Riding the Wave of Change CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Outsourcing University of Alberta - A Bold Step Forward Rob Lake Information Technology Planning and Forecasting Officer Jonathan Schaeffer Vice-Provost (Information Technology) University of Alberta

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland IT World is Changing Fast network connections Social networking Cloud computing / Software as a service Ubiquitous wireless access Fundamental paradigm shifts that will dramatically impact how we deploy IT

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Where Do We Want To Be? IT world is changing rapidly but universities are usually slow to change We run the risk of offering an antiquated IT environment to our faculty, staff and students Universities are all about change; we should embrace it, not fear it Can we change the way we think about IT so we can free up resources to change IT?

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland The Generation Gap StudentsFaculty/Staff Mobile computingDesktop computing TextingMemos & Cellular telephonesDesktop telephones Social networkingFace-to-face Google appsMicrosoft Office Non-local computing infrastructureLocal computing infrastructure OpenProprietary/commercial Digital MediaPrint media OpenPrivate

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Our Philosophy Core mandate of the University of Alberta is research and teaching IT is an enabler Some IT components have become known as utility computing Where appropriate, we should consider getting out of the utility computing business

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Dare to Change? Are we prepared to challenge the status quo? Can we think about doing things differently? Can we move towards deploying modern IT across the entire campus? If not, we run the risk of providing core IT that is seen as irrelevant Let’s start with one area for change…

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland University of Alberta Over 30 independent systems on campus Each has their own hardware, software and people resources No central calendaring At least 37 Blackberry servers on campus Does this make sense?

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland The Business Case A single system on campus: –simplifies IT / Blackberry infrastructure –enables university-wide calendaring –simplifies emergency response –improves security –enables cost savings by removing duplication –frees up valuable IT personnel time –supports green computing –addresses auditor concerns

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Solution 1: In-house Provide an in-house solution Expand our central infrastructure to support all /calendaring/Blackberry needs Investigated several options; two in-depth –Microsoft and Zimbra –Expensive Need to explore other options

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Solution 2: External Local Get out of the utility computing business Find a local provider Investigated Telus –Annual cost per mailbox; too expensive –No calendaring

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Solution 3: External Gmail: provided by Google –Large default box (7.4 GB) – integrated with calendaring –Google apps (including docs and tools) –Backups and disaster recovery –Google’s service is free, but there is a cost for increased network access –Create central Blackberry service Many are already using Gmail

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland The Proposal Commit to one system for the University of Alberta –Follow in the footsteps of CCIDs and wireless –Create a new way of thinking about IT –Open the door for creating IT economies of scale where appropriate Commit to an external provider: Google –Major increase in functionality for many Goes beyond just and calendaring Get out of the utility computing business (where it makes sense) Focus IT investments on furthering the mission of the University of Alberta

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Gmail FAQ (1) It’s free. What’s the catch? Creating customer loyalty: Google wants us to fall in love with its products so when people leave the University they continue to use Google Claiming market share: 110,000 Google accounts is 110,000 less for the competition Industry practice: Microsoft and Apple have done this for years by heavily discounting or giving away for free some of their products

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Gmail FAQ (2) Is University of Alberta Gmail the same as the Gmail version I can already get? Education Gmail is NOT Public Gmail! We will continue to own the ualberta domain: We will control CCIDs and passwords on campus We will own the data No advertising No data mining

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Gmail FAQ (3) Is using Gmail the same as using Outlook? Gmail is a different program but it has essentially the same functionality Full benefits from using the web-based interface Can still read using your favorite reader (possibly with a limited features set) Most popular Microsoft features supported in the web client

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Gmail FAQ (4) Is Gmail secure? is neither private nor secure! Gmail offers the same or improved security over existing campus systems Enforces de facto campus-wide policies

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Gmail FAQ (5) Gmail is hosted on servers around the world including the USA. What about the Patriot Act? Alberta has strict privacy laws that must be followed (FOIPP) Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) completed and accepted in March 2010 by the Alberta Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Privacy (1) From the Office of Internal Audit: “… Internal Audit believes that the risks can be managed with the appropriate due diligence, including such steps as conducting a Privacy Impact Assessment, ensuring clarity of data ownership, and gaining appropriate assurance that security will be effective.”

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Privacy (2) From the Canadian OIPC: “The risk of a U.S.-based service provider being ordered to disclose personal information to U.S. authorities is not a risk unique to U.S. organizations. In the national security and anti-terrorism context, Canadian organizations are subject to (and may be just as likely to receive) similar types of orders to disclose personal information of Canadians to Canadian authorities. There are also several formal bilateral agreements in place between analogous Canadian and U.S. organizations that provide for the cooperation and exchange of relevant information.”

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Privacy (3) From the Alberta OIPC: “… users of the University system must be informed that their s will reside in a foreign jurisdiction and will be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction, such as in this case, the USA Patriot Act. Individuals can then make an informed decision about what kind of information they will transmit through . The University has agreed to inform the student body and employees that it won’t be able to guarantee protection against possible disclosures of s residing in the United States.”

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Status (1) ualberta.ca Gmail domain has been set up –Local authentication working –Developing a second authentication mechanism –Support a forwarding capability Gmail operational for pilot projects –Five groups tested –Excellent user feedback –Many individuals see the move as enhancing their work environment

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Status (2) Mandated by the Vice-Presidents Currently working with Google’s lawyers on an agreement that recognizes Canadian and Provincial laws Bottleneck for past six months We will not switch over until such an agreement is in place

CANHEIT | Riding the Wave of Change | June 13-16, 2010 | Memorial University of Newfoundland Dare to Change? These are difficult times for the university Campus-wide /calendaring addresses many concerns Gmail offers many advantages and the few disadvantages can be addressed

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