Cloud

School of Computer & Information Sciences

ITS-532 Cloud Computing

Chapter 7 – Collaboration in the Cloud

Learning Objectives • Define and describe collaboration. • Define and describe cloud-based collaboration. • List the benefits of cloud-based collaboration. • List and describe cloud-based tools for document sharing. • List questions that one should consider with respect to cloud-

based collaboration tools. • Discuss the potential uses of cloud-based streaming media, from

presentations to TV.

Collaboration Defined • The process of two or more people working together to achieve a result (a goal).

Questions Regarding Cloud-Collaboration Tools

• Can the solution scale to meet the organization’s future needs?

• Is the solution secure? • What are the solution’s start-up and operational costs? • How will the solution impact the company’s IT staffing and

resource requirements? • What are the solution’s learning curve and training

requirements?

Device Support • Most web-based applications today, such as Google Gmail, support computer-

based and handheld devices.

In the Beginning • The IM text-based interaction provided one of the web’s early forms of

collaboration.

IM Today • IM tools have grown from a text-based medium for message exchange to support

audio and video streaming.

Real World: Skype • Integrates voice over IP (VoIP)

• Supports conference calls

Faxing in the Cloud • Cloud-based fax services deliver faxes as PDF documents to a user’s e-mail.

Real World: Google Voice • Google Voice provides you with a virtual phone account that you can forward to

your phone. You can receive voice messages or direct Google Voice to transcribe the voice messages as text.

Wiki’s: Shared File Editing

• Any member of the team can add or edit content.

• Most users quickly learn how to edit content within the wiki.

• Team members who edit the wiki content can reside anywhere.

• The edits to wiki content are immediate.

Disadvantages of Wiki’s • Because any member can edit the content, wikis

sometimes contain errors. • Public wikis are often targets of hacking and spam. • The wiki’s free-flowing format may lead to

disorganized content. • Users are often suspicious of wiki content validity

and accuracy.

Wikipedia: “The Wiki” • Wikipedia provides the largest collection of web-based, user-contributed, and user-

edited content.

Real World: Wikia • Creating a cloud-based wiki, which discusses cloud-based topics and uses free

software at Wikia.

Real World: Google Docs • Google Docs provides users with web-based, free access to a word processor,

spreadsheet, and presentation program—yes, Google Docs are meant to compete directly with the Microsoft Office tools.

Real World: Microsoft Web Apps • Microsoft Office Web Apps lets users create and share (for simultaneous editing)

cloud-based Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.

Collaborating with Web Logs (Blogs)

• With the advent of Web 2.0, one of the most widely used communication tools has become the web log, or blog.

• Blogs allow virtually anyone, with little or no web development experience, to easily publish content on the web.

• Blogs can provide one-way or two-way communication— that is, some users post read-only content to blogs, while others allow readers to comment on the content.

Advantages of Blogs • Blogs provide a device-independent way for content consumers to

access digital content using only a web browser. • Users can create and publish content to a blog with little or no

web development experience. • Within an organization, intranet-based blogs provide a convenient

way to disseminate information. • Blogs provide an effective way to collect feedback from readers.

Disadvantages of Blogs

• Maintaining a blog takes time.

• Blogs can become opinion posts as opposed to fact posts.

• User feedback may not always be positive and may require moderation.

Collaborate Meetings in the Cloud

• One of the biggest cost savers to businesses due to the cloud is the advent of the virtual meeting.

• Using sites such as WebEx and GoToMeeting, businesses can now reduce travel costs through cloud-based meetings.

Advantages of Cloud-based Meetings

• Streaming video that allows face-to-face interaction • Shared whiteboards that presenters can use to easily control the

presentation of PowerPoint, Word, Excel, or related documents • Accessibility to users through a myriad of devices • Shared applications that let presenters easily dem software live

within a controlled environment • The ability to hold company training online • The ability to record meetings for playback later

Real World: WordPress • Blogs provide users with no web development experience the ability to easily

publish content on the web.

Real World: GotoMeeting • Virtual meetings allow companies to reduce expensive travel while maintaining the

benefits of face-to-face interaction.

Advantages of Virtual Meetings • The costs of production and hosting for multimedia content

are low. • Users can play back content at a time that best meets their

needs and as often as they desire. • Companies can create a library of virtual marketing or

training presentations. • Virtual presentation software is migrating to handheld

devices.

Social Media Collaboration

• Facebook is obviously the most successful Web 2.0 site.

• Using Facebook, users communicate with friends to share photos, videos, and text messages.

• Further, using Facebook groups, teams can share project information in a secure way.

Advantages of Social Media for Collaboration

• Users can exchange project information from anywhere, anytime, with any device.

• Groups can keep team content secure.

• Most users are already familiar with the social media user interface.

Real World: Zentation • Streaming a virtual presentation from the cloud.

Real World: Google Calendar

Real World: Hulu TV • Hulu is one company that is deploying streaming media content from the cloud, on

demand.

Collaboration Summary • Use cloud-based conferencing software to present

documents, share desktops, and benefit from face-to- face video.

• Collaborate in real time and edit the same documents. • Share calendars to simplify appointment scheduling. • Use VoIP-based audio or video chats from anywhere

with any device.

Summary Continued • Take advantage of virtual faxing services to send and receive

faxes, without using a fax machine. • Forward transcripts of voice mail messages to their e-mail. • Communicate with team members using wikis and blogs. • Leverage familiar tools that are like social media for group

interaction. • Stream media for marketing, training, or messaging

purposes.

Key Terms

References

• Jamsa, K. A. (2013). Cloud computing: SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, virtualization, business models, mobile, security and more. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.