2. Terry Stokes Lasa CEO Foreword
Within the next 2 years, there will be no more conversations about whether
or not to choose a cloud service as a solution. The fact that your
organisation’s data is hosted remotely and not sitting on a server in your
building will be irrelevant. It will just be the norm.
The work we have been doing over the last 12 months includes a report
released in January looking at Charities’ use of ICT, and our Charity Digital
Leaders Report in November - both these and other recent research back
up the idea that the majority of services will be delivered via the internet
very soon.
A recent survey by Lasa and Partners highlighted that 67% of respondents
employed no staff to maintain technology. Cloud solutions could offer
these organisations a life line to more stable, secure and up to date
technology infrastructure, together with saving money.
Lasa’s Cloud Toolbox, a new resource, can help charities decide which
tools could work best for their organisation Lasa Cloud Toolbox In the
same way that Google apps or Dropbox has widespread acceptance, the
next step is managing the move of our data and finance systems to the
cloud. The key to success here is asking the right questions of suppliers,
can you access your data when you like?; is it regularly backed up?; clarity
before commitment equals good due diligence. Our knowledgebase can
help with the right questions.
Thank you to all the contributors to our Cloud: What Every Charity Leader
Should Know 2013 Report, this innovative way of pulling together
individual’s knowledge enables us share wide expertise with our Sector.
3. Contributors
• Sylwia Presley - nfpvoice.com - barcampnonprofits.com • Chad Calimpong – Marketing Director- Global Online
sylwiapresley.com Search at Dell
• Morgan Killick - MD of ESP Projects Ltd • Sarah Parker – MD Lamplight Database Systems
• Graciano Soares – Jisc RSC London • Stony Grunow – CEO Third Sector IT
• Lewis Atkinson - CEO, Community IT Academy • Paulette Elliot – MD Huduma Ltd.
• Matt Collins - Digital marketing consultant • Polly Gowers OBE – CEO and Founder Every Click
@charitychap • Miles Maier – ICT Development Consultant – Lasa
• Damien Austin-Walker - Head of Digital- vInspired • Lucy Gower - @lucyinnovation
• John Easton – Distinguished Engineer at IBM • James Leigh – International Marketing Co-ordinator –
• Philip Anthony – Co-op Systems Salesforce Foundation
• Allen Gunner – Aspiration • Richard Butcher – Workplace Live
• Josh Hoole – Partner Manager – Communities 2.0 • Sian Basker – Technology and Strategy Research
• Kate White – Superhighways Consultant
• Annalise Hoehling Publications Director - NTEN • Richard Cooper – CTT
5. 1. Use free tools to save money – do not spend money on the cloud if you do not have to!
Start with free software, free trial versions of cloud tools. Investigate sponsorship
options and get in touch with the software providers for discounts or free version of
their tool.
2. Invest in smart training - use video tutorials available on-line, create a data base of
useful links and smart training plans to save time on training,
3. Find the agent of change, choose initial tools wisely – start small, use tools that are
crucial for your team and help their current work, only then you will be able to
gradually introduce other, more complex tools; find an agent of change internally
before you invest in 3rd party providers,
4. Think outside of the cloud - experiment with the cloud for all departments, simplify
processes and access to your data, open up silos and reward collaboration
5. Do not trust technology… – always back up all the data you store in the cloud, choose
tools providing you with the data backup/download option,
6. …Trust your team and your cause – do not promote the use of the cloud tools for the
sake of it; ensure the new tools and processes make sense and help you reach your
goals faster. Avoid slang - explain the benefits of the cloud to your team in simple terms
and let them drive this shift.
Sylwia Presley
nfpvoice.com
barcampnonprofits.com
sylwiapresley.com
@nfpvoice/@barcampnfp/@presleysylwia
6. Keep Your Feet on the Ground!
• DON’T LET THE TECHNOLOGY LEAD YOU!
Work out what your needs actually are
before looking at solutions.
