Cloud storage and workspaces have revolutionized the way students complete work. Cloud storage offers alternative and efficient methods to students by letting them access their files wherever or whenever by simply being connected to the Internet with the added benefit of not being limited to one machine.

Since the release of services like Google Drive and OneDrive, doing work has never felt easier. Gone are the days of worrying about faulty USB sticks or hard drives. Physical hard drives may offer things like larger storage space, but cloud services offer yearly subscription prices that end up being half the price of an actual device.

Many students at Fanshawe have utilized cloud storage to help them have a more personalized workflow that matches their schedule.


For Alberto Silva, cloud storage plays an important part in his day to day life as a student.

“For me it is very important because all my data files, my assignments, all my studies, I keep leaning on the storage on the clouds for example, so I believe that it has huge importance for everyone on the campus as well,” Silva said.

Before coming to Brazil, Silva used to work in data centres. Having some background knowledge on how cloud storage worked helped him in understanding their internal structures.

Nepam Singh, a business finance student, discussed how cloud storage helps keep him organized and expressed the advantage it gives him to upload files from his cloud straight into his submissions on Fanshawe Online (FOL).

“I can put my submission and everything on the cloud on my computer at my home and I can use those same files to submit from the cloud, so it is really helpful for my submissions in college,” Singh said.

With collaborative projects, cloud programs make it easy for students to work on assignments all at once which allows them to be on the same page with their peers. Brooklyn Gilmore mentioned the accessibility it’s given her when working on collective assignments for her classes.

“Working from anywhere you’re able to share docs and stuff on a lot of them, so group projects, it makes it really easy,” Gilmore said.

Despite its many benefits, Fanshawe does not currently offer any kind of cloud storage for students. Gilmore said she believes students shouldn’t have to pay for more storage and that because cloud services are being used for school work, more storage should be offered at no extra cost.

“We are already paying for school so it should come with it,” Gilmore said.

Google has reported that over one billion users utilize their service. All the data that gets uploaded is stored in massive warehouses called server farms, which serves as the storage placement. These massive warehouses have complex ventilation units that filter out the excess heat so that the computers can overload. Server farms tend to reach crazy temperatures, ranging from 104- 122 degrees which is warm enough for a planet to sustain human life.

Cloud storage has allowed us to bring our work with us wherever we go and has eased the constant worry of looking for extra space. For students, cloud storage is an essential tool that offers much-needed flexibility for completing assignments or sharing them with classmates and making group work easier to manage remotely. Whether you are in a business or art course, cloud storage can accommodate large file sizes allowing to leave your physical backpack or hard drive at home and go to school without hassle.