Cloud computing in education
Microsoft cloud computing in education gives better choice and flexibility to education IT departments. The platform and applications you use can be on-premises, off-premises, or a combination of both, depending on your academic organization’s needs.
The advantages that come with cloud computing can help you resolve some of the common challenges you might have while supporting your education institution.
Cost. You choose a subscription or, in some cases, a pay-as-you-go plan—whichever works best with your organization’s business model. Flexibility. Scale your infrastructure to maximize investments. Cloud computing allows you to dynamically scale as demands fluctuate. Accessibility. Help make data and services publicly available without jeopardizing sensitive information.
 |
 |
Get security, standards, enterprise reliability, and flexibility with cloud computing solutions from Microsoft.
View video > |
|
|
 | |  | | Department saves $6.3 million with cloud-based messaging system
"It’s a rare opportunity when you increase organizationwide capacity, significantly add functionality, and, at the same time, lower the cost of doing business, but that’s exactly what we’ve done."
Chuck Austin Product Manager, Kentucky Department of Education Teachers enjoy email and collaboration, school saves money
"We briefly considered Google Apps for Education, but when we saw Live@edu, it was the obvious choice. It is tightly integrated with Microsoft Office, which students not only are using while they are in school but also will be using in college and work."
Ryan Kusuda Instructor of Programming and Computer Technology, Kalani High School | |  | |  |
|
|
|
Choices in the cloud
When you use Microsoft cloud services, you choose whether you deploy on-premises, have the software hosted as a service, or use a combination of the two. This choice comes with the freedom to adjust or modify your infrastructure and deployment model as service demands change.
You choose how to best combine:
Infrastructure as a service. Get on-demand computing and storage to host, scale, and manage applications and services. Using Microsoft data centers means you can scale with ease and speed to meet the infrastructure needs of your entire organization or individual departments within it, globally or locally. Platform as a service. The Windows Azure cloud platform as a service consists of an operating system, a fully relational database, message-based service bus, and a claims-based access controller providing security-enhanced connectivity and federated access for on-premise applications. As a family of on-demand services, the Windows Azure platform offers your organization a familiar development experience, on-demand scalability, and reduced time to market for your applications. Software as a service. Microsoft hosts online services that provide your faculty, staff, and students with a consistent experience across multiple devices. Microsoft Live@edu provides students, staff, faculty, and alumni long-term, primary email addresses and other applications that they can use to collaborate and communicate online—all at no cost to your education institution. Exchange Hosted Services offers online tools to help your organization protect itself from spam and malware, satisfy retention requirements for e-discovery and compliance, encrypt data to preserve confidentiality, and maintain access to email during and after emergency situations. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides management solutions deployed through Microsoft Office Outlook or an Internet browser to help your customers efficiently automate workflows and centralize information. Office Web Apps provide on-demand access to the web-based version of the Microsoft Office suite of applications, including Office Word, Office Excel, and Office PowerPoint.
Start using the cloud for your school or university
|
|
|
|
| Case Studies |  |
| Documents and Downloads | |
 Private cloud for educationWith a private cloud solution from Microsoft, you can reduce costs, increase flexibility and simplify management of your education IT infrastructure. | Products | |
 Microsoft Live@eduGive students, staff, faculty, and alumni mobile, desktop, and web-based applications to help them collaborate on campus and create a community that lasts a lifetime.  Microsoft Exchange Hosted ServicesMicrosoft Exchange Hosted Services offers online tools to help your organization protect itself from spam and malware, satisfy retention requirements for e-discovery and compliance, and encrypt data to preserve confidentiality.  Windows AzureThe Windows Azure platform offers a flexible, familiar environment for developers to create cloud applications and services. With Windows Azure, you can shorten your time to market and adapt as demand for your service grows.  Microsoft Dynamics OnlineLearn about services that combine with Microsoft Dynamics products to solve additional business scenarios. Participate in communities of business or technical people to learn from and collaborate with individuals who work in the same way you do. | Videos and Webcasts | |
 Using Live@eduLearn how much more Microsoft Live@edu is than just email and calendaring. Explore how Microsoft Office Web Apps, Windows Live SkyDrive, instant messaging, blogs, and wikis can benefit the end users in your education institution. Introduction to Live@edu and Office 365Learn about Microsoft Live@edu, the Microsoft platform for delivering email, calendaring and communication, and collaboration services, and find out more about the additional software as a service (SaaS) offerings included in Office 365 for education. Live@edu deploymentExplore Microsoft Live@edu deployment best practices and case studies, and participate in a Q&A session with Microsoft specialists about successful deployment of Microsoft Live@edu in your education institution. Cloud services and accessibilityDiscover the benefits of Microsoft Live@edu and Microsoft Office 365, which bring together cloud versions of the most trusted Microsoft communications and collaboration products in the Microsoft desktop suite for education institutions of all sizes. Azure for educationSee how you can develop on the Windows Azure platform—the Microsoft cloud platform as a service (PaaS) offering—and how to scale your systems as the needs of your institution grow. Private cloud to public cloudPrivate cloud solutions built with Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center provide the benefits of cloud computing through the pooling of resources, elasticity, and self-service, while offering deep insights into applications and cross-platform support. |
|
|
|