C L O U D C O M P U T I N G


‘Virtualisation and cloud computing will help universities deliver education to students against a background of a


£billion cuts’ says the CEO of Dedipower


WiTh finanCiaL pressure and changing attitudes to iT pushing collaborative online learning environments into the spotlight, eLearning suppliers need to look closely at their infrastructure if they want to deliver the promise of anytime/anywhere access, opportunity and support that today’s educational institutions and students demand. All but five universities in


England andWales will have less money from the government for the new academic year. Starting in September 2011, close to a billion pounds is being cut from university funding.Along with this cut in funding comes a rise in tuition fees. Thousands of young people will look for alternative further education solutions in response to mounting debt, high living cost and increasing tuition fees.As the market responds with new opportunities, greater emphasis will be placed on computer-based eLearning. anew Digital Paradigm Today, more than ever,


specialised online educational environments that maximise resources, enhance the availability of information, and make connections with people and platforms are crucial. Commercial organisations are


recognising this and are responding with comprehensive platforms for universities and other education bodies that have all the functionality ready to go. These platforms have forums, wikis and blogs, which are all part of this wider shared learning experience that is growing rapidly. Maintaining the necessary IT


infrastructure, servers and storage to support online traffic and content generated by this growing industry can be very costly – so, how can e-learning companies provide 24/7, reliable and scalable platforms to meet increased student demand and


ChrisMiller, CEO of DediPower


accommodate the squeeze on further education funding? ChrisMiller, CEO of


DediPower which supplies managed hosting to many cloud-based eLearning providers responds: “For eLearning companies to have all of their IT infrastructure designed, hosted and maintained in-house makes about as much sense as schools binding their own textbooks and manufacturing their own chalk. “Outsourcing their hosting not


only ensures dedicated provisioning for infrastructure but also frees up their IT resource to focus on delivering better and more successful tools and assessments.Managed hosting can also offer access to virtualisation or ‘cloud-based’ servers which can facilitate rapid growth and save considerable cost.Add reliable 24/7 support and e-learning providers have the industry advantage they need to deliver affordable solutions to educational institutions and the tools students require to maximise their time at University, and their employability thereafter.” The Challenges of Cloud ChrisMiller adds: “As many


eLearning providers are drawn to the benefits of cloud, they must also be made aware of the challenges and limitations. Security and resilience are important issues. Specifiers must understand the difference


Technology in Education No.185 September 2011 40


between renting a public and buying into a dedicated private cloud – and be made aware of the pros and cons involved.” He goes on to explain: “The


recent high profile cloud outages have shattered the illusion of the cloud being a completely secure medium. Data safety is of course of the highest importance when moving to the cloud. At DediPower, we offer a high level of managed hosting both in private and public (hybrid clouds) clouds.As hosting providers, we give our customers stringent SLAs so they understand what they are buying into.We view this as an essential part of the managed cloud relationship.” Maintaining Effective eLearning Platforms Many specialist software as a


service (SaaS) providers, supplying to further education, secondary and primary schools and many vocational-based training organisations, are now re-deploying their hosting to managed Cloud platforms. For example, UniServity, one


of the world’s leading providers of innovative learning and media technologies, delivers 4.5 million learning resources to its 2 million registered users. Given the volumes of traffic, and the


complexity of the data generated, a robust and flexible cloud infrastructure is essential to underpin and manage its learning platforms and keep it competitive. For them outage is not an option. 24/7-managed cloud hosting is vital which is why they choose to partner with DediPower. “Much of what we do is about


giving people access to lifelong learning, choice and opportunity so they can fulfil their potential outside of traditional learning environments,” saysMatt Clarke CEO of UniServity. “We have built a global community, created the tools and built the framework to do so. DediPower has helped us achieve this by ensuring our infrastructure is always available, well-supported and optimised to deliver the best experience for our customers and their learners – wherever they are located.” Miller concludes: “With the


latest virtualisation technologies, we are able to achieve rapid roll-out of storage capacity in a fast-access, collaborative environment.With cloud infrastructure, SaaS providers can now launch eLearning platforms across universities, colleges and schools in a matter of minutes – irrespective of size, scale or location. Our experience confirms that cloud offers substantial cost savings to any organisation that is dependent on digital content and access. However, to do so it must also be properly designed, delivered, supported and controlled – with stringent SLAs – to ensure the best solution for eLearning providers, purchasers and users. For further information on


eLearning providers are drawn to the benefits of cloud computing,


says ChrisMiller, but warns they must be aware of the challenges and limitations.


DediPower contact www.dedipower.com For further information on


UniServity contact www.uniservity.com


Circle No.E25 Check out our website: www.technology-in-education.co.uk


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