• GET ADVICE! From those who know about
Cloud AND Non-Cloud systems, to avoid
‘one-eyed’ recommendations.
• INFRASTRUCTURE IS KEY! Any cloud solution
still requires reliable computer hardware,
networks and internet connections.
• FEW CAN PROSPER WITHOUT IT SUPPORT!
Cloud does not change this maxim.
• DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE! There’s a lot of it
about.. buy technology because it works for
you, not because it is attractively marketed.
• UNDERSTAND & COMPARE COSTS!
Seemingly low monthly charges often stack
up over time, or with increased usage.
Account for ‘transition’ costs too.
Morgan Killick, MD of ESP Projects Ltd, IT Consultants to over 100 Charities. Web: www.espprojects.co.uk Twitter: @espprojects
7. A definition I like: “Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network
access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources […] that can be rapidly
provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction”
(in JISC infoNet extracted from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Embracing cloud as part of your organisational strategy: Any charity (of any size) starting today
should think cloud first as a key part of their strategy. Any document, presentation, database
or spreadsheet that you would normally create and keep in a computer can now be done
purely online. And what is more, it can be immediately and securely available to everyone in
your organisation to read, edit, and improve.
Incorporating cloud into your leadership: My work at the Jisc RSC is advisory, but in my role as
Chairman of Breacc (www.breacc.com) I have first-hand experience of leading change
through cloud computing. Google Apps feature highly in the management of our charity. Jisc
Inform Issue 35 gives an idea of how the question of whether to cloud or not to cloud is
approached: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/inform/inform35/Stairway.html
What have you always wanted charity leaders to know about cloud that is relevant and
important to them? Taking staff with you is essential. Investing in cloud requires the
relevant investment in people to ensure your cloud solution delivers.
But like anything: Never under estimate set-up costs and the
importance of risk assessment; know your service level agreements;
fully understand the risks (e.g., where is the data stored? Is the Graciano Soares
company selling you the contract the same delivering the service? Regional Manager
Sometimes, these are done by services based in different countries www.jiscrsc.ac.uk
with their own legal frameworks. JISC RSC London
8. Trust – putting data in the cloud can be seen in the same
way as putting your money into a bank. It is their
job to take better care of it than you can (backing
up). It is true to say that other people may be able
to see it (for administrative purposes) but what is
the likely risk of someone hacking into to your
information?
Collaborations – the cloud can help you share and
collaborate on documents (sometimes in real time).
Funding bids can be quickly circulated and the
current version easily maintained after any changes.
Costs – The cloud can be “free” for small scale use but in IT
you get what you pay for. A functional, supported
and integrated system will cost in terms of money,
staff resource and training to make the best use of
It can require a leap of faith
it.
Lewis Atkinson
Can reduce costs – especially when shrinking (replace
CEO, Community IT Academy server and/or specialist IT support costs).
Pros, cons and risks – Changes to working practice and
policy need to be made in tandem with any changes
to systems (IT included). Proper planning and a
phased migration is as essential in this respect as
with any other business decision. An exit strategy
should also be considered.
9. What you should know about the cloud
17,000 memory sticks are left in dry cleaning every year. Your organisation's data is safer in the cloud than on
hardware, which will eventually get stolen or lost. Leave security to the experts, and focus on your vital work.
Your team is everyone. Platforms like Google Drive and Evernote allow multiple people to edit documents
simultaneously. Collaboration is now the default. Open up your planning, strategy and implementation plans to
anyone with an interest. Let them comment and contribute. You'll be amazed at the results.
Infrastructure is a millstone round your neck. Those noisy servers are expensive to buy, maintain and fix. Rent
file space online instead, using Dropbox or Drive, and leave the maintenance to the experts while you get on with
saving the world.
The cloud can help you deliver your service to millions. Young people have two states - online, and asleep. There
are millions of people, young and old, looking for your help online. Use Google Grants to draw their attention,
buy cheap online chat, message board and other functionality, and give them that help.
