Cloud computing has transformed how we work and do things from accounting to banking. For university newspapers, you can leverage cloud computing to improve how you work.

Cloud computing has been adopted by large and small businesses at a very fast pace over the last few years. Higher education institutions have adopted cloud computing, too.

Do you want to know more about cloud computing and how it can be used to enhance university newspapers?

Keep reading to find out.

What is Cloud Computing?

Do you have Gmail? How about Google Drive or Dropbox? Those are cloud applications. The cloud is a term to mean that information and data is stored on the internet.

These applications and data are available from anywhere at any time. That’s why you can stream videos whenever you want. Even your online courses are on demand. That’s another example of the cloud at work.

The difference is that the data is stored offsite, meaning that they’re not in your office or even your building. Cloud provider services store that data for you.

How Can the Cloud Enhance University Newspapers?

Now that you know what cloud computing is, you probably realize that it’s already a part of your life.

1. Prepare for Future of Journalism

Businesses use cloud computing solutions to keep track of remote teams. It allows them to cut overhead while allowing employees to work from home.

Newspapers are moving away from the traditional newsroom reporters to having on-assignment reporters. Cloud technology enables them to do that.

The faster you can adopt using cloud technologies now, the better prepared you’ll be to have a thriving career as a journalist.

2. Access to Critical Information While on Assignment

Let’s say you have a reporter covering a major sports event for your university newspaper. They forgot to bring a stats sheet that will allow them to write a great article before the deadline.

If that document is stored in the cloud, they can access the stats sheet from anywhere. They won’t miss a beat and they’ll get their story done and turned in on time.

It’s also easier to track assignments and responsibilities with cloud applications. You can have one document that lists the editorial calendar with the person responsible for the story.

Everyone has access to the document and you can post notes and status updates.

3. Cost-Effective

As a university newspaper, you’re likely to be operating on a shoestring budget, passed by the student association.

You can cut some of your technology costs with cloud computing. There are plenty of solutions that are free or heavily discounted to educational institutions.

4. Secure Documents

You might think that you have a small university newspaper, and no one will care about what you have to say, let alone try to break into your systems.

All it would take is one student prank to get into your systems and access sensitive documents. With cloud computing, you can rest easy knowing that the most important documents are secured by your cloud provider.

That doesn’t mean that security isn’t a concern. Of course, the devices that you use to access the cloud have to be secured. You can’t just leave your mobile phone at a bar one night.

5. The Rise of Citizen Journalists

This isn’t exactly a benefit of cloud computing, but it is something to be aware of. Anyone can be a journalist today, thanks to the cloud.

How many stories have you seen with video footage recorded by someone at the scene? That’s how the Black Lives Matter movement started.

There are two sides to this citizen journalist coin. On one side, you have more competition to write and develop good stories. These videos are everywhere, and it can be difficult to get your important work seen and heard.

On the other side, you can use these stories to supplement your work. If you do pursue work as a journalist, you’ll quickly discover that jobs are hard to come by.

Newsrooms are under pressure to turn a profit and deliver quality news. That’s resulted in fewer journalists in newsrooms and less time to spend doing investigative work.

These citizen journalists can provide the information you need to break a story wide open.

How to Find Cloud Solutions for Your Paper

Cloud computing can make a major difference in just about any organization. Even university newspapers. How can you find a good cloud computing solution to enhance your university paper? Here’s what you should look out for.

Where Can You Be More Efficient

Some university papers are already working fast and efficiently. You can always make small adjustments to improve how you do things.

Go through the operational side of your newspaper and list out places where you can improve things.

For example, you may find that you can improve communication between reporters and editorial staff. You can use Slack or another cloud application for communications.

Another example is if you’re relying more on video for storytelling. You’ll need a place to store all of that data.

Make a list and prioritize your needs.

Your Budget

You need to figure out your cloud budget. Make sure that when you look at vendors, you take a look at the various educational discounts.

Cloud Infrastructures

If you need cloud storage for videos or other content that takes up a lot of disk space, you’ll need to figure out which cloud infrastructure is right for you.

One example of cloud infrastructure is AWS, which is my Amazon. You can learn more about cloud infrastructures here.

Make Your University Paper Better

Cloud computing is a great way to make your newspaper more efficient. How can the cloud enhance university newspapers?

The cloud is where newsrooms are going. The more you understand how the cloud works and how to use it in journalism, the better prepared you’ll be when you graduate.