The implemetation of cloud computing in shipping companies

The usage of cloud computing services on shore began ten years ago, and in the last several years came into use on board ships, shipping companies and other maritime institutions such as Gardline (marine sciences company). Several maritime IT companies such as MESPAS AG [1,2,3] have recognized the benefits rendered by this technology and have thus developed and implemented individual or all cloud computing models on the ship and in shipping companies. The advantages provided by this technology are reflected in the reduction of operating costs and the price of IT elements (hardware, software, databases, networks), maintenance of computing resources without additional training of new staff and/or purchase of new licenses for programs and applications. All these advantages allow shipping companies, particularly ships, to carry out and improve maritime processes controlled by computers. The application of cloud computing increases the current possibilities of information technology in executing business processes i.e. the possibility of using information resources. The advances in information and telecommunication technologies brought on better possibilities for the transfer, processing, storage, protection and data security. There is a whole range of definitions of what cloud computing is, almost as much as there are service providers. The most accepted is the one by the National Institute ARTICLE INFO