“WHY LIBRARIES VIRTUALIZE”Understanding cloud computing adoption and impact

Erik MitchellAssistant Professor

University of Marylanderik@umd.edu

PART I. HOW CLOUD COMPUTING CHANGES

INFORMATION

“For me the most powerful aspect of cloud computing is that it enables libraries to stop dealing with technical issues that have nothing to do with their day-to-day missions and services”

-- Roy Tennant (Getting Started with cloud Computing)

Wait. . . Don't libraries love technology?http://kplteen.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/teentechweek201, http://plinternetsurvey.org

“Libraries to their benefit and detriment fetishized the book”

--John Blyberg LITA Keynote 2011

Though a radically different kind of setting for a home, the third place is remarkably similar to a good home in the psychological comfort and support that it extends…They are the heart of a community’s social vitality, the grassroots of democracy . . .”

-- Ray Oldenburg

http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub129/pub129.pdf

What can we understand about cloud computing from another organization that also fetishizes the book?

"In the old world you might have put 30% of your energy, dollars and time into building a great product or service and then you would put 70% of your energy, dollars and time into shouting about that service. In the new world that inverts. You better put the bulk of your time, energy and dollars into building great a service."

-- Jeff Bezos

Core services30%

IT resources70%

Core services70%

IT resources30%

The book is such a great technology because it disappears when you use it

-- jeff bezos (Charlie Rose interview )

GROWTH OF THE KINDLE

2008 2009 2010 2011

# of E-books in thousands Price of reader (actual cost)

WHY DO WE LOVE THE BOOK?

“Instant-on”

Fast text-rendering

Easy to use

Single-purpose

No scaling

No synchronization

No version control

WHY DO WE LOVE OUR COMPUTERS?

Multi-purposeEasy to change informationMulti-media Fast storage and retrieval

ExpensiveSteep learning curvePlanned obsolescence

TWO GREAT TOOLS THAT GO GREAT TOGETHER

On-Demand Multi-purposeFast InteroperableScalablePersistentUbiquitousCost conscious

But what about our right to forget?

. . . and our need for security

. . . and our right to privacy?

PART II. DEFINE THE CLOUD

Data

Hosting

Media

Communication

GoogleApps

Devices

“For consumers, the cloud

revolution has already happened”

-- Nicholas Carr

ELEMENTS OF THE CLOUD

pay for what you use

easy to replicate

service-focused

scalable

RELATED CONCEPTS

Cloud computing “is a phrase that is being used today to describe the act of storing, accessing, and sharing data, applications, and computing power in cyberspace” - Pew Internet Trust

A Web service “is a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network” - w3c.org

Application programming interface (API) “is a specification for allowing programs to exchange data”

CLOUD COMPUTING TYPES

Software as a Service “applications designed to be utilized by end-users without IT administrative overhead (e.g. Google Docs)”

Platform as a Service “an IT environment configured to serve a distinct but customized purpose (e.g. web-hosting)”

Infrastructure as a Service “an IT environment that supports a wide range of tools but comes with little pre-configured resources (e.g. Server and disk space)”

NIST definition of cloud computing

CLOUD COMPUTING PLACES

Private cloud An implementation of technology run for a single organization (e.g Internal virtualization)

Public cloud “an IT environment configured to support a number of customers (e.g. Amazon EC2)”

Community cloud “an IT environment restricted to a specific community (e.g. Governmental, Education)”

NIST definition of cloud computing

NIST Cloud Reference Standard - http://collaborate.nist.gov/

AWS COMPONENTS

http://jineshvaria.s3.amazonaws.com/public/cloudbestpractices-jvaria.pdf

INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

Approach Systems

SaaS OpenURL resolver, Stats manager, research guides, online reference

PaaS Integrated library system, Interlibrary loan, copyright compliance systems

IaaSDiscovery, digital repository, archives management, website, digital storage,

institutional repository

Daas OpenURL database, single-search services

{Service catalog

SERVICE EXAMPLES

YEARLY IT EXPENDITURES

70%1%

29%

Client hardware Local Server IT Cloud Services

CLOUD SERVICE DISTRIBUTION

58%32%

9%

IAAS PAAS SAAS

CASE STUDY: CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

• Service options

• SaaS (outsourcewebsite.com/)

• PaaS (wordpress.org)