Work from the sofa in Switzerland. Storing your CRM on Salesforce and your email, calendar and documents in
Google Apps means everything is accessible on your smartphone, iPad or laptop, anywhere in the world. The
world is your office.
Matt Collins
Digital marketing consultant
@charitychap
www.charitychap.com
10. Agility: Avoid upfront costs of traditional licenses and software -
quick to setup, easy to maintain. Monthly subscriptions mean
you only need to pay for current needs and can scale up and
down accordingly.
The Cloud
Innovation: Many clients on a cloud platform means software
updates and upgrades can share feedback and innovations from
peers
Mobility: Many cloud software services have free apps so employees
can work easily from anywhere on their tablets or mobile
Collaboration: The trend for collaboration between organisations
and locations can better be taken advantage of with tools
hosted on the Internet
Fault Tolerance: Cloud services are built on a distributed
architecture of servers; fault tolerance and redundancy are high
Data Protection: Data hosted in the EU is protected and regulated by
the 2003 EU Electronic Communications Directive, and the EU
directive on Privacy. No different from the UK. If sensitive data is
involved check your compliance requirements - but assess risk
relevant to your use
Security: Hosting should meet and have been accredited ISO9001
and ISO27001 security framework standards. The industry
accepted benchmark and also the security levels required for UK this slide was produced in
Government use of Cloud services the cloud
damien@vinspired.com @b33god
11.
Cloud is just another way of delivering and consuming IT; nothing more. There
is no 'magic' happening here!
Cloud service providers deliver standardised services. If you want it in "green"
and the provider offers it in "blue", either choose another provider or accept you
can't get what you want from a cloud.
Understand where the data is going to be stored and what legislative frameworks
you are subject to
First and foremost, clouds deliver agility. However that agility is only realised if
the business processes change to reflect that increased agility.
Turn it off! If you are not using a service, turn it off or you will continue to be
paying for it!
Don't just think of cloud in terms of IT - the cloud approach (rapid provisioned,
standard service, pay-as-you-go) is extending into many other areas too
John Easton
Distinguished Engineer
UK Cloud Technical Leader leader
11
JKJ@uk.ibm.com
12. Good Connectivity : Better Cloud
•Bandwidth – Without good internet connections, cloud
services can be miserable. Broadband providers make a lot
of phoney claims about performance, so get anecdotal
evidence not only on speed but, equally critically, reliability
•Office365 familiarise yourself - Its hard to avoid Microsoft
and their cloud based version of Office will be widely used.
•Windows 8 – This version of windows is now targeted
firmly at tablet and smart phone users as well as PC to
provide a consistent platform to access cloud services. You
will use it in some form, the only question is when.
•Cloud based backup – Not quite the seamless solution that
was promised. Make sure data is backed up legally ,
Philip Anthony
properly and can be restored! Co-Operative Systems
www.coopsys.net
•Cost per user per day – Many cloud based models are
charged on a subscription basis. Charities usually run on-site 020 7793 0395
kit over seven years. Compare the costs in fine detail.
•You need to be “in it to win it” – Its important to try stuff
out, or risk being left behind.
13. Follow the “Hollywood
Marriage” rule
Nothing lasts forever; assure you can get
your data out and find new tech love
Allen Gunn, Aspiration
14. The Cloud from Both Sides, Now
► Calling it “The Cloud” is misleading
The reality is a densely fragmented patchwork of services, models, credentials
► “The Cloud” offers real benefits, but much remains unresolved
Benefits: New collaboration, Open-ness, availability, efficiency, mobility
Unresolved: Unified online identity for orgs, open standards, control of data
► Most cloud solutions are uniquely unleveraged relationships
Cloud providers hold too many cards; better checks and balances are needed
► Your DATA is your digital power
Putting data in the cloud raises rather than lowers the stakes on protecting it,
If it really matters, keep up-to-date versions locally, along with a Plan B
► Aspiration's cloud fatalism: Follow the “Hollywood Marriage” rule
Nothing lasts forever; assure you can get your data out and find new tech love
Follow “pre-nup” thinking and get in writing the terms of future separation
► “The Cloud” is in diapers
Allen Gunn, Aspiration
Don't trailblaze – model on others' successes gunner@aspirationtech.org
Don't make big bets yet; time will tell & teach Twitter: @aspirationtech
aspirationtech.org/publications/manifesto
This material licensed Creative Commons
Attribution Share Alike 2.5+
15. •Get Strategic with Your Social Media
Don’t just leave your social media engagement to the youngest person in the
office, align it to your business; communications and fundraising strategy and
engage with your online community intelligently, creatively and professionally
•Measure, Measure, Measure
Make use of the free tools to measure and analyse your social media success.
