above the clouds
DESCRIPTION
Cloud services are mobilizing the office. Check out how the American Association for Clinical Chemistry handled their cloud implementationTRANSCRIPT
Above the cloudsHow cloud computing mobilizes the
office
Bob SumnerEditorial Coordinator
Clinical Chemistry
We almost lost Toy Story 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL_g0tyaIeE&feature=player_embedded
Why does this matter?
The Cloud could have prevented a catastrophe like that from happening.
Offsite servers house all computer applications and storage
What is the cloud?
How does it work?
• Log in to a website• All desktop applications are available
regardless of the machine used• All saved information is housed in offsite
servers• Data is no longer kept on hard drives
Why do you want it?
• Access files from any device• Never worry about desktop storage • Completely mobilized office• Perfect for offsite work
How it alters the office environment
• All employees are able to access all files from anywhere– ALWAYS able to access entire outlook inbox
• All employees must be connected to the internet to access desktop applications– Internet connection must maintained
• Citrix Systems• Implementation completed March 2012• All employees arrived Monday, March 20th
with all files added to cloud servers
Why we chose the cloud
“We did a cost analysis on ownership versus hosting and after 2 years, ownership was more expensive.”
Christina ElderDirector, IT Department, AACC
$
Why we chose the cloud?
“At least 60% of the staff does some sort of remote work. The cloud allows for this and reduces the maintenance of having a vpn (virtual private network).”
Christina ElderDirector, IT Department, AACC
Mobility
Why we chose the cloud?
“The cloud is much easier to maintain from a security perspective. It also allows for more flexible backup solutions.”
Christina ElderDirector, IT Department, AACC
Security
Why we chose the cloud?
“AACC does not necessarily like cutting edge but we do try to stay current with technology and ensure that the infrastructure is up-to-date. A technology department that falls way behind can find themselves in a disaster situation that can disrupt services to staff and members for quite sometime.”
Christina ElderDirector, IT Department, AACC
Cutting-edge?
What I love about the cloud
• Access to all of my files and applications from any device
• Never worry about files lost due to computer crashes
• I can utilize latest versions of Microsoft Office programs on my home machine
What I dislike about the cloud
• Can be buggy– Printer issues– Copy and paste issues
• Reliance on internet connection– Slower internet? All functionality is slower
Implementation Issues
“At first is was challenging, at any organization, change is difficult on staff. Within 3 months staff loved it and they seem to be very happy with the change.”
1. You are no longer in controlWhen you move services to the cloud, you are no longer directly in control.… Now, no matter how much they might yell, or what favors they promise, when something is wrong, you’re all at the mercy of someone else. 2. You are not the most important part of anythingWith cloud services, the CEO of your company is no different from the receptionist of another company; they’re both simply users of the service, and both get equal attention. The cloud is the great equalizer — and not in a good way.3. You can have any color you want, as long as it’s blackCloud service providers tend to offer the vanilla, cookie cutter version and only enable the most popular features. If you want obscure feature 57, make sure the cloud service offers that before you sign up.4. You still need on-premises hardware, and an in-house IT staffSure, cloud services mean you may have fewer servers to deal with, and there’s less for your IT staff to do in support of the service, but that absolutely does not mean you can do away with all of your servers and lay off your staff.