• IaaS (aws.amazon.com)

• Traditional IT (no cloud)

CASE STUDY: DIGITAL LIBRARIES

CASE STUDY - THE ILS

WHAT LIBRARIES VIRTUALIZE

0%

13%

25%

38%

50%

ILS IT Infrastructure DAMS Research Guides

Non-Virtualized Virtualize Outsource

WHAT LIBRARIES OUTSOURCE

17%

5%

48%

8%

22%2%10%

20%

17%

51%

Non-Virtualized Private Cloud Outsourced Public Cloud Not Supported

ILS Open URL

WHY LIBRARIES VIRTUALIZE

"more control over environment"

"fast deployment, self-sufficient, cost-reductions"

"to move the least value-add procedures and functions out of the Library so library staff can do more interesting and strategic things."

"Virtualization lets us quickly create prototypes, do test configurations, and do quick recoveries in case of problems."

"Lower cost, deeper expertise, need for expanded services"

“let vendor deal with publishers, metadata, etc.”

. . .AND WHY THEY DO NOT

“no support for virtualized service by those providing it”

Cost is the primary factor”

“the ease of implementation given limited IT resources (staff, time and money).

“no virtualizing needed, full resources dedicated to single use”

“Cost/benefit analysis for change. Lack of robust customization options”

“Small IT staff, nothing has been "virtualized" on campus”

PART III. HOW CLOUD COMPUTING CAN HELP

LIBRARIES

1. LIBRARIES ARE FORWARD-THINKING, SERVICE-ORIENTED INSTITUTIONS

Within five years, all library collections, systems, and services will be driven into the cloud. . .

-- Taiga provocative statements 2011

2. LIBRARIES SERVE REAL USERS AND REAL INFORMATION NEEDS

The future of cloud computing - Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie 2010

3. LIBRARIES ARE A PUBLIC SERVICE AND NEED RESOURCES TO FILL THAT ROLE

Funding and Priorities:The Library Resource Guide Benchmark Study on 2011 Library Spending Plans

4. THERE IS ROOM TO USE CLOUD COMPUTING TO IMPROVE RESOURCES AND IMPROVE SERVICE

Funding and Priorities:The Library Resource Guide Benchmark Study on 2011 Library Spending Plans

CONTRASTING VIEWS OF CLOUD SOLUTIONS

Opportunities Challenges

Forward thinking serviceNetwork foundation adds

complexity

Serving actual patron needsCollaboration with partners is

key

Finding new resources through efficiency savings

Sustainability, security, connectivity, contingency plans

are key

TRENDS AND CHALLENGES

•Understand your organizational capabilities, where are your available resources?

•Rely on automation and economies of scale

•Seek to consolidate services rather than fragment them

•Organizational, financial, strategic impacts - Does CC strengthen your organization or weaken it?

EXPERTISE NEEDS

• Ability to consider technical, legal, operational issues

• Ability to combine different technologies and services

• Flexibility in service support, manage migration when cloud services change

• Experiment with different service methods

• Identify and launch a test service (blogs, community forums, archival database)

• Connect with organizational IT to explore cloud opportunities

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS

• Ability to control some IT resources

• Specific use-cases of cloud computing enhance public service

• A willingness to explore alternative solutions

• Explore back-office solutions like Google calendar, docs and sites

• Consider cloud-based file sharing systems (eg. box.net, dropbox, spideroak)

• Explore cloud based tools to enhance public service

ADMINISTRATIVE NEEDS

• Support for new IT models and their impact on organizational structure

• Support for cloud subscription, SLA and privacy/security needs.

• Understanding of legal, economic, and privacy issues

• Support a pilot project using a technically simple cloud tool

• Connect with community to explore needs, leverage cloud computing

• Provide safety nets - time, training, support for staff

THANK YOU!The Tower and the Cloud - http://www.educause.edu/thetowerandthecloud

Amazon EC2 tutorials for libraries - http://erikmitchell.info

Library funding priorities - http://libraryresource.onlineinc.com/Downloads/ResearchReports

ECAR Studies - http://www.educause.edu/Resources/

Future of cloud computing - http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/The-future-of-cloud-computing.aspx, http://www.pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2008/Cloud-computing-takes-hold-as-69-of-all-internet-users-have-either-stored-data-online-or.aspx

http://erikmitchell.info