MiramarMike.co.nz blog

RELEASED: New Zealand Cloud Computing Code of Practice

2012-05-30T11:33:00.000+12:00

It's been released today at the Cloud Summit conference in Auckland.

Who's it aimed at - "... businesses who offer remotely hosted IT services of any type, either to New Zealand or within New Zealand.". A perfect example would be Xero.

If this is you OR you are a customer of such a New Zealand service then check out v1.0 of the code:

(BTW: isn't embedding the PDF into this page nice - that's the original as embedded using the Google Docs Viewer)

The Cloud Gives Back That I.T. Buzz

2012-05-28T11:29:00.000+12:00

It's not easy being that guy (and it still is likely to be a guy) that has worked in IT for the past 20 years, transitioned the organisation into the PC world, built up a complex infrastructure and finally had people accept that you were right about these "PC things" (around the time Windows XP entered our lives).

It's not easy for so many different reasons including, "Now it all hangs together no-one bothers saying thanks any more", to, "You want to plug what into my network?" It can all be quite wearing and to top it off you now hear that your organisation wants to dump it all and give it to Google!

"So, now what do I do?"
At this point you have 3 options:

Move on to pastures new
Fight them every step of the way
Remember why you got into the job in the first place

Maybe it is time to take your extensive business experience and apply it outside of the pure IT world view - how about business strategy, change management, or any number of disciplines that would use your skills, knowledge and approach.

Fighting the business, all the staff and the wider wave of cloud computing crashing down upon all businesses is, let's be honest, quite a tough road to travel and, in my experience, has never been a career-forwarding option.

But you don't have to give it all up, heck why should you, this is your career we're talking about! Cast your mind back to when you career started, can you remember what it felt like back in the day? There was the 'wow' factor of the graphical interface, the first tentative uses of a mouse, and even email was simply amazing. All these made people smile and had them talking - you were da man.

Who remembers what it was like to go to gigs back in the day? Mates, music and that energetic buzz of being there. Over time the bands of your youth moved from local gigs to stadium tours, then to being the the CDs of your flat which became the iTunes collections of your house and eventually the nostalgic radio plays of your home. And now, when those bands tour, it's the same music but everyone is sat down and politely claps. What's changed ... you!

Of course you could remember why it was that you went to see bands in the first place and then go and see new bands. "What, new bands - but they're not as good as [fill in the band you grew up with here]?" Yes they are as I can testify having been recently unexpectedly blown away by Alabama 3 who totally revived my gig-going buzz.

Your music, new buzz
Imagine that the music is what people want to do (the "features") and the bands are the delivery method ("PC", "cloud" ...) then some of the tunes are old ones but with a modern twist (Gmail = email), some take a classic and remixed it with others (Docs = word processing + chat + email + concurrent editing) and some are new, yet obvious, we struggle to wonder where we've heard before (access on any device).

Your old bands are grand, they still do their thing but the new bands play differently and have an energy of youth. The cloud is your new band, it delivers that buzz again, and it's all there for you if you want - let's rock out together.

(written by the oldest Cloud Sherpa who is constantly scaring the young 'uns with the buzz the cloud gives him)

See ALL Your Unread Gmail With One Click

2012-04-13T12:26:00.000+12:00

Post is actually on Google Plus:

The context is that you're receiving emails, some go into your InBox and some are auto-labelled and skip the InBox. You log in to your Gmail (using a web browser, this stuff isn't aimed at any other way) and you just want to see all your unread emails in one go, with one click.

...

Read it all >>>

Keeping An Eye On Your Own Google Account Activity

2012-03-29T16:36:00.000+13:00

It's all very well Google giving us access to "everything" they know about us in our own Google Dashboard but who really remembers to visit and check?

And with so many services being tied back to your account there is the very real risk of having a single point of failure - someone gets into your Google Account and they can run riot through all those other services hanging off it. Oh, and you're more likely to have your password stolen off you by someone looking over your shoulder than black hat hackers targeting your account.

Right, to keep your Google Account secure you first you need to have a smart password AND turn on 2-step verification - yes, I mean it, go on, turn on 2-step verification as it's the simplest way of upping your security level from smokey white to flashing red, from security level Bunnykins to Death Dragon. Do it now.

But once you've done that you can't just sit back and pray to the Internet goddesses that nothing bad will happen to you, oh no. It's a constant vigil. And that is, to be perfectly honest with you, a complete pain in the ass with little pay back UNTIL something goes wrong and then you're too fucking angry to think straight.