Adapt you Social Media strategy and activity based on measured facts & data
instead of guess work.
•Every Cloud...
There are plenty of lovely no-cost or low-cost cloud tools available that do just
one thing REALLY well. Eventbrite for event management & ticketing, DropBox
for file sharing and storage, Evernote for collaborative note taking, sharing and
storage. Do your research and it will pay off.
•Permission to Play
Trust your staff and give them permission to explore technology tools in order
to experiment, innovate and create solutions that lead to reduced costs and
increased productivity
•Preparation and Planning for Performance
Carry out a full ICT audit of your organisation and use this to help inform where
you need to be heading in terms of future technology. Once you know what
you’ve got and where you want to go you can carry out an ICT Review to help
plan how technology can support your business aims in the future. Josh Hoole
Partner Manager
Communities 2.0
josh.hoole@pavs.org.uk
16. Cloud for smaller groups
• Don't be afraid of it or put up unfounded barriers
• Find support to help you understand and identify the benefits
for your organisation
• Plan and build it into all you do - whether it's a full migration
or implementing a few online tools, it will:
– open up new & exciting ways of working & delivering
services
– allow greater efficiencies & potentially cost savings
– support better communications & collaboration
– help you extend your reach & demonstrate your impact
• It is already here and is your future!
Kate White - Superhighways - 020 8255 8040 - Katewhite@superhighways.org.uk
18. • Investigate – Before you adopt anything or sign up with a cloud
Chad Calimpong is
computing provider, you need to make sure that you have taken the
Marketing Director -
time necessary to thoroughly explore your options. Educate yourself and Global Online Search at
your staff on what the cloud has to offer and what you hope to Dell
accomplish with it. Will the cloud help you accomplish specific business
outcomes? Are these objectives reasonable? As a part of this process,
you should lay out a tentative timeline for when you hope to move into
each cloud stage.
Experiment – The idea behind
this step is that you probably
shouldn’t move all your
resources to the cloud at once.
Test the cloud in limited ways—
see how the technology works
for you in the context of your
business processes and make
plans to adjust if necessary. Stay Adopt – Now that you are sure that the cloud will work for
in this step for as long as it takes your business, you are ready to widen your use of this
for you to feel confident enough technology. Begin shifting resources to the cloud in an
to move forward to full organized manner. Be sure to assess after each transition to
implementation. make sure you are still on track. You may want to consider
other ways that the cloud can help your business grow and
create new opportunities.
19. Data in the cloud: The cloud can change the way your organisation uses its data to
collaboration and exploration understand itself and collaborate with other organisations
• Easy - Keeping your data in the cloud means you can share
reports and crucial information with your partners in real
Sarah Parker, Managing Director time.
Lamplight Database Systems
Limited www.lamplightdb.co.uk • Efficient - The cloud means that there doesn't need to be
@lamplightdb
the "data entry person". Everyone you need to can enter
and access data in the system making it faster, more
accurate and more useful.
• Secure - Instead of sending important or sensitive
information by email, post or using USB keys you can
selectively share data securely with your partners.
• Open - The cloud makes it easier to open your data up, not
only to partners but to funders, donors, researchers and
data analysts who can use it to tell you more about how
your organisation is working and where you are placed
within the sector.
