has affected the IT support function. The benefits and challenges of implementing cloud computing are explored, using questionnaires and interviews to generate data and analysis. The chapter concludes that cloud migration is a complex undertaking requiring a robust strategy that pays due attention to a wide range of issues, notably security concerns and the need for reskilling and the development of new support roles.
TopRelevant Literature
Sultan (2010) described cloud computing as large data centres and server farms, which provide on-demand resources and services over the internet, thereby providing access to applications and data without reference to the underlying hosting infrastructure. Such data centres are monitored and maintained by different service providers such as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. The growth of cloud computing has been significant in the past decade. Computing Research (2016) concluded “the meteoric rate of growth in the use of cloud services, along with the sheer number of services which now depend upon it, mean that cloud has moved from being used selectively for only non-critical applications and workloads, to being a mainstream proposition for organisations of all sizes” (p.3). More specifically, Cloudian (2020) observe, “technology is shaping higher education. From applications that optimize data access, to online instruction videos, to the use of supercomputers for advanced research and analytics, institutions are using technology to expand knowledge, enhance learning and drive student success” (p. 1). In similar vein, Iftode (2020) recently concluded that “higher education institutions are particularly affected by the continuously evolving technology, and the need to create a synergy between technologies, teaching/learning methods, students’ preferences and needs” (p.236). However, due to the nature of higher education, each department or faculty has historically generated and stored its own data with particular requirements for access and update – creating the data silos that bedeviled the introduction of integrated corporate systems in the private sector in the last century. This presents particular problems for migration of such systems to the cloud and their on-going support and maintenance.
Table 1. Cloud IaaS/PaaS global market share
| Provider | Market Share (%) |
| Amazon Web Services (AWS) | 33 |
| Microsoft Azure | 15 |
| Google Cloud Platform (GCP) | 8 |
| Alibaba | 4 |
| IBM | 3 |
| Oracle | 1 |
| SAP | 1 |
| Workday | 1 |
| Salesforce | 1 |
| Other | 33 |
Source: Delta (2020, p.2)
Key Terms in this Chapter
Hybrid Cloud: Involves a combination of private and public infrastructures that are distinct but adhere to common standards that facilitate data and application portability between the two environments.
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): One of the three main service delivery models, the cloud provider manages just the servers, storage, networking, and virtual machines in the cloud.
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): In addition to the services made available in IaaS, the provider also makes available a development environment that enables users to create custom-built applications, but applications and data remain managed by the end-user.
Public Cloud: The cloud infrastructure exists on the premises of the cloud provider and can be used by any subscriber. However, it may be owned and operated by other organisations.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): Applications are run on the provider’s cloud service, and both data and applications are managed by the provider. There is no development environment for the users. This is the most extreme option for cloud computing, being at the other end of the spectrum from on-premises (“on-prem”) computing, where everything is run and managed in-house.
Hyperscaler: Very large corporations that dominate the cloud services industry, and which are now expanding their business operations into other areas, such as retailing and the automotive industry, using their strength in technology ownership and management. These companies include Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Private Cloud: One of the three main deployment models for cloud computing. The cloud infrastructure is for the exclusive use of one organization. It may exist either on-premises or off-premises.