Cloud computing: The third revolution in IT

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have become an inseparable part of human existence and over the last few decades have had a profound effect on virtually all forms of human endeavour. Cloud computing, the third revolution in IT, following the Personal Computer (PC) and the Internet which are the first and second revolutions respectively, has tremendous potential and if properly harnessed, could result in great benefits for it's users. For these benefits to be derived from deploying cloud computing solutions, users have to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every organization or institution is unique and each cloud implementation system has to be tailor-made to attend to each particular context. This paper takes a look at cloud computing, its characteristics, types and models as well as the advantages and disadvantages inherent from deploying a cloud computing solution. Finally, the paper examines the role of cloud computing in present-day libraries as well as factors to consider before making the decision to go down the cloud computing road.