• Insightful - Data in the cloud means you can make use of the
Open Data already out there, pulling in insights and
information others have compiled directly and building on
what you do.
• Profitable - The improvements in efficiency, insight and
transparency that the cloud enables will strengthen your
funding proposals and reports to stakeholders.
20. Relationship Management (CRM) in the Cloud
Relationship Management (CRM) in the Cloud
The Costly Issue of User Adoption
The Costly Issue of User Adoption
Top-Down Approach. Successful implementations are led or sponsored by senior members of
the organisation and it helps when management explain why and how new systems will be
introduced.
Culture Change. Preparation via Change Management Processes are crucial as
technological changes can impact any aspect of an organisation; from
strategy and operations to staff morale and constituent engagement.
Training! Training! Training! Consider on-going allocation of time and resources for staff
at all levels (the top-level training a manager may receive will vary significantly
from that of an IT analyst or a marketing executive). Factors like IT skills (strengths and
weaknesses), whether any generational gaps or accessibility issues exist should be included
in the implementation plan. In-house user groups and developing specialist knowledge
centres amongst staff goes a long way to maximising adoption at low cost.
Keep it Simple & Phase IT. Complicated designs are often unnecessary when first
implementing your CRM and can hinder user adoption. Don’t try to do it all at once; prioritise the
organisation’s greatest pain point. Promote successes across the organisation to increase buy-
in.
Stony Grunow, CEO Stony@thirdsectorit.org
21. Cloud: What Every Charity Leader Should Know
Highlights of significant trends
• Reducing costs for IT infrastructure (hardware & software) by adopting cloud
services
• Using virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) for safer and secure access to files and
sharing company data with mobile/remote workers
Important facts to know about Cloud Services
• Research your cloud options, ensure they meet your business requirements (i.e.,
software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), infrastructure as a service
(IaaS), private clouds, public clouds, hybrid clouds, community clouds)
• Know what type of cloud services and applications are right for your organisation
(i.e., business productivity, data storage and backup, security, email, CRM, helpdesk,
consultancy, managed services)
• Source or have the right skills and expertise to manage your cloud service providers
relationship and cloud migration projects
• Know what is the best service model for your organisation and ensure service
providers has service level agreements to meet your organisations needs (i.e., staff
training and support, compliance level agreements, security, privacy and backup
policies)
Paulette Elliott, Managing Director
Huduma Limited : www.huduma.co.uk
22. Its reducing our costs and our IT
headaches…….
Polly Gowers OBE, CEO and Founder
Every Click
23. •Why we are moving Give as you Live, which is
growing @ 15% a month, to the cloud:
•The cloud will scale with us
•Its reducing our costs and our IT headaches
•Its increasing collaboration amongst our team
leading to greater productivity
•Our growing team can “be in the office” from
any location
•Its enabling us to dramatically increase our BI
Polly Gowers OBE
CEO and Founder
capabilities
polly@everyclick.com
Direct Line: +44 (0) 1386 •Its safe, secure and provides full disaster
764930
Mobile: +44 (0) 7778 956 734 recovery facilities
Fax: +44 (0) 870 005 5055
•AND there is no capital expenditure
24. What charity leaders need to know about
Cloud services - but didn’t dare ask
• Be clear about business outcomes – is your driver cost reduction or the
ability to be more agile and responsive?
• Total cost of your cloud solution may not be cheaper in the long run-
actually its moving from capital to operational expenditure.
• Identify key business processes suitable for outsourcing to the Cloud –
email/calendar, databases, accounts, shared files and documents.
• Due diligence – who’s doing the hosting, how big is the company, what disaster
recovery do they have? And what’s their liability if it goes wrong?
• Data Protection – not necessarily a deal-breaker, but try to look for UK/EU
hosts - privacy rules are more stringent than in the USA.
• Sort the “kids from the adults” – even well known cloud services like
Microsoft 365 are in their relative infancy.
