Libraries in the Cloud: Making a Case for Google and Amazon

Computers in Libraries, Sep 2009 by Buck, Stephanie

At its current pace, cloud computing stands to change IT services for many environments.

As news outlets create headlines such as "A Cloud & A Prayer," "The Cloud Is the Computer," and "Leveraging Clouds to Make You More Efficient," many readers have been left with cloud confusion. What is cloud computing? How is it used? Will it work for me? These are common questions sometimes lost in the shuffle and excitement of an emerging or transforming technology. They are the same questions I asked myself last fall as I tackled a research paper on cloud computing for a class called Technology for Information Professionals. As a Simmons College M.L.S. candidate with decent tech skills, I had no idea what cloud computing was or what I was getting myself into. When I was able to make heads and tales of the buzzwords and explain cloud computing in my own words, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that there is great potential for cloud computing in libraries and other similar institutions.

So What About Cloud Computing?

Many definitions exist for cloud computing, and a uniform definition is hard to find. In its most basic form, cloud computing is the availability of IT-type needs offered as services, often through a third-party vendor. Adding to the confusion are conflicting ideas on what constitutes the various areas of cloud computing. What one professional may view as storage in the cloud could be a platform service to another professional. Data storage, software, email, and much more are hosted through the web. There are several services provided in the cloud, but software as a service (SaaS) and data storage are most frequently discussed and may prove to be the most useful in libraries.

Traditionally, software is installed on an individual workstation or network. The software must be purchased, licensed, maintained, and updated by the user. SaaS is a departure from all of these restrictions. In an article about cloud computing in the July 2008 Communications of the ACM, Brian Hayes states, "In contrast, software as an Internet -based service can be developed, tested, and run on a computing platform of the vendor's choosing. Updates and bug fixes are deployed in minutes." Upfront purchasing costs can be reduced as many companies offering SaaS use subscription payment methods, and some software services are free. Maintenance and support are no longer the responsibility of the user, as they happen automatically as part of the service.

Data storage can refer to many things, including memory, components, devices, and media. One of the most popular types of data storage available in the cloud would replace or work alongside traditional server storage. Servers require cooling systems, regu- lar maintenance, hardware, and backup systems. In cloud data centers, these requirements are still concerns, but in- stead of burdening the user, they are provided by an outside vendor. When a user transfers data to the cloud, the data are removed from an in-house server and stored in server farms or ex- ternal data centers. Data are accessed through a website created by the ven- dor, and users typically pay only for the data being stored or for the frequency at which the data are accessed. Ven- dors offering virtuali zed data centers have networked several server farms working in different locations. In an ar- ticle called "Computing in the Clouds; Powerful Services and Applications Are Being Integrated and Packaged on the Web in What the Industry Now Calls 'Cloud Computing,'" writer Aaron Weiss explains that this preferred setup has been described as self-healing; if one server malfunctions, there are plenty of others to pick up its work. Transferring data to the cloud can reduce in-house IT needs, as well as cut hardware and maintenance costs.

The Major Players

There are many vendors offering SaaS, Google being one of the most popular. Google Apps offers software functions similar to those of Microsoft's Office Suite. It is worth mentioning that some see Google Apps as a platform service as well. Google Apps is a group of applications including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites, and Google Video, all available through the internet. The suite is offered in the Standard Edition for homes and individual users, the Education Edition for K-12 schools and colleges, and the Premier Edition for businesses. Within Google's service set, Google Docs and Google Messaging are the most popular. Google Docs offers word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation capabilities to individuals and groups. Multiple users are able to access documents and make real-time corrections. Documents can be shared and accessed without attachments by authorized participants anywhere the internet is available. Templates are also available, and all documents will work with traditional file formats (www.google.com/ apps/intl/en/business/pdf/apps_collab oration.pdf). All of these aspects enable collaboration with ease. Google Message Apps includes Gmail and Google Calendar. Gmail offers business email services such as advanced filters to block spam, 25GB of storage per user, quick retrieval of archived emails using Google search technology, custom inbound and outbound security policies, and the ability to keep a corporate record of all emails. Because Gmail is a web-hosted application, email can be retrieved anywhere the internet is available, just like Google Docs and Google Calendar. Google Calendar offers meeting coordination with invitations, RSVP tracking, and shared calendars. Project calendars can be shared with specific users or the whole company. Users can edit calendars as well as see shared events beside their own schedules (www.google.com/apps/intl/en/bus ine ss/mes saging.html). In a June 2008 InformationWeek article, J. Hoover wrote that "more than half a million organizations have signed up for Google Apps - including General Electric and Procter & Gamble - and there are now 10 million Google Apps users." In the same article, he mentions that the Google Apps suite, at $50 per year, has been compared to the traditional Microsoft Office Suite, which can cost up to $500 per year. Google has created solid footing for SaaS and cloud computing.