Cloud 101 for Nonprofits

CLOUD 101Tierney 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@techsoupcanadafacebook.com/techsoupcanadatechsoupcanada.ca/community/blogyoutube.com/techsoupcanada

AGENDA

What is the cloud?

How is it relevant to your

nonprofit?

What does it cost?

Advantages & risks of the cloud

How 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!

Online banking Online shopping Social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Online games Storing photos online Online file sharing

A majority of Americans (54 percent) claim to never use cloud computing. However, 95 percent of this group

actually does use the cloud.

Scalable services you access through the Internet

Microsoft Word

Google Docs

Not Clou

d

Cloud

OTHER CLOUD APPS YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF…

Gmail

Facebook

Microsoft Office 365

Salesforce

Vertical Response

Twitter

Dropbox

Prezi

Survey Monkey

MailChimp

3 TYPES OF CLOUD

Software-as-a-Service

Software you access through the Internet

e.g. Gmail, Salesforce, Survey Monkey

Platform-as-a-Service

Online environment for building software

e.g. Force.com, Microsoft Azure

Infrastructure-as-a-Service

Servers and storage in the cloud

e.g. Amazon Web Services

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/cloud-survey-results

Your nonprofi

t

Email & office productivity

File sharingCommunication

Social networking

FacebookTwitter

Bit.ly

Google Apps Office

365Zoho

CRM SalesforceCiviCRM

DropboxBox.net

Google Drive

Skydrive

Skype

GoToMeeting

ReadyTalk

MORE CLOUD APPS

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 Weebly

Event Registration 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 Everyone shares one version of a doc

Collaborating Makes it easier to work together with others

Remote working 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…

FeaturesCostBackupsSecurityDataAvailability

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_assessment

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?

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

RESOURCES

List of products: http://techsoupcanada.ca/product

Getting started: http://techsoupcanada.ca/getting_started

Microsoft donations information: http://www.techsoupcanada.ca/microsoft_resources

DONATION PROGRAM INFO

CONTACT INFO

Tierney Smith, Community Manager @tierneys

TechSoup Canada www.techsoupcanada.ca @techsoupcanada facebook.com/techsoupcanada