Fear not my young paduans, the might Googlers have come up with a half-way house that takes away a little of the pain - Google Account Activity.

This serves you in two ways:

"What's been going on in my account?"
"Wow, I never knew I emailed that many people a day, let me Tweet that!"

Whilst option 2 seems to have been the noisest option so far it is option 1 that will serve you the most.

What do you do

Sign in to your account (Gmail or Google Apps)
Go to the Account Activity page: https://www.google.com/settings/activity
Activate it. Definitely tick the "Send me a regular report"!!!

And that's it ... all you need to do now is read the bloody email Google sends you!

And all I have to do is work out how I managed to sign in from India

Reference Links:

Google Account Activity: https://www.google.com/settings/activity
Google Dashboard: https://www.google.com/dashboard/
Tips on keeping your Google Account secure
http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=46526
Setting a smart password
http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=32040
2-step verification
https://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?answer=180744

No, I Don't Want To Change!

2012-03-22T00:02:00.000+13:00

"Using the Google solution meant we would lose our strategic investment in a Microsoft infrastructure." - Alison Ross, Head of Service Support, Trader Media Group

This comment is quite remarkable - no, I won't change even if it serves the business better because I (the IT person) have paid for hardware and insist on using it - "Don't you try and make me look bad now!"

How about this:

"Features are added continuously, and in our organisation we prefer to control our releases. I wasn’t pleased that new functionality could pop up tomorrow, and our helpdesk wouldn’t be prepared to help with problems. That would compromise the high level of service we give our internal customers." - Alison Ross, Head of Service Support, Trader Media Group

Turn on Scheduled Release, it is that simple: http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/new-google-apps-feature-release-process.html (note the blog post date, is this an old comment and Microsoft are leaving it up for nefarious reasons?) BUT, more importantly, it belies attitude of, "I don't want YOU having access to innovation without MY control" says the IT dude to his own business, wonder how that conversation would go with your organisation?

... MORE on my original Google Plus posting >>

Which brings me to an interesting side point - should I blog here or post on G+ - thoughts?

Webstock 2013: Who Would You Like To See [Updated]

2012-02-17T09:55:00.000+13:00

There's no harm in asking and providing the Webstock team some ammo when they approach people to talk. Also remember the 2013 might be a pivotal year for Webstock if these tweet from Russell (@publicaddress) is anything to go by:

Seems Wellington Town Hall will be available for #webstock 2013, but not for two years after. To be closed mid-2013 for #eqnz strengthening.

Having said that, this from @Webstock:

We know, we know… We've just finished Webstock '12. Announcing: Webstock '13 will be on 11-15 February next year!! #nosleeptillthen

Anyway, have your say remembering that this is merely a whisper in the dark and no-one from Webstock has to take any notice whatsoever ... unless we are legion :-)

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

The Mike Options in more detail

Gina Trapani

I listen to Gina on the TWiG podcast and she always says what I'm thinking!
http://ginatrapani.org/

I'm Gina Trapani. I build apps and other tools which make digital life easier.

I lead development and community around ThinkUp, an open source social media analytics webapp. I also created and lead development of Todo.txt apps, open source tools for text-based task management. I co-host This Week in Google, a weekly web show that covers the latest news about Google and other cloud services. Back in the day, I foundedLifehacker and authored four tech books. I also blog at Smarterware and tweet at @ginatrapani.

I live in sunny San Diego, California, by way of Brooklyn, New York. Some nice strangers wrote a Wikipedia page about me.

Here's my formal, complete bio. You can send me an email, but be forewarned: most days I receive more messages than I can respond to. Thanks for understanding.

Stephen Fry

Saying it how it is since for ever
http://www.stephenfry.com/

Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter, film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club.

Leo Laporte

Runs the TWiT network and knows his stuff - might want to 'comment upon' as opposed to 'talk at' but it would be grand to have him along in some capacity.
http://leoville.com/

My name is Leo Laporte. I am a US-based journalist specializing in technology coverage on radio, TV, and the Internet. This site is home to my blog and contains information about everything I publish, but I also have several other web sites you might be interested in.

You'll find notes for my nationally syndicated radio talk show at The Tech Guy Labs. When I do guest appearances on other folks shows I often post links and notes in the Blog→Appearances section here.

I also host and produce the most popular technology shows on the Internet. You can find them all at TWiT® or subscribe on iTunes. And now, watch live atTWiT Live or listen live at TWiT.am (Icecast-compatible player required).

I blog semi-regularly right here and post regular short updates on Twitter,Facebook, and Google Plus.

