Case Study Cloud Computing Local Government Volunteer Managers Network July 2013

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1 Introduction The (LGVMN) is collection of about 40 people who manage volunteer programs for local government councils across the state. It has existed for around 10 years and has a strong sharing and supporting ethos. The LGVMN meets every couple of months and has set up a cloud-based system for its members to share and store electronic material. This case study discusses the objectives, challenges, impacts and outcomes of establishing a system in the public cloud. It is an example of business managers within an organisation proactively looking for opportunities to embrace technology to meet the expectations of their stakeholders. Background A long-standing member of the LGVMN found she had become a central point of information for new members. She suggested to the Chair that it would be appropriate to create a cloud-based system for sharing of information and resources. The LGVMN recently won a research and development grant in partnership with the Australian Services Union, to develop a best practice framework for volunteer managers. The need to easily and conveniently share resources amongst the group was heightened by this project. Priority Goal The priority for establishing a cloud-based system was to create an online repository of resources, facilitating sharing of information and retention of ideas amongst members of the LGVMN.

2 Objectives The cloud-based system was expected to replace the need to send information to LGVMN members via attachments, thus simplifying group conversations. The LGVMN has a strategic vision of standardising processes for volunteering across all local councils. Materials for LGVMN meetings, templates and case studies were to be shared online instead of distributed via . Induction of new LGVMN members was to be simplified by having resources and past LGVMN materials readily available online. As the information to be shared was not private or commercially sensitive it was determined that a public cloud system would be appropriate. There is a high turnover of volunteer managers and members in the LGVMN, requiring an efficient method of knowledge transfer. Expectations A cloud-based system was expected to be readily accessible, available 24 hours 7 days a week, simple to use and scalable. It was important for the LGVMN to be able to control access to the system, without needing to submit requests to an Information Technology (IT) Department. Challenges Most local government areas are represented in the LGVMN, with each council having its own IT standard operating environment. The diversity of technology used in councils created the need for device agnostic system that could be accessed by every LGVMN member. There is also a large range of technology skill levels in members of the LGVMN. Some volunteer managers are dedicated to this role and have a professional human resources background, whilst others are very inexperienced with technology and management of volunteers is just one of their responsibilities. Many volunteer managers work part-time, creating long delays when group conversations are conducted via sending and receiving of s by individuals. There was no funding approved for the implementation of a solution, necessitating reuse of existing systems or adoption of a free online service. As is often the case these days, the IT Departments were sidelined for this project. Roadblocks were put in place by the IT support staff, inhibiting use of existing online systems such as the LGA web portal. Finding that business needs could not be met by the IT Departments, the LGVMN turned to online vendors of cloud-based systems for a solution. Weiser Solutions is a division of Weiser Australia Pty Ltd Page 2

3 Impacts and Outcomes After researching possible solutions it was determined that the cloud-based system DropBox would best meet the needs of the LGVMN. A set of shared folders has been established in DropBox, which members of the LGVMN use to collaborate easily and efficiently. DropBox is a public cloud system, requiring members of the LGVMN to each create their own DropBox account to allow sharing of folders. As a system designed for general consumers, DropBox is device agnostic, accessible from Windows and Mac computers, mobile phones and tablets. DropBox integrates well with Windows Explorer, giving the impression that the DropBox folders are part of a file-server system although in reality they are stored in the public cloud. Those that have taken up DropBox agree installation is simple and the system is very easy to learn how to use. Additional storage capacity has been allocated to the DropBox folders as more LGVMN members join, providing much more space than required by the group. An unintended impact of installing DropBox is that files, documents and images on the user s computer can be automatically copied into the public cloud without the user being aware of it. When DropBox is installed, the folder created on the user s computer is set to automatically synchronise with the user s DropBox cloud storage. This background sharing of council information to public cloud storage has the potential to create unintended and un-noticed security risks. Status and Sustainability DropBox has been enthusiastically adopted by 75% of the group 40 LGVMN members out of a possible 53 council representatives from 68 local government areas. For future sustainability, it is intended that management of the DropBox shared folders will be handed over to the person responsible for management of the LGVMN membership or a secretary role. However DropBox is designed for private consumer use, which will make transferring ownership and control of the shared DropBox folders very difficult. Some members of the LGVMN are not able to use DropBox, as access to the system has been blocked by their council s IT Department. These councils with tighter control of their systems mandate software that meets security standards such as maintenance of audit trails, virus scanning and spam filters. Members currently blocked from the system may be able to apply to their council s IT Department for an exemption that allows access to DropBox. To apply for this exemption they would require written guidelines and usage policies be developed by the LGVMN, providing evidence of responsible use of the public cloud storage. Weiser Solutions is a division of Weiser Australia Pty Ltd Page 3

4 Conclusions Whilst DropBox is a simple, scalable and accessible online system, it is not recommended for long term use by organisations. The potential security risks of allowing individual users to freely load content to a public cloud storage space outweigh the benefits and convenience of the system. It is recommended that a corporate cloud-based system is implemented which meets industry standards for cyber security and that would satisfy IT Departments of all local government councils. This includes such requirements as audit trails, private cloud storage in an Australian jurisdiction and controlled user access. Weiser Solutions is a division of Weiser Australia Pty Ltd Page 4

5 Appendix About DropBox DropBox is a public cloud storage system, with free options geared to private users, low cost options for storage of large amounts of data and business options for larger organisations with multiple users and requiring terabytes of data storage. The system is designed with the general consumer in mind, providing the benefits of the cloud storage in an easily accessible format. The amount of storage available to private users starts at 2 Gigabytes and increases up to a maximum 18 Gigabytes with each referral for signup of new DropBox users. The DropBox installation for computers is operating system agnostic, with installation options for Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile devices, supporting Android, iphone, ipad, BlackBerry and Kindle. Once installed, DropBox creates a folder on the user s computer or mobile device which is automatically synced with their account s DropBox folder in the cloud. This means that any files, documents or images copied into the local DropBox folder will have a backup copy held in cloud storage. The DropBox tour, aimed at private users, is included on the following pages. Weiser Solutions is a division of Weiser Australia Pty Ltd Page 5

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