• The Cloud is not a Panacea, you will still need product support and
maintenance.
Miles Maier – Lasa – mmaier@lasa.org.uk @lasaict
25. Leave your assumptions at the door
• Cloud technology is relatively new jargon in the charity sector. Don’t be afraid to research, ask
experts, question and challenge so that you really understand the term and can make
recommendations and decisions from an informed perspective.
• Put all your assumptions aside about ‘how things are usually done around here’. The way we
work is changing, we can work from anywhere across a range of devices. We don’t have to work
from the office any more. Communication and project management tools, for example Google
docs, Skype and Basecamp allow your staff the flexibility to work from anywhere.
• The world is constantly changing your solution for today may not be fit for tomorrow. Cloud
technology is often free, quick and flexible. You can try something to see if it works, and if it
doesn’t you can try something different. It is often open source so many developers are working to
make constant improvements. They do the upgrade so you don’t have to.
• Fundraising is about building relationships. Using cloud technology can connect supporter
networks to your cause and show them the difference they are making. Networks between
different communities can develop via social media sites that share information, conversations,
images and videos, which strengthen relationships and brings networks together.
• Innovation is about working in collaboration, and is often described as ‘connections put together
in a new way’. Cloud technology facilitates many people working on projects together. I’ve
developed and presented a Prezi presentation with someone on the other side of the world.
Without cloud technology that wouldn’t have been possible.
Lucy Gower - @lucyinnovation - E: lucy@lucyinnovation.co.uk - T: 07919 173 042 - Skype: lucy.gower3
27. • 70% of organisations have some form of cloud
computing - a trend set to continue
• Cloud computing and in particular hosted virtual
Cloud
desktops supports remote and flexible workers,
Computing is
improves IT performance, reduces operating costs
the Future
and provides a platform for growth and innovation
• Opting for a privately managed cloud computing
service can be more secure than the previous local
Richard Butcher
WorkPlaceLive
server set-up.
www.WorkPlaceLive.com • Charities including London WorkBased Learning
Alliance, Oakleaf, Catch 22 and others have shown
it’s possible to cut costs by 30% by moving to the
cloud.
28. Cloud Gazing for Leaders...
Sian Basker, Technology Strategy and Research Consultant
sian.basker@virgin.net
29. CTT: What every charity leader
should know about cloud
• Forget the word ‘cloud’, every supplier has one. Look at the service
provided and evaluate it against what you need as an organisation.
• Cloud technologies can increase your organisation’s reach,
effectiveness and flexibility very rapidly. CTT can operate without
having an office so we are still effective in the snow, during the
Olympics or when there are riots outside our front door.
• Cloud services can give you access to some of the most powerful
technology available. But you still need the right skills to make it
deliver effectively for your organisation.
• Evaluate security carefully. But remember, the big suppliers
probably have more people working on this than you have in your
whole organisation.
Richard Cooper is CTT’s Director of Programmes and has worked in IT for
over 25 years. He is currently focused on helping not-for-profit
organisations access and exploit technology to further their missions.
30. We’d love to hear what
you think.
•We’re inviting anyone in the sector who’d like to get involved in this issue to
contribute.
•What have you always wanted charity CEOs to know about cloud? How can
charity trustees, directors and funders embrace cloud in their thinking around
organisational strategies? And how should charity leaders incorporate cloud
into their leadership?
•Tweet @lasaict with your thoughts using the hashtag #lasacloud
31. Thank you to all of our
brilliant contributors.
•This report was compiled by Sarah Lord Soares.
•For specific information on the knowledgebase
•www.ictknowledgebase.org.uk/internetbasedsoftware
•To find out more about the ways in which Lasa could help you and your
organisation please see www.lasa.org.uk.
• For Lasa’s technology services see http://www.lasa.org.uk/ict/
•All images have been credited where possible. If a photo to which you own the
rights has been used and not credited, please contact us.
•Thank you to Charity Comms and Zoe Amar who inspired this report with their
previous initiatives.
