Cloud Computing for MATLAB and R Users

Cloud based computing has tremendous potential for academia in general and researchers in particular. The ability to store, read and manipulate large data sets is increasingly important to be on the cutting edge of research. While most researchers have extensive programming skills, they generally are not computer scientists. A number of cloud based, virtual work spaces have been developed which can bring enormous computing advantages over any desktop or laptop. However, the instructions to get up and running in the cloud are often overwhelming, and require a significant investment of time. There is an initial steep learning curve associated with developing a high performance computing environment that several times becomes an obstacle that prevents many to benefit the most from using the cloud. This paper seeks to demystify the process and get the reader up and running very quickly. Once this initial process is over and the reader is proficient on these issues, performing computational chores that would take days on a desktop can be done in minutes. We next show the way the readers can implement their research using two well-known computer programs, MATLAB and R