Cloud Computing: What it Means for Libraries, Library Staff, Training and Skills

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1 Ex Libris Ltd., 2011 - Internal and Confidential Cloud computing: What it means for libraries, library staff, training and skills February 2012 Robert Bley – Managing Director Ex Libris UK Ltd. Ex Libris Ltd., 2012 - Internal and Confidential

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Cloud Computing: what it means for libraries, library staff, training and skills by Robert Bley, Ex Libris. Presentation at the JIBS User Group Workshop and AGM Back to the Future and Into the Cloud, 24 February 2012, School of Oriental and African Studies, London.

Transcript of Cloud Computing: What it Means for Libraries, Library Staff, Training and Skills

Page 1: Cloud Computing: What it Means for Libraries, Library Staff, Training and Skills

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Cloud computing:What it means for libraries, library staff, training and skills

February 2012

Robert Bley – Managing DirectorEx Libris UK Ltd.

Ex Libris Ltd., 2012 - Internal and Confidential

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Agenda

What is Cloud computing?

Implications for suppliers

Implications for libraries

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Lessons from elsewhere

Conclusions

Choosing a Cloud provider

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What Cloud computing isn’t (or shouldn’t be)

Just hosting existing or legacy applications

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Setting-up a new instance of the software for each new customer

Client-server

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What Cloud computing is

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Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a metered service over a network (typically the Internet) .

Cloud computing provides computation, software, data access, and storage resources without requiring cloud users to know the location and other details of the computing infrastructure.

End users access cloud based applications through a web browser or a light weight desktop or mobile app, while the business software and data are stored on servers at a remote location.

At the foundation of cloud computing is the broader concept of infrastructure convergence and shared services.

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What Cloud computing may include

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Software as a service (SaaS) often referred to as "on-demand software,"

Platform as a service (PaaS) - may include facilities for application design, application development, testing, deployment and hosting

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

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What Cloud computing is

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On-Premise to Cloud

SoftwareServices

ApplicationArchitecture

BusinessModel

OperatingStructure

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Choosing a Cloud provider

Global facilities

24/7 staff / supportRedundant infrastructureRedundant internet service provider connectivity

Data centre certified to relevant standard – e.g. ISO27001?

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EU hosting, or membership of Safe Harbor scheme forpersonal data.

…and who else do they host?

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Infrastructure Security

Firewall + IPS/IDS

Network Segmentation

Secure configuration

Monitoring, alerting and reporting

NetworkSecurity

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Physical Security

ISO 27001 certified?

24/7 staff

4 Layers of security

Secure Wireless Bridge

Data-CenterSecurity

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SupportStaff only skilled in infrastructure issues, or also knowledgeable about applications?

Automatic Cloud monitoring systems that can spot issues that might develop into problems before they do?

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Communication with support people?

Service level agreement?

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Lessons from elsewhereEstimates of cost savings:Ted Alford and Gwen Morton (2009) of Booz Allen Hamilton concluded that governmentagencies moving to public or private clouds can save from 50 to 67 percent. An analysis by Merrill Lynch claimed that technology could make business applications “three to five times cheaper,” Rajen Sheth (2009) of Google projects cost savings of 67 percent for moving e-mail tothe cloud.

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On the other hand:McKinsey analyst William Forrest (2009) said that moving to the cloud actually wouldcost 144 percent more than current expenditures (though he doesn’t seem to have included much in his estimates other than just the hardware cost).

More evidence neededEspecially on the two biggest variables: Staff costs and migration costs.

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Lessons from elsewhereEstimates of cost savings:Ted Alford and Gwen Morton (2009) of Booz Allen Hamilton concluded that governmentagencies moving to public or private clouds can save from 50 to 67 percent. An analysis by Merrill Lynch claimed that technology could make business applications “three to five times cheaper,” Rajen Sheth (2009) of Google projects cost savings of 67 percent for moving e-mail tothe cloud.

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On the other hand:McKinsey analyst William Forrest (2009) said that moving to the cloud actually wouldcost 144 percent more than current expenditures (though he doesn’t seem to have included much in his estimates other than just the hardware cost).

More evidence neededEspecially on the two biggest variables: Staff costs and migration costs.

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Implications for libraries

Staffing:

- How many staff?

- What kind of staff (a) attitude and (b) skillset

- Technical skills – yes – but a different kind

- Time for mashups, rather than backups!

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Budgeting:

- Subscription v. recurrent

- Potentially less vendor lock-in?

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Library of Congress Survey of Library Use of Cloud Computing 2011

51% said that eliminating staff was not an issue46% concerned about ongoing costs, but smaller libraries seemingly more worried than large ones

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Only 19% worried about data loss (though librarians much more worried)

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Library of Congress Survey of Library Use of Cloud Computing 2011

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61% are already using free SaaS services (Google Apps, Skype etc)

Only 22% using paid SaaS services – smallerlibraries more than large ones

Only 22% using paid SaaS services – smallerlibraries more than large ones

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Implications for vendors

Staffing:

- How many staff?

- What kind of staff (a) attitude and (b) skillset

- Technical skills – yes – but a different kind

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Revenue:

- “License” model gone

- Potentially less vendor lock-in?

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Implications – continued…

Consultancy on workflows

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Importance of “middleware” and plug-ins

Sharing best practice

Intellectual property rights - data

Need to understand network / internet issues better

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Conclusions…

There are obvious easily quantifiable financial

benefits to moving to the Cloud, but that’s not

the only – or even the main - point

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The exciting thing is that it frees-up people to do more creative things, of deeper value to users…

… and it effectively facilitates collaboration,even at a time when competition is apparentlybeing encouraged.

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Thank You !