2010 Technology Decision Making Roundtable: Cloud Computing Google Apps vs. Daryl Tilley Director of Technology Services Ingham Intermediate School District In association with: MACUL SIGTech

The Usual Suspects Daily use software applications /Calendar/Contacts Office Suite  Word Processor  Spreadsheet  Presentation  Database

The Traditional Model Microsoft Exchange or Novell GroupWise  Server(s) in-house for domain, post offices, transfer agents, web access, Internet agents, …  Thick client installed on every workstation  Web access offsite Microsoft Office or OpenOffice  Application suite installed on every desktop  Full featured thick client

The Growing Challenge More needs and greater demand for functions with shrinking staffs and budgets Desktop support issues  Hardware and software and users oh my!  Upgrades and patches Server support issues  Server/storage upgrades and patches  Software upgrades and patches  New versions of major applications Cost  Licensing  Support

Is it a Cloudy Day? The Cloud Computing or Software as a Service (SaaS) Model  Storage, servers and services all housed off- campus and belong to someone else  Customers use the application remotely  No infrastructure and upgrades  Reduced licensing costs Danger Will Robinson!  Loss of control  Internet access becomes mandatory

Cloudy Office Applications Google Apps for Education  Multi-user editing  The good and bad of the web interface Microsoft Web Apps  Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote “Light” Third Party  Zoho  Other

Cloudy Communications Google Apps for Education  Gmail Microsoft  Outlook Web App 2010 Other

Does it Look Like Rain to You? Common Concerns:  FERPA  Where’s my data?  What about this EULA?  How can I know it’s secure?  What if they start charging?  How do I get my stuff back?  What am I losing control of?  What about backups and restores?  What if the worst thing possible happens: the Internet goes down!

Clouds Are so Light and Fluffy Take the worries off your plate:  No servers to manage or upgrade  No storage to watch guard  No backups to monitor  No software to update  No thick clients to install*  Less reliance on the actual desktop device Shift your focus to leveraging the value of technology

Beware the Thunderheads Have some new worries!  Internet Internet Internet  No control over new versions  No control over features  No control over application outages  I can see all the seams!

Is the Cloud Really Cheaper Probably – IF you measure hard and soft costs  TCO can be hard to calculate  The fact that some options are FREE makes the math easier  What does it really cost me to manage servers, storage, server OS, applications, patches, updates, upgrades…  Here is our cost calculation of in-house vs. hosted

Google’s Cloud is Great Because: It’s free, it’s easy to manage and use Many educators already using it Google Labs add-ons Google Sites Google Talk Multi-user applications There’s an API for everything Wide mobile device support Innovations/improvements happen frequently

Cloud is Great Because: It’s free and may look like what you are used to Close to in-house without the worry Fidelity with outlook client* Plug-ins and integrations* Flexible and granular administrative options Office “light” applications Move towards a unified platform Command line access to server

Google’s Touch of Grey: Interface lacks some common features Web interface feels like a web interface Outlook as client has limitations* Lacks hierarchical/federated administration Some proxy features not there yet

Microsoft Touch of Grey: Outlook client is needed for some features* Missing some traditional features (coming from GroupWise) Inability to restore individual deleted mail

Thunderstorms in All Directons Both Google and Microsoft have shortcomings:  No control over new features or versions  What happens if the Internet is down?  What features are you giving up? Bottom line, you are giving up something

My Choice Seems Cloudy? Google Apps for Education if you:  Don’t want/need granular management features  Are already invested in Google apps/features  Aren’t concerned about integration with MS products  Like (or at least don’t dislike) the web interface  Feel comfortable with the support model  Know a good programmer to use the API’s

My Choice Seems Cloudy? Microsoft if you:  Want a lot of granular control  Prefer the “enterprise” look and feel of Outlook  Want fidelity between MS apps  Are a PowerShell scripting ninja  Want the closest thing to having your own server

Whose on Cloud 9? These are not mutually exclusive A hybrid approach works for staff and student Google Apps for Education for docs and sites  Mail/Calendar/Contacts turned off Directory integration possible with both

Questions?