Across the nation, universities are becoming increasingly dependent on new technologies. Computer labs on campus can be seen jammed pack with students finishing papers or browsing Facebook.
To better accommodate the number of students needing access to computers throughout the day, a new virtual computer lab will be opened later this fall. This lab will have educational and research material available 24 hours a day for students, staff, and faculty.
Georgia State and 16 other universities are the founding members of IBM’s Cloud Computing Academy. According to a Georgia State press release, the cloud computing technology provides access to data and software through the Internet rather than on local computers. A similar online system is used with researching computing for faculty.
“We are very pleased to be a founding member of this innovative initiative that will bring on-demand computing resources to all Georgia State students,” said J. L. Albert, GSU’s associate provost for IS&T and chief information officer. “The IBM Cloud Academy will also expand the platform for researchers to exchange ideas and further advance the university’s mission in teaching, research and service.”
The money for an IBM server solution and the virtual computer lab was paid for by the university’s student technology fee. The lab will allow the sharing of computer software and hardware online due to the open-source technology.
Mike Russell, of Georgia State’s Information Systems and Technology Strategic Alignment unit, along with a team of students tested out several virtual computing labs. The J. Mack Robinson College of Business students took part in the project for their senior capstone business course. The team concluded that the IBM system was the best priced system.
“By providing virtual computing, students can access a lot of information, not only hardware but also software and applications,” said Yi Pan, chair of the Department of Computer Science. “It’s reducing cost and providing more computing power for the benefit of faculty, staff and students.”
According to the same press release IBM Cloud Computing Academy is a global forum for educators, researchers and information technology personnel from the education industry to pursue cloud computing initiatives, develop skills and share best practices for reducing operating costs while improving quality and access to education.
The findings and ideas brought forth at Georgia State will eventually be shared more efficiently with other education systems with the cloud computing technology.
“A virtual computing lab provides maximum flexibility as to when, how and where students, faculty and staff can access technology required for day-to-day lab and research use,” says Art Vandenberg, Georgia State’s research computing expert and consultant.
“Specifically, it makes student labs and research centers available in a virtual format 24-hours-a-day.”