Get my full profile, including links to my other sites, on my Google Profile. For information on advertising visit this page. PR professionals, please visit my PR info page before pitching me.

Kevin Marks

I only know Kevin Marks from TWiG (alright, I want them all from TWiG) but I am constantly impressed by how he can distill (deep) technical information, user experience and future trends into succint phrases that always resonate.
http://kevinmarks.com/

Kevin Marks is author of the weblog Epeus Epigone. He was Vice President of Web Services at BT.[1] He became Principal Engineer for Technorati after working for both Apple and the BBC. At the TechCrunch event Realtime Stream Crunchup he announced that he would be joining BT to work together with JP Rangaswami. In May 2011 he began working at Salesforce.com. He is one of the founders of Microformats.

Another Google Certification To Add To The List

2012-02-15T13:41:00.000+13:00

To be honest Google only have two certifications and after becoming a Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialist this completes the list :-)

Webstock 2012, Your Shared / Collaborative Note Taking [Updated]

2012-02-14T13:18:00.001+13:00

Last year WaveAdept (now a part of Cloud Sherpas), the company I co-founded to bring cloud computing and "make IT invisible", gave to all Webstock attendees a set of open/editable Google Docs with a simple index site allowing us to share our note taking - it was a roaring success.

This year I'm not attending and felt doing something similar would be somehow be "rude", and so I asked on Twitter:

Would it be rude to pop up a @webstock set of Google Docs (like last year) for collaborative session not taking when I'm not going?

The overwhelming response was, "No, get on with it you fool!"

Here it is: http://webstock2012.miramarmike.co.nz/

[Update]
Question: Is this just for the 2-day full conference?
Answer: Yes

My reasoning: the practical "how to" workshops are the product of many hours preparation for which the attendees have paid hard earned money in order for Webstock to recompense the facilitators and I do not believe sharing full and comprehensive notes for such workshops is fair. Ah, but that's just the same for the presentations which are given during the conference .. yeah, but nah. The presentations are normally more "inspirational" / "generic" and, to be honest, to get the most out of them you HAVE to be there and the notes aren't gonna give you more than a hint at the true content - remember, these are notes taken by attendees and meant for those at the conference.
Look, it's a grey line and I'm sure / hope Mike, Tash or Ben will let me know if it's harming the conference in anyway.

The "Cloud", It Just Makes Your Life Easier

2012-02-08T10:53:00.000+13:00

I've just been through a report, Customer Perspectives on the Real Benefits Delivered by Google Apps, from Google outlining why their/our* customers have moved to the "cloud" (in this case Google Apps) and the benefits therein. And, of course, there's a lot of "Google is awesome" in the report and no, "We tried but it didn't work for us", but what do you expect.

* [Disclaimer] I work for Cloud Sherpas and Google recently named Cloud Sherpas their number one enterprise partner.

My overwhelming thought as I read the client comments is that using the "cloud" (subscribed services and your data delivered to you via any web browser/device) has, at it's most basic level, made life easier. The hurdles normal people doing their every day-to-day jobs are going away. Technology is becoming a silent partner that just works - a cause I put my money behind with the old WaveAdept tag line of, "Making IT invisible".

Here's an example from Mark Thiessen, Staff Photographer at National Geographic Society:

".. a constantly evolving single document that we can all update in real-time from any location in the world, with any
device (laptop, notebook or desktop computer, smartphone or tablet). Gone are the days of emailing around the latest version of a coverage plan document only to have everyone ‘add a little something,’ creating a headache for all of us. Google Docs has made this inefficient circle of version confusion disappear forever.”

It's not that Mark Thiessen is doing anything different in his actual job (ie, what National Geographic Society pay him to do) but that his ability to get on and do it has simply got easier. He can now concentrate on the actual job and less about the admin, the logistics, the "computer stuff".

Some people have called this the 'Apple-isation' of computing with Apple's seemingly laser like focus upon usability and drive to illicit the response "it just works". Apple have certainly reframed the interface and the usability of apps but I am of the view that it came from such a low level that merely having things work would've made them seem like gods (if you've worked in any company for more than 5 years you'll know what I'm talking about, SAP anyone?) - remember this from 2008

But yeah, Apple's iOS has/is certainly raising the bar on the interface BUT it's not been Apple that's made it easy to work together (iCloud will go the way of Ping and stay firmly in the hands of the "I will only use Apple product" crowd). The removing of all that previous work crap has come from the Web companies - Google, Alfresco, Zoho and the like - these are the companies working towards removing the barriers of working together and, like words, we ALWAYS work together.

