Cloud computing ‘offers a great step forward for schools’

Schools could benefit from making use of cloud computing solutions, it has been suggested.

Sarah Underwood, magazine and brand editor of digital magazine ICT for Education, explained there are several advantages of using the technology for educational establishments.

"It saves them from downtime, maintenance, upgrades, it has shared costs and they don’t have to run it for themselves," she said.

Ms Underwood added that for cloud computing to be adopted by schools, it needs to be championed by the IT professionals that work for them.

She said these experts are likely to need to address some of the concerns that are often aired about the cloud, especially in regards to the issue of data security.

Ms Underwood laid out her belief in the positive benefits of utilising cloud computing, explaining that she thinks it would be a "great step forward" for education if schools decide to make more use of it.