Read The E-Book from EDUCASE: The Tower And The Cloud

EDUCAUSE has published a new book entitled "The Tower and the Cloud: Higher Education in the Age of Cloud Computing".
Richard N. Katz, Editor

The book argues that we’re entering a new chapter in computing — the era of cloud computing — and that it’s one that will have implications for all aspects of university life, continues Wired Campus.

The emergence of the networked information economy is unleashing two powerful forces. On one hand, easy access to high-speed networks is empowering individuals. People can now discover and consume information resources and services globally from their homes.

Further, new social computing approaches are inviting people to share in the creation and edification of information on the Internet. Empowerment of the individual -- or consumerization -- is reducing the individual's reliance on traditional brick-and-mortar institutions in favor of new and emerging virtual ones.
Second, ubiquitous access to high-speed networks along with network standards, open standards and content, and techniques for virtualizing hardware, software, and services is making it possible to leverage scale economies in unprecedented ways.
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The Tower and The Cloud (PDF)