What saddens me is that there are still a large proportion of Kiwi IT workers that sit in the old world and are rolling out the same old same old barriers to take-up - I see them as deliberately standing in the way of letting real people getting on with their work and they should be held accountable for doing so.

The "cloud", it just makes your life easier ...

... working together
... wherever you are
... using whatever device you want
... on the move

And those fine folk at Webstock know why your life should be easier ...

(picture from Nathan's, @Webstock 2011, YOU ARE F***ING AWESOME!!!)

What The Privacy Commisioner Thinks Kiwi's Should Ask When Moving To The Cloud

2012-02-02T11:25:00.001+13:00

For some time now the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner has had a draft "The User’s Guide To Privacy and Cloud Computing" set of guidelines that she/they would like your input on.

Here's how:

Read the document (below or open in a new window)
Email thoughts to simon.rae@privacy.org.nz
Deadline: 14th February, 2012

And if you'd like toget more involved in the New Zealand "cloud" arena I highly recommend the NZ Cloud Computing Code Of Practice:

The NZ Cloud Code Initiative is supported by many of New Zealand’s most prominent cloud providers as well as international cloud leaders such as Google and Microsoft.
Financial contributors to the project include Xero, Gen-I, Equinox, OneNet, Webdrive, Google, Salesforce.com, InternetNZ, NZRise, EOSS Online Ltd, Systems Advisory Services and NZCS.

Draft "The User’s Guide To Privacy and Cloud Computing"

What is Cloud Computing?

2011-11-23T09:33:00.001+13:00

A nice wee video from Kiwi Ben Kepes as he explains cloud computing.

* Ben works with Rackspace, a place to join/make the cloud, and is the driving force behind their Cloud University

Google Atmosphere 2011 - Live Streaming

2011-11-15T13:44:00.001+13:00

The annual Google CIO conference, Atmoshpere 2011, is currently running in Mountain View (US of A):

This annual event unites 350 of the world’s leading CIOs to explore how successful businesses are using the cloud to develop innovative solutions to today’s business challenges. As with previous events, the focus will include thought leadership from noteworthy speakers and lively debates with business leaders, well-known authors and industry experts.

As technology and business leaders, we are experiencing a fundamental shift in the way technology enables people to work together and focus on what’s important. We’ll discuss and debate some of the choices you, as leaders in your organizations, are faced with as a result of these changes. Possibly most important of these are the tools that you provide your users to enable them to work together more seamlessly, and in more ways than ever before.

After a casual reception on Sunday night, we will kick off the main program on Monday by hearing from Amit Singh, Vice President of Google Enterprise. Throughout the day, you will gain insight into how Google’s enterprise products are evolving and our plans for the future, interact with Google’s executive team and have ample networking opportunities with peers.

This is a chance to learn what Google is doing in the enterprise space and make an informed decision about your IT strategy. As the business leaders responsible for these decisions and the innovations you bring to your organization, we hope that you will join us to participate in this forum.

Also check out the Google Enterprise annoucements coming out of the event:

The 3 C’s – Communication, Consultation and Collaboration

2011-09-27T15:21:00.001+13:00

[this is an old WaveAdept post archived here]

You've got the technology (be it Google Apps, SharePoint or whatever) and your IT people have integrated it, patched it, set you up and handed it over... now what? Well, for a start, sit back and congratulate yourself that your organisation is:

Saving costs (NZ$2million per year for NZ Post with their Google Apps roll-out, and they've just started)
Freed up your IT staff to concentrate on your company's particular 'secret sauce'
No longer have to wait to benefit from the latest features
Instantly given access 'anywhere, any time and (almost) any device'

Really, celebrate that you have switched from old to new. But once the party is over you're going to have to get back to work getting the true benefits from your new toolset. And before you dive into the full on, "let's all collaborate, be open with everything and change the world" maybe planning out some interim steps to world domination would be a good idea. And, by the way, this is where we at WaveAdept can help - we've done, we've learnt and we're adept (sic) at it - contact us. First, we must recognise that 'collaboration' does not replace everything that has gone before it. In fact, collaboration is not a behaviour that fits all circumstances and certainly doesn't overcome all evils perceived within your organisation - how many times have you heard, "We're not open enough, we must become a collaborative organisation now!"? Too many times I would warrant.

Communication

Wikipedia tells us:

Communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another. Communication processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents which share a repertoire of signs and semiotic rules.

