Having explored some major benefits of cloud computing for LMS users and students worldwide, there are also some real disadvantages and dangers to consider. Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, has said that cloud computing is simply a trap aimed at forcing more people to buy into locked, proprietary systems that will cost them more and more over time.

This is a widespread concern not only in the LMS community, but for anyone concerned with privacy and control over their own data. I noticed a Yahoo! answer to a question about data storage in the cloud: “Everything in the Cloud including your OS, then Microsoft will charge you plenty of bucks a week for life. But when they rule the world I don’t know what will happen!”

Hyperbole aside, it is a real concern not only for users who keep all their data securely on hard drives, but also for LMS and CMS users who are accustomed to pulling information from and storing it in the cloud.

———–

newbeta.coggno.com offers world-class e-learning education.