CLOUD 101
Tierney Smith
TechSoup Canada
ABOUT TECHSOUP CANADA
Register for donations program: http://techsoupcanada.ca/getting_started
ABOUT ME
 Software
engineer
 Nonprofit technology blogger
 Community manager
@tierneys
@techsoupcanada
facebook.com/techsoupcanada
techsoupcanada.ca/community/blog
youtube.com/techsoupcanada
AGENDA
 What
 How
is the cloud?
is it relevant to your nonprofit?
 What
does it cost?
 Advantages
 How
& risks of the cloud
do you get started?
WHAT IS THE CLOUD?
CLOUD CONFUSION
One in five Americans (22 percent)
admit that they’ve pretended to
know what the cloud is or how it
works.
When asked what “the
cloud” is, a majority
responded it’s either an
actual cloud
(specifically a “fluffy
white thing”), the sky
or something related to
the weather (29
percent).
Working from home in their
“birthday suit” is the cloud’s
greatest advantage.
Source: http://www.citrix.com/English/NE/news/news.asp?newsID=2328309
YOU ALREADY USE THE CLOUD!
A majority of Americans (54 percent)
claim to never use cloud computing.
However, 95 percent of this group
actually does use the cloud.
Online banking
 Online shopping
 Social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
 Online games
 Storing photos online
 Online file sharing

Scalable services you access
through the Internet
Microsoft Word
Not
Cloud
Google Docs
Cloud
OTHER CLOUD APPS YOU MIGHT HAVE
HEARD OF…

Gmail

Twitter

Facebook

Dropbox

Microsoft Office 365

Prezi

Salesforce

Survey Monkey

Vertical Response

MailChimp
3 TYPES OF CLOUD
Software-as-aService
Software you access
through the Internet
e.g. Gmail, Salesforce,
Survey Monkey
Infrastructure-as-aService
Servers and storage in the cloud
e.g. Amazon Web Services
Platform-as-aService
Online environment
for building software
e.g. Force.com, Microsoft
Azure
WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Based on this description, what cloud tools are
you already using?
http://bit.ly/ntencloud101tools
CLOUD + NONPROFITS
ARE NONPROFITS USING THE CLOUD?
93% of Canadian nonprofits use at
least one cloud app
On average, nonprofits worldwide
use 3-4 types of cloud apps

More:
http://techsoupcanada.ca/community/blog/cloudsurvey-results
MORE CLOUD APPS
Facebook
Twitter
Google Apps
Bit.ly
Your
nonprofit
Skype
Zoho
Email &
office
productivity
Social
networking
Communication
Office 365
Salesforce
CRM
CiviCRM
File sharing
GoToMeeting
ReadyTalk
Google
Drive
Box.net
Skydrive
Dropbox
FOR EXAMPLE…
SHARING DOCS WITH YOUR BOARD
Read more: http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/community/blog/board_collaboration_google_docs
EVEN MORE WAYS TO USE THE CLOUD

Mass Emails/
E-Newsletters


MailChimp, Vertical
Response, Constant
Contact
Project
Management

Basecamp,
Smartsheet, Podio

Basic Websites


Event Registration


Weebly
Eventbrite, Guestlist
Survey/voting tools

Doodle, PollDaddy,
Survey Monkey
FOR EXAMPLE…
WORKING WITH A CONSULTANT
Read more on Basecamp:
http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/community/blog/toronto_net
_tuesday/project_management
HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I DO NOW?
The cloud is particularly good for:

Sharing


Collaborating


Makes it easier to work together
with others
Remote working


Everyone shares one version of a doc
Work from anywhere (with Internet)
Scaling

Add/remove more people/space on the go
WHAT DOES THE CLOUD COST?
BUY VS. RENT
EXAMPLE: EMAIL

Server-based: Microsoft Exchange (via TechSoup Canada)







Cost of server: varies
Windows Server + CALs: $55 + $3/person
Exchange Server Standard + CALs: $44 + $5/person
Microsoft Outlook: $6/person
Security, spam filtering: varies
Upgrade every 3-5 years
Cloud-based: Google Apps
$50/person/year
 Also includes calendar, docs

ADVANTAGES & RISKS OF THE
CLOUD
EVEN MORE ADVANTAGES
 Backup
 Security
 Very
little administration required
RISK: LOSING CONTROL OF…
Features
Cost
Backups
Security
Data
Availability
A WORD ABOUT PRIVACY
In almost all cases there is no law
against using cloud computing
 Up to you to read the
Terms of Service
 You are responsible for your
data at the end of the day

Avoid using cloud/be extra careful for political or
extremely sensitive data e.g. political activists,
women’s shelters
 Find out more:

http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/community/blog/cloud_privacy_law
HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?
EXPERIMENT
 Pick
a low-risk area
 Many
tools are free or
have free 30-day trial
 Try
it out! Learn! Have
fun!
Credit: jimmiehomeschoolmom
ASSESS & PLAN
1.
Assess your nonprofit’s technology & determine
priorities

Tech self-assessment:
http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/community/blog/tech_self_as
sessment
2.
Set goals
3.
Research & try out options
Jane vs. Tierney (http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/community/blog/jane-vs-tierney/intro)
 Platformation (http://www.platformation.ca/)
 Idealware (http://idealware.org/)

QUESTIONS?
RESOURCES
Further reading:
http://bit.ly/tsc_cloud_further_reading
Information about the cloud & case studies:
http://techsoupcanada.ca/learning_centre
 Cloud tool reviews: platformation.ca
DONATION PROGRAM INFO
List of products: http://techsoupcanada.ca/product
Getting started:
http://techsoupcanada.ca/getting_started
 Microsoft donations information:
http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/microsoft_resources
CONTACT INFO
Tierney Smith, Community Manager
 @tierneys
TechSoup Canada
 www.techsoupcanada.ca
 @techsoupcanada
 facebook.com/techsoupcanada