Authors Educause
License CC-BY-NC-ND-3.0
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT…™
ORGANIZING FILES
IN THE CLOUD
1. What is it?
Information technologies, particularly mobile devices and
apps, play a growing role in teaching and learning and in the per-
Scenario sonal lives of students and faculty members. The issue of file stor-
Martin commutes 40 minutes each way to a local college age and management has become a potentially limiting factor in
and works part time at a computer and electronics store. the usefulness of new technologies, and cloud-based file services
He does his research for assignments in bits and pieces, such as Dropbox, SugarSync, AeroFS, and Box.net attempt to fill
whenever he has 10 minutes to spare, but always feels as if that need. These services synchronize all of a user’s files across
he’s juggling files by e-mail or USB drive between the net- multiple platforms, providing access and versioning from a wide
book he carries with him and the laptop he leaves at home. range of devices. Files are always available, whether from a desk-
This semester he is working on a team project for his tech- top, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, and most services allow users
nical writing course. The team meets after each class ses- to work on a file offline, synchronizing versions the next time the
sion, and today they are discussing their project. They will device is connected. Many cloud-based file services offer a free
provide instructions on how to make effective videos using version (with limited storage space) and one or more fee-based
the handheld equipment students can check out from the versions that offer more storage and additional features.
media center. Their project will include a section on getting
2. How does it work?
reliable sound quality and procedures for uploading and
Although functionality varies, most services require users to
editing video files. It will feature tips and tricks, lists of
set up an account and install an application on any device they
free online tools to use, and a section on frequently asked
want to use with the service. Through this app, users set up files
questions.
and folders to be included in the service, and these files—which can
Today the team is brainstorming ideas and deciding who be documents, images, spreadsheets, charts, music, videos, or any
will work on which sections. One team member, Eve, uses other file type—are synchronized across multiple platforms, includ-
a cloud-based storage and file-management service to cre- ing Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and BlackBerry. Files are
ate a shared folder for their joint work. In this way, the stored “in the cloud,” and each time the user accesses the ser-
research notes, images, videos, audio files, and drafts they vice, the files are synced with whatever device is currently being
create will be stored in a single location for all of them to used. In most cases, a persistent local copy of each file is kept on
see and use. each device, allowing users to access and edit files even without
That evening, Martin installs an app for the file-management Internet access—files are synced as soon as access is available.
service on both of his computers. He also sets up the service From the user’s perspective, all of the files are simply “there” when
on his Android phone and downloads a few additional apps needed: You can work on a file at home, save it, go to campus and
for viewing his files on it. In addition to the team’s collabora- open it from another computer or mobile device, and always have
tive folder, he creates folders for other classes. access to the current version. Some services also maintain previous
versions for retrieval, and users can typically use such cloud-based
A hard disk crash on his laptop just before the team’s proj- file services to share files with other users. Security approaches
ect is due makes Martin doubly happy that he’s using a differ, but stored files are generally encrypted, and some are also
remote storage application. Meanwhile, the group project encrypted during transmission.
has progressed well. Team members have been able to
provide critiques of each other’s work and ensure that the 3. Who’s doing it?
suite of documents they will submit is consistent in pre- Many students have found that cloud-based file manage-
sentation, tone, and character. Meanwhile, Martin hasn’t ment provides the convenience and flexibility needed for their
forgotten his previous frustration with keeping his files up- mobile, always-connected lifestyles, and growing numbers of
to-date and synchronized on all his hardware. He’s thrilled them show up at college having used such services in high school.
that the storage solution has taken so much stress out of Many faculty members, too, use these services to stay organized.
completing his coursework. At Purdue University, Mixable is an application that allows students
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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT…™
ORGANIZING FILES IN THE CLOUD
to build study groups and do coursework in Facebook, using 6. Where is it going?
Dropbox to back up, sync, and share files. In this implementation, Large firms like Amazon, Google, and Apple have begun to
Dropbox provides an alternative to the USB drives, FTP sites, and provide their own file-management and cloud-storage services,
e-mail attachments that students commonly use to share files. which will speed development and adoption of these tools. Amazon
Cloud Drive, for example, provides streaming access for users who
Because an institution has so little control over files stored in the
want to store music and videos in the cloud but play them on local
cloud, many colleges and universities are deeply concerned about
devices. Music from the Amazon MP3 store can be uploaded di-
the use of cloud storage services among staff—or even faculty
rectly to the Cloud Drive, allowing customers with the Amazon
members—who might be working with files that contain sensitive
Cloud Player to listen to music from any computer with a web con-
information. Some institutions have issued policies discouraging or
nection or any Android phone with the Amazon MP3 app. Movies
forbidding cloud-based file management for official institutional
and e-books, as well as applications to view them, might soon be
files. The University of Melbourne, for example, has posted a
available from multiple vendors for purchase and upload to cloud
Dropbox policy online, which explains the security and privacy con-
storage. As more individual students and faculty members employ
siderations of the application and provides guidelines for its use.
these tools in course-related efforts, institutions will need to spec-
4. Why is it significant? ify policies for what kinds of data can be stored and managed in
Although cloud-based file management services represent this manner.
another instance of the tension between convenience and secu-
rity, the benefits for users are compelling. Legitimate concerns
7. What are the implications for teaching and
surround the privacy and availability of files, but the seamless, learning?
cross-platform functionality of cloud-based file services pro- The greater the number of devices and platforms an individual uses
vides high levels of access and flexibility. When users can access to interact with content, the greater the convenience offered by
their personal files from any device, they might find they can own this technology. For commuting students, students with jobs, and
less-expensive or less-sophisticated hardware—for example, rely- others who find themselves working in short bursts at coffee shops
ing on a tablet or a netbook rather than a laptop or desktop. These or media centers, having files available in the cloud could become
services can also support collaborative endeavors and reduce a vital component of an effective academic career. Cloud storage
problems with version control. For most users, cloud-based file offers students and faculty the option to work in real time more
storage is easier to use than campus-based network storage or a effectively because it increases the range of files available for
traditional file server, and it provides a simple mechanism for file on-the-spot access. Changes that are made in shared files are
backup that also allows users to maintain their coursework and quickly available to all users who have access to those files, and
projects even after they have left a college or university. users can focus on learning rather than file management. Files can
be e-mailed to or shared with an instructor from any device that
5. What are the downsides? has web connectivity, offering new possibilities for how academic
The primary concern about cloud-based file services is se- assignments are conceived, completed, and submitted.
curity, both in storage and in transmission. Encryption helps, of
course, but is not a fail-safe solution. Moreover, cultural or regula-
tory climates can be an obstacle—in some countries, no institu-
tional data may be stored on servers outside that nation, making
a cloud file service illegal. In any case, education and awareness
among users are necessary to minimize file-management activi-
ties that could expose private information, whether personal or
institutional. Long-term viability of the file-service provider might
be a concern, though services that maintain a local file on separate
devices should guarantee continued access to a user’s files. Users
must typically pay for storage capacity above a certain threshold,
placing a financial burden on some, and some services limit the
size of individual files. Finally, because the applications that run on
individual devices are continually checking for new versions to ®
synchronize, cloud-based file services can degrade system EDUCAUSE 7 Things You Should Know About…™
performance.
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit membership association created to support those
who lead, manage, and use information technology to benefit higher education.
A comprehensive range of resources and activities are available to all EDUCAUSE
members. For more information about EDUCAUSE, including membership,
please contact us at info@educause.edu or visit educause.edu.
June 2011