Public Sector Chief Information Officer Council

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1 Report to Public Sector Chief Information Officer Council White Paper on a Pan Canadian Opportunities for Collaboration Project Goal Two Report: Outline and Approach Draft v1.0 Submitted by: Stuart Culbertson Consulting Director Sierra Systems Group Inc. (T) (250) (F) (250) (E) stuartculbertson@sierrasystems.com

2 Table of Contents 1. Overview Approach Findings Summary Opportunities for Inter-Jurisdictional Collaboration Procurement Collaboration Development Lab Space for Testing Infrastructure Public Sector Cloud Disaster Recovery Cooling Technologies [To be Completed] Critical Success Factors for Inter-Jurisdictional Collaboration [To be Completed] Next Steps Appendices Project Profiles for Goal Two Collaboration Opportunities Inter-Jurisdictional Collaboration White Paper...7 Confidentiality/Validity This document has been prepared by Sierra Systems for the sole purpose and exclusive use of Public Sector Chief Information Officer Council. Due to the confidential nature of the material in this document, its contents should not be discussed with, or disclosed to, third parties without the prior written consent of Sierra Systems. White Paper: Pan Canadian Opportunities for Collaboration Project Goal Two Report Draft v1.0 / Page i

3 NOTE: This document outlines the approach and framework we are pursuing for our project Goal Two Report. It should be read both as a framework and a work in progress, as it sets placeholders and identifies areas that we need to detail with further work over the next two months. We intend to combine our Goal One report [now Final] with our Goal Two report [under development here] into a final, consolidated project report. 1. Overview The PSCIOC has sponsored a project to develop a White Paper that will explore the prospects and feasibility of inter jurisdictional collaboration in sharing data centres. The project will include the exploration of how PSCIOC member jurisdictions might share data centre facilities, consolidate data centre requirements, aggregate procurement for common data centre infrastructure and collaborate on similar opportunities of mutual interest while maintaining independent operating environments. Specifically, the work will focus on two goals that will be pursued simultaneously in the data gathering phase but will be reported on in sequence. These goals are: Goal One: Goal Two: To determine provincial/territorial and municipal government interest (and associated requirements) in co sharing data centre facilities with Shared Services Canada. To determine the prospects for PSCIOC member collaboration in data centres and strategies in areas of mutual interest now and going forward with a particular focus on cloud data platforms. The purpose of this report is to provide findings and recommendations based on collaboration opportunities identified by PSCIOC Survey Respondents in response to Goal Two. 2. Approach As agreed upon in the work plan presented to PSCIOC members on September 26, 2012, Sierra Systems developed and issued a survey for completion by PSCIOC members in an effort to gain a better understanding of the current state, future goals, and overall interest in collaboration on data centres and strategies among Federal, Provincial/Territorial and Municipal governments. Responses were received from ten out of 13 jurisdictions. A Findings Report in support of Goal One was prepared and circulated to PSCIOC members in December Preliminary feedback was received from the Federal government (Shared Services Canada). Subsequent to the survey, further information was requested from select jurisdictions. While no survey response was received from municipal government members, an interview was held with both PSCIOC municipal representatives who indicated that interest and decisions on co location and collaboration would best be determined on a municipality by municipality basis. Survey results, combined with select interviews with CIOs, have helped to identify five potential opportunities for collaboration beyond data centres, in support of Goal Two. A draft description of these Project Goal Two Report: Outline and Approach Draft v1.0 / Page 1

