Cloud computing has become a popular tool for schools in the past several years.

“Every industry is being transformed by the cloud, and education is no exception,” Dan Ayoub, general manager of Microsoft Education, tells EdTech.

In fact, 90 percent of K–12 school districts that responded to CoSN’s 2018 Infrastructure Survey reported using the cloud for storage, while 88 percent said they used cloud-based software systems.

With the cloud, districts can save on the infrastructure costs and space that come with maintaining hardware, Ayoub explains. Plus, moving to the cloud can ease IT staff workload and assist educators with managing sensitive data and creating personalized learning experiences for their students.

The cloud also gives school and district administrators the flexibility of communicating and collaborating with colleagues, teachers and parents. That’s even more crucial in times of emergency when schools are pushed to shut their doors and shift to a remote learning and working environment.