Cloud computing in education and student´s needs

Cloud computing is not just a buzz-word, it represents a strong direction of IT industry development. Speaking of cloud computing we should distinguish three different service models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). The scope of this work is a model of Software as a Service. This represents the lease of computing resources on a network of remote servers where applications are executed and data is stored. The application of cloud computing is very broad and growing daily because of many advantages to the users, and is driven by the increasing use of various mobile devices (laptops, tablets and smartphones) and mobile Internet access being more available. Cloud computing is applicable in education, but it implies the acceptance of these services by all involved in the educational process. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate whether there is a need between our students for applications and services in the “cloud” (SaaS), the extent to which they use them and what types of applications and services are leading. The paper analyzes and interprets the results of this study which provides indications of students´ willingness to “move to the cloud”.