4 opportunities is included in this report and will provide the basis for further development throughout February and March In addition, the analysis conducted to date has helped to yield a number of Critical Success Factors for Collaboration, which are both highlighted in this report, and referred to in the accompanying attached Discussion Paper on Inter Jurisdictional Collaboration [To be attached as Appendix 5.2 ]. 3. Findings Summary Goal Two: To determine the prospects for PSCIOC member collaboration in data centres and strategies in areas of mutual interest now and going forward with a particular focus on cloud data platforms. During the survey conducted among PSCIOC members in October 2012, respondents were asked to identify other potential opportunities for areas of inter jurisdictional collaboration beyond co location of data centres. In total, five potential opportunities emerged: 1. Procurement Collaboration 2. Development Lab Space for Testing Infrastructure 3. Public Sector Cloud 4. Disaster Recovery 5. Cooling Technology Follow up interviews were then held in February 2013 with select officials on the subjects of: Procurement Collaboration (Federal Government), Development Lab Space for Testing Infrastructure (Saskatchewan), Public Sector Cloud (BC) and Cooling Technology collaboration (Ontario to be scheduled). An additional interview was conducted with Stuart Fuller, the Chief Technology Officer for the State of Montana, to gather best practices for inter jurisdictional collaboration an area in which Montana has shown nationally acknowledged leadership in the US over the past year. This section of the report contains high level project descriptions and desired outcomes for the opportunities which have been defined so far through the interview process. Collaboration Project Profile templates have also been created to frame the further analysis and development of these opportunities over the next weeks (see Appendix 5.1 of this report). 3.1 Opportunities for Inter Jurisdictional Collaboration The following opportunities were identified by PSCIOC members in our October 2012 survey and subsequent select interviews as noted above: Procurement Collaboration Opportunity for Collaboration Described While differing in some standards and requirements, PSCIOC member jurisdictions are generally in the same business with respect to data centre services and facilities. In some cases, Project Goal Two Report: Outline and Approach Draft v1.0 / Page 2

5 members have adopted a build our own approach for some aspects of their needs. However, as a general trend, build our own approaches are being increasingly replaced by PSCIOC member sourcing and provisioning of data centre and service requirements from third party partners. For those members that have evolved along this line, there are significant opportunities to procure together especially where policies and standards align for data centres and services. Examples could include: Aggregated supply arrangements for data centre hardware and services including common terms and conditions and best available pricing commitments The procurement of a common or standard portal for the provision of open data to citizens and businesses Extension of best available pricing arrangements across the PSCIOC membership perhaps beginning with a few PSCIOC collaborators and extending to many Project Desired Outcomes The desired outcomes of procurement collaboration include: Cost reduction stronger negotiating power for all jurisdictions through aggregated demand, resulting in lower vendor rates and a consistent offering at a consistent price irrespective of jurisdiction size Improved service to citizens and business through a common and unified approach to open data provision for citizens and businesses interested in and working across multiple jurisdictions Improved vendor relationships through common procurement terms and conditions and product and service standards across Canada Development Lab Space for Testing Infrastructure Opportunity for Collaboration Described Most PSCIOC jurisdictions have independently established test environments for data applications and hardware. In addition, many are exploring cloud environments as potential new testing centres. Given that many of the applications and hardware being tested are either common (i.e. Windows migrations) or at least comparable and operating within a similar framework of jurisdictional policies and standards, there is an opportunity for PSCIOC members to collaborate in shared testing infrastructure. Members with available testing capacity could host a collaborative venture among interested members. To date, concerns around the sharing of citizen data across jurisdictions in production environments has posed a barrier to collaboration. However, this opportunity would not involve data sharing and is focused on data applications and infrastructure thereby mitigating the perceived risks around sharing of real citizen data. PSCIOC collaboration here could be supported by a usage based accounting model to ensure fairness and balance across varying jurisdictional sizes, budgets and requirements. Project Goal Two Report: Outline and Approach Draft v1.0 / Page 3

6 Project Desired Outcomes The desired outcomes of collaboration on test facilities as a service (vs. in a physical centre) include: Cost avoidance sharing testing infrastructure and services may be able to avoid/reduce costs from the current model of investing in independent testing environments in each jurisdiction. A larger testing environment benefitting from economies of scale could enable just intime provisioning, with the opportunity to scale up and down in response to workloads. Potential to jointly explore and evaluate the prospects of setting up new, innovative testing infrastructure in the cloud allowing all jurisdictions interested in such a move to explore the benefits and risks together Public Sector Cloud Opportunity for Collaboration Described Cloud services promise the potential of providing flexible, just in time data service needs to large volume users who might be more inclined to consume data storage as a service rather than from supported, independent physical infrastructures. At the same time, there are several perceived risks to PSCIOC members in moving their data storage needs to the cloud including privacy, data protection and security and the need of some to comply with their legislative and regulatory requirements not to store data outside of their jurisdiction. As various modes of cloud computing are rolled out public cloud, private cloud, etc. there may be an opportunity for PSCIOC members to collaborate on a public sector cloud that could be built in compliance with common or similar regulatory, policy and standards requirements among members. There is also a broader opportunity to collaborate at the strategy level perhaps in developing a statement of common conditions and requirements that PSCIOC members could present to cloud service developers who would be interested in providing services to Canadian jurisdictions. Project Desired Outcomes A shared public sector cloud has multiple benefits to participating jurisdictions, including: Expanded user choice, increased flexibility, and lowered cost through reduced asset ownership. A Canadian based public sector cloud that could address security, data protection and privacy requirements and considerations that are held in common among PSCIOC members Cost and effort avoidance in developing a joint rather than several jurisdiction specific public sector cloud(s) Demonstrating collaborative leadership in jointly exploring the benefits and implications of a data service game changer and leading technology trend Project Goal Two Report: Outline and Approach Draft v1.0 / Page 4

