Acceptance model of SaaS cloud computing at northern Malaysian main campus public universities

Technology advancement has side effects, although it has moved in a fast pace that facilitated life and increased business revenue. To cope with negative aspects while looking for friendly technology, Software as a Service (SaaS) Cloud Computing emerged to preserve natural resources, effectively utilize computing and power consumption, while achieving performance, decreasing cost, and increasing revenue. Yet, there are paucity in empirical studies investigating salient factors affecting the usage, acceptance, or adoption of SaaS services from the individual perspectives specifically in higher education sector. The main objective of this study is to investigate the salient factors with proper model that includes technical, social and control characteristics, as well as user security predisposition. Besides, educational level has also proven to be influential in adopting innovations. Hence, probing its role is another objective. The last objective is to investigate differences between student and lecturer groups in the relationships postulated in the model. A survey with questionnaires was conducted on students and lecturers in four public universities in Northern Malaysia. The scope of the acceptance is to investigate the personal-level use of SaaS services. Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) and Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) were applied. Results revealed appropriateness of the model although the role of Trialability and Subjective Norms were not significance. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge and literature in highlighting the role of these factors that SaaS providers could benefit in planning for new services and in promoting SaaS usage to universities

Towards a Federated Identity and Access Management Across Universities

Many research projects are too complex to yield the efforts of a single investigator and require a coordinated effort from interdisciplinary research teams across universities and industries. The research data, documents, experimental testbeds, high-end computing equipment, etc. is a critical component of any large-scale project and hence the cooperation and resource sharing across universities become very important for timely and budget-friendly execution of these projects. However, it is extremely challenging to frequently and effectively access data and other resources across universities without creating new identities for the users. In this thesis, we propose Federated Identity Management (FIM) approach for facilitating secure resource sharing among collaborating associates without creating new identities. We provide a comprehensive literature survey of identity and access management and discuss the privacy issues associated with identity management that can be addressed using FIM. We also provide a comprehensive overview and security features of the OAuth 2.0 framework which is an industry-standard protocol for authorization and user management used by FIM. The proposed scheme can be generalized and used by the student users to access academic libraries and recreate research results easily and securely. Keyword: federated identity management, OAuth 2.0, cloud computing, identity management, cloud identity, federated cloud identity broker, privacy, protocol

Planning and Implementation of the Project “Cloud Services to Each School”

This article raises up the issue of creating the cloud-based learning environ-ment through the collaboration of several age groups. Authors of the article share the experience of designing, deploying, configuring and maintenance of G Suite and Microsoft Office 365 cloud services at schools of the Ter-nopil region (Ukraine). Authors offer to use public cloud technologies to support the teaching process. The project "Cloud Services to each school" was defined as a method of obtaining the practical results and forming the cooperation between scientists, teachers and students. Authors believe that deployment of cloud services is possible at any secondary school

Multi Factor Authentication and IP Address Restriction based Question Paper Delivery System for Indian Universities

The traditional question paper delivery (QPD) procedure in Indian institutions is discussed in this paper with a focus on its downsides, including complexity, time requirements, security issues, environmental impact, and cost. This method is manual, which makes it prone to mistakes, rigid, and open to leaks and tampering, especially when it comes to the security of the exam questions. It also looks at security issues involving question paper leaks, highlighting ongoing difficulties in preserving the integrity and confidentiality of the Indian educational system. These occurrences highlight the requirement for a more reliable and secure QPD system.  In this paper workflow of the cloud-based software system is described in detail, with examples showing how it makes it easier to distribute safe exam papers and assures stakeholder accountability. Barcodes are integrated into the system, and their improved tracking, processing, and distribution of exam papers is highlighted. A cutting-edge cloud-based Question Paper Delivery System (OQPDS), which automates and streamlines the process of generating, distributing, and giving exams for Indian colleges, is the suggested cure. Modern security elements are used by the system, including two-step authentication, barcode-based data storage, data encryption during data transfer, IP address-based access restrictions, and time-based content delivery. The incorporation of these security elements enhances the overall security and efficiency of the QPD system. The proposed system's workflow is discussed in detail along with examples that demonstrate how it facilitates the distribution of secure exam papers and ensures stakeholder responsibility. The system incorporates barcodes, and its better distribution, processing, and tracking of exam papers is praised. The system's capacity to limit access based on IP addresses is described, along with how it might help with traceability and prevent unwanted access.  Additionally, the paper proposes watermarking to label test papers with the IP address of the testing facility, offering benefits including improved security, tamper detection, and traceability. It is highlighted that encryption is a key security tool for preserving data integrity, maintaining secrecy, and protecting against online dangers. Finally, the cloud-based Question Paper Delivery System is a solution to the security issues and inefficiencies of the current QPD system. This system intends to transform the examination procedure in Indian institutions by offering a more safe, effective, and transparent approach to question paper administration. It does this through contemporary security provisions and cutting-edge technology. This paper also discusses comparative analysis between traditional and proposed automated Question paper delivery system with respect to efficiency, security, cost reduction and flexibility

Computational Facilities and Web-Resources: Case Study of Large Private University with Fast-Growing Clients

Speed, space and judicious sharing web-related resources are the key indicators of successful management of the computing-facilities and other web-resources of any progressive organisation. Such a case becomes much more demanding for any professional academic institution, where the majority stake-holders, that is the young student-users of web-resources, are heavily dependent on web-based learning and personal communications. Other stake holders, like administrative staff, teaching and research community of universities have web-dependence, mostly for known resources. Fast growing dependence of different categories of stake-holders of such large institutes warrants a case-study research, so as to study the present pattern of uses of web-resources, including the timing and pockets of users, and then to have a sustainable strategic planning for a better resource-management of web-resources for future. The present paper is a case study of a leading private university of Odisha (in India) with over 65,000 users of ‘university web-network' and over 7500 fixed-systems, which analyses users' time-series data of last quarter and suggests a futuristic model for optimal and effective use of - ˜Institute Web-Resources and computing facilities'. It studies both fixed-line load and load-management of wireless (Wi Fi) connections, across the 25 campuses of the Institute, scattered and geographically located within 15 sq. km

A review of cloud-based bim technology in the construction sector

Cloud computing technology is regarded as a major transformational force that is causing unprecedented change across the communication and business disciplines. In the architecture, engineering and construction sector, cloud-BIM integration is considered to be the second generation of building information management (BIM) development, and is expected to produce another wave of change across the construction industry. Despite this, few studies to date have attempted to summarise the research literature on cloud-BIM. This paper explores the literature to identify the substantive work on cloud-BIM, particularly regarding building life cycle management, to provide valuable insight for practitioners and to propose avenues for further research. Thirty academic sources, including refereed journal articles and conference papers, were retrieved and analysed in terms of their research focus and nature of application. The review revealed that most cloud-BIM research has focused on the building planning/design and construction stages. The findings suggest that more research should be directed towards operation, maintenance and facility management, energy efficiency and the demolition and deconstruction stages of building life cycle management. Further empirical research on organisational and legal issues, including security, responsibility, liability and model ownership, of the cloud-BIM model is also needed

DRIVER Technology Watch Report

This report is part of the Discovery Workpackage (WP4) and is the third report out of four deliverables. The objective of this report is to give an overview of the latest technical developments in the world of digital repositories, digital libraries and beyond, in order to serve as theoretical and practical input for the technical DRIVER developments, especially those focused on enhanced publications. This report consists of two main parts, one part focuses on interoperability standards for enhanced publications, the other part consists of three subchapters, which give a landscape picture of current and surfacing technologies and communities crucial to DRIVER. These three subchapters contain the GRID, CRIS and LTP communities and technologies. Every chapter contains a theoretical explanation, followed by case studies and the outcomes and opportunities for DRIVER in this field