Cloud Compliance Challenges in Higher Education: Navigating FERPA, GDPR, and Local Regulations

Abstract

Higher education is moving toward increased use of cloud technologies to revolutionize data storage, learning management, and administrative systems with benefits including their high levels of scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. Nevertheless, the regulatory obstacles, such as FERPA, GDPR, and local data protection regulations are a complicating factor in adopting cloud-based solutions. This paper describes the challenge that institutions are facing which they can overcome by good compliance frameworks, technology solutions and important governance models. Although compliance is associated with advantages like greater data protection and augmented stakeholder confidence, it has various impediments to do with expenses and intricacy. The paper foretells the use of successful case studies of compliance-oriented cloud adoption and the discussion of new trends in cloud compliance which accentuate the necessity of proactive planning and continuous adjustment to the change in compliance rules.