Cloud computing is nothing short of a transformational way of thinking about your compute power. It provides ubiquitous access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. Data no longer sits on your local hard drive but instead is processed, stored and backed-up at a remote location.
Cloud computing is already in widespread use, as many smartphone users know. However, it is not yet widely used in Canada, especially in the public and not-for-profit sectors.
Cybera’s Cloud Expertise
Cybera is developing Alberta’s cloud infrastructure by building an Alberta Incubator Cloud for pilot projects such as:
- Learning Management Cloud
- Virtual Computing Lab
- Small- and medium-sized science initiatives on the cloud
- First Nations’ public health cloud
Cybera’s staff are also involved in national and international cloud projects, including:
- OpenStack’s scalable cloud operating system
- Australia’s research cloud project, NeCTAR
- CANARIE’s Digital Accelerator for Innovation and Research (DAIR)
Why the Cloud?
Cybera’s technical experts are strong advocates of cloud computing.
The cloud allows a researcher, teacher or start-up company to get applications up and running faster. Once running on the cloud server, applications are more manageable, efficient and easier to maintain, since they are automated to scale up and down as use requires.
Infrastructure automation is a key aspect of cloud projects. When it comes time to upgrade software, it is no longer the responsibility of the end user, it all happens on the cloud.
More information can be found in Robin Winsor’s presentation on cloud computing below:
Click here