Elizabeth Muli Technical University of Kenya & James Kimutai Moi University 1

Content Definition Types of Clouds Motivation and Problem area Research Questions Research Objectives Materials and Methods Analysis and results Conclusion and Outlook 2

Definition Cloud computing is a new model based on grid computing, distributed computing, parallel computing and virtualization technologies. It is used for hosting resources and providing services to consumers. It offers a convenient, on-demand access to a centralized shared pool of computing resources that can be deployed with minimum management overheads and at the same time realize great efficiency ( Chandra, & Borah2012) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines cloud computing as a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can rapidly be provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction ( Mell & Grance, 2011). 3

Types of Clouds Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) - This is the lowest level and it provides virtualized servers, networks, storage, and system software. Platform as a service (PaaS) - This is the middle level and it enables customers to install their own applications using a platform specified by the service provider. Example the Google Apps Engine where developers can write and install applications Soft ware as a service (SaaS) – This is the highest level of cloud computing and the most common in education. Data and applications are stored in the cloud and the users only require a web browser to access them. Examples are Google Apps for Education and Microsoft which provide communication and office applications such as and spreadsheets. 4

Potential of Cloud Computing for universities in Kenya? The benefits of cloud computing for universities? Challenges of cloud computing for universities? Services currently deployed in universities? 5

What is the extent of cloud computing adoption in Kenyan Universities? What are the technical requirements for cloud computing? What is the impact of adopting cloud computing for universities? How can the universities exploit the full potential of cloud computing? 6

To find out the current status of cloud computing adoption in Kenyan Universities To determine if the universities have the right infrastructure and human expertise in place To assess the impact of adopting cloud computing in Kenyan Universities To find out what is hindering deployment of cloud computing in our universities Make recommendations on how to exploit the full potential of cloud computing 7

Study adopts a SWOT analysis Strengths - internal attributes and resources that support a successful outcome. Weaknesses - internal attributes resources that work against a successful outcome. Opportunities - external factors the universities can capitalize on or use to its advantage. Threats - external factors that could jeopardize the outcomes. Data was gathered through interviews. The target population was 10 universities which include 5 public universities and 5 private universities The population sample comprised of ICT officers and ICT manager or ICT directors, Directors of schools and students. 8

Reduces costs such as infrastructure, labour, improved efficiency, licensing of software especially proprietary software Increased productivity by trying new ideas without investing on the technologies Universities are able to scale up usage as required Disaster recovery and business continuity plans Environmental conservation due to reduction in carbon emissions Increased competitiveness since universities are able to concentrate on their core business i.e. Education, training and research Flexibility since cloud services can be accessed from anywhere Pay as you go basis enabling universities to pay for only what they need Strengths 9

Cloud services are Internet dependent and this affects availability of these services Insufficient bandwidth to serve the user communities effectively Poor network design infrastructures which limit the optimal utilization of available bandwidth Lack of skills and expertise of the technical staff such as security of the network and data, architecture and design skills of this technology Lack of policies and legal frameworks on deployment of cloud computing services Regulatory uncertainties since users are not able to influence the technical architecture of cloud services Weaknesses 10

Cloud services are offer reliable services to the users Fault tolerance since there is no single point of failure This technology offers state of art technologies to the universities without having to invest in them Universities are able to deploy virtualization and these reduces the cost of acquiring required hardware Expose students to new technologies making them more creative and innovative Provide opportunities to enhancing research and partnerships Opportunities 11

Data breaches:- This occurs when sensitive data falls into the wrong hands This can happen if a multitenant cloud service database is not properly designed, a flaw in one client’s application can be used by an attacker access not only to that client’s data, but every other client’s data as well. Data Loss:- This can be as a result of accidental deletion or disasters. Offsite backups as a disaster recovery plan Account or service traffic hijacking:- Attack methods such as phishing, fraud and exploitation of software vulnerabilities can be used to users credentials. Once this is done an attacker can eavesdrop on users’ activities and transactions, manipulate data, return falsified information, and redirect them to illegitimate sites Threats 12

Insecure interfaces and APIs:- Cloud computing offers software APIs that customers use to manage and interact with cloud services. Security and availability of the cloud services depends on these APIs and they must be designed to protect users from malicious attacks Denial of Service:- Attackers can cause the cloud service to consume vast amounts of resources such as processing power, memory, disk space and network bandwidth leading to intolerable slowdown. Internal attacks:- This mainly from malicious insiders who can be employees, former employees and contractors who has or had authorized access and they can use it to negatively affect the confidentiality, Availability and Integrity of data. 13

Abuse of cloud services since there is no regulatory framework:- Cloud computing offers vast amounts of computing and not uses this power for good intentions Insufficient due diligence:- many organizations are carried away by the promises such as cost reductions and operational efficiencies without understanding the full scope of the CSP environment Shared technology issues:- with shared vulnerabilities a single vulnerability or misconfiguration can lead to a compromise across an entire provider’s cloud. 14

Cloud computing is still very new and a lot of sensitization on the potential and benefits of this technology need to be done. Some universities have deployed private clouds within their intranet to support research and digital repositories. Most of the universities interviewed are using SaaS cloud services for students’ s. A few universities are using IaaS through renting storage space for offsite backups PaaS is not common in these universities because of the following concerns:- Privacy and security concerns especially for their data Availability especially when no internet connection The technology requires expertise to deploy 15

Adoption of cloud computing will enhancing teaching and learning Adoption of cloud computing universities will cut down on operational costs especially with the decreasing capitation from the government and enable universities leverage state of the art technologies and concentrate on their core business for increased productivity. Awareness should be done to send accurate information to potential consumers. Policy and legal frameworks, regulatory standards should also be put in place to regulate the cost and protect end users by ensuring confidentiality and integrity of their data. Development of human capacity to equip them with the necessary skills and legal knowledge to ensure contracts are well formulated and managed. 16

Thank you Questions / Answer 17