Ok, let's change 'entity'/'agent' to person, because that's where we focus our time. In essence, it's taking information out of one head and trying to get it into another. There is no talk of working towards a common goal, allowing for interaction or even ensuring that the information is used in any intended way, but of course all 'good' communication has elements of these underlying goals. A great way to differentiate communication from consultation and collaboration is to think what happens when there is an emergency - say a fire in your office. Great communication from the fire wardens is vital in ensuring the safety of all, but it's certainly not the time to consult or collaborate on what to do next - I do not want to hear, "So, we have a fire on the second floor and we have multiple options on getting out so I thought I'd take a vote on what we should all do next" (collaboration). No. What I want to hear is, "There is a fire on the second floor, will everyone immediately walk to the fire exit [pointing to it] and congregate outside by the dairy!" In a workplace there are many times when direct, clear and targeted communication is approporiate:

The CEO has a message about the latest press announcement
A new client has been brought onboard
The staff canteen has a Friday special

The qualities of good communication are:

Available
Timely
Relevant

We will be delving deeper into these three items in a future post.

Consultation

Google "define consultation" supplies us with:

a conference between two or more people to consider a particular question; "frequent consultations with his lawyer"; "a consultation of several medical specialists"

The most immediate difference between communication and consultation is that there is more than one active party working in unison to a common goal. There is, however, nothing equitable about the parties and with all consultations there will be two general groupings - the leader/consultant/'owner' and everyone else. A great example from the the web definition clearly highlights this inequality; the 'consultation with the lawyer'. Consultation is also the traditional means by which the NZ Government engages interested parties in policy making (check out what they want you to have your say upon). In both cases the arbiter of the final outcome 'owns' the consultation, and whilst all of the interested parties can be active in the process, they have no right to determine the consultation outcome. In effect the 'owner' asks, "What do you think of Policy X"? Everyone being consulted provides their view. "Policy X is flawed." "Policy X should not been implemented." "If Policy X is enacted we're all leaving." The "owner" can then take all that input and still implement 'Policy X'. They have truly consulted, but it is still their final decision on future actions. Do not assume that we are saying consultation is bad, because it certainly has its place in the office (a classic being 'organisational restructures'). However, what we find is that it is either misleadingly labelled 'collaboration' or has been misunderstood by the consulting parites that they are being 'collaborated with' and are equal in the process.

Collaboration

And finally we have collaboration, which I define as:

All parties work together and building consensus to reach a decision or create a product, the result of which benefits all parties

Base collaboration comprises 3 pillars:

Good information
Clear communication
Active connections

If you don’t have the information then WHAT are you going to collaborate about? If you struggle communicating then HOW are you going to collaborate? And if you can’t connect the players (be that people, resources or ideas) then you’re going to struggle collaborating. We have already written extensively on the '3 Pillars Of Collaboration' and urge you to read more...

The three C's working together

What we're endeavouring to get across (let us know if we need to explain more) is that communication, consultation and collaboration are valid but distinct behaviours and knowing when to use which in different circumstances will serve you well. In any particular business activity you will likely use a combination of all three; take, for example, the common business process of restructuring the organisation which may involve the following:

Communication from the prime mover to the stakeholders
Collaboration around future state
Communication of intention
Consultation of intended changes and impacts
Communication of final structure
Collaboration on process re-engineering

This is intended to be an example to show how all 3 C's can be employed within one business process. Communication, consultation and collaboration are not business processes within themselves, but behaviours to be employed by organisations as and when required.

More C's

Note: we have chosen to use these particular 3 C's for this post as they are in common use in organisations, often misunderstood and frequently interchangeable without understanding the consequences. At WaveAdept we often refer to a slightly different set of "C's" which, in order of inclusiveness and active participation, determine 'how' a collaboration tool sits amongst other tools - of course the lines between them are blurred:

Collaboration
Consultation
Cooperation
Coordination

Stop Collaborating Like it's 1999 [Video]

2011-09-23T14:25:00.000+12:00

Yes it's a sales pitch from Google and my company, Cloud Sherpas, but it has a lot of interesting nuggets inside that can be applied to any collaboration tools.

BUT, let's not beat about the bush - this is foremost an excellent overview of collaboration using Google Apps.

Oh, and there's nothing I can do about the accents ... well, maybe a localised version sometime soon eh!

Top 10 Ten Questions Kiwis Ask Me About Google Apps

2011-08-17T17:08:00.001+12:00

Note: this post was orginally a set of pages on the old WaveAdept site. All WaveