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CLOUDSIS: An Application of Cloud Computing for Smart School Management System

Ahmad Waqas¹, Hafiz Abid Mahmood Malik², Mostafa Karbasi², Naeem A. Nawaz¹, Abdul Waheed Mahessar³

¹Department of Computer Science, Sukkur IBA University, Pakistan

²Department of Computer Science, International Islamic University Malaysia
³Institute of Information and Communication Technology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

                                                                                                                                                     I.          Introduction

Advancement in information technology reveals new horizons for managing, storing and manipulating information. Cloud computing, nowadays, is a well-known cost effective platform to utilize computing resources for storage and sharing information among users and organization [1]. Cloud has many benefits over traditional information systems that include less administrative burden, save cost, collaboration, and data security. Cloud-based information systems are referred to as next-generation information system to manage and infer information. Traditional academic management systems are very common and have been widely used by academic institutions and schools for managing information. These systems contribute and provide enormous assistance in numerous means that includes student management, course selection, course discussions, assignment announcements and submissions, online testing and grading etc. [2] [3].

This paper describes the requirements specification and a cloud-based framework to manage multiple school branches whether online or offline. The purpose of proposed architecture is to design a generalized low-cost solution for an education system that is applicable on chain of schools. It supports administrative staff by generating quick summaries for decision making and facilitate end-user and middle-user so that they can communicate in automated way.

A.       Cloud Computing Fundamentals

“Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction” [4][5][6]. The cloud ensures five features that include “on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity and measured service”. A pool of resources (Cloud Services SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS) is maintained that is available for cloud users. To deliver the requested resource timely with accuracy, access to broad network is required. CSP charge cloud users for cloud services using the “measured service” phenomena. The cloud users have provision to scale the cloud service that are deployed using one of the deployment models that are Private, Community, Public and Hybrid Clouds [2]. Figure 2 depicts the overview of cloud computing fundamentals.

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