7 Reference Models BC Broader Public Sector Cloud Hosting strategy collaboration among provincial public sector CIOs in BC (Province, Crown Corporations, Health Authorities) Disaster Recovery Opportunity for Collaboration Described All PSCIOC jurisdictions require secure and dependable disaster recovery back up sites for their data centre and access needs. Presently, jurisdictions contract private vendors or disperse backup requirements among other public data facilities. Given the comparability of PSCIOC member data policies, standards and regulatory and operating frameworks and requirements, the opportunity exists for PSCIOC members with spare capacity to offer back up sites and services to other members. This could take the form of: Multiple jurisdictions working together equally to provide back up services for each other in the event of downtime A single jurisdiction with an operational advantage (geographic suitability, superior existing infrastructure, etc.) acting as a disaster recovery centre of excellence, and contracting space and/or services to other jurisdictions Project Desired Outcomes The desired outcomes of PSCIOC member collaboration on disaster recovery include: Ensuring data back up sites are operated in compliance with a comparable, Canadian public sector data policies, standards and regulatory framework Providing an increased capacity of back up centres and potentially decreasing the likelihood of disaster effects through leveraging centres of excellence Reference Models Montana Oregon agreement on disaster recovery, which sets up offsite storage for disaster recovery in each other s data facilities Cooling Technologies [To be Completed pending interview with Ontario] Project Goal Two Report: Outline and Approach Draft v1.0 / Page 5

8 3.2 Critical Success Factors for Inter Jurisdictional Collaboration [To be Completed] Throughout this project to date, a number of critical success factors for inter jurisdictional collaboration have been identified, and are included in this section of the report. Our research suggests there are several critical success factors in establishing and enabling effective interjurisdictional collaboration in action to improve program efficiencies and service delivery. [To be drawn from Discussion Paper on Inter jurisdictional Collaboration To be completed]. 4. Project Next Steps The findings and recommendations for Goal Two provided in this report have been focused so far on what needs to happen with regards to collaboration opportunities. Significant opportunities have been identified, each with their own real and perceived barriers to collaboration. None of these barriers, however, are insurmountable and can be tested and overcome through the development of strategic collaboration pilot projects. Therefore it is recommended that the next steps in this project be focused on how to turn these ideas into action. Next steps in the current project plan are as follows: Activity Completion date Deliverable Present the Final Report on Goal One Recommendations (revised from feedback on the draft report above). 28 February 2013 Presentation of Draft Report on Goal Two Findings and Recommendations. (Halifax PSCIOC Meeting) Final Report on Goal One Recommendations Draft Report on Goal Two Findings and Recommendations Further input from PSCIOC members on Goal Two Collaboration Opportunity Profiles Present the Final Report on Goal Two Recommendations (revised from feedback on the draft report above). Compile final project White Paper summarizing the work, conclusions, recommendations and implementation considerations detailed in the Goal One and Goal Two reports. 31 March 2013 PSCIOC Data Centre Collaboration White Paper Project Goal Two Report: Outline and Approach Draft v1.0 / Page 6

9 5. Appendices 5.1. Project Profiles for Goal Two Collaboration Opportunities [Final to be attached] 5.2. Discussion Paper on Inter jurisdictional Collaboration [Final to be attached] Project Goal Two Report: Outline and Approach Draft v1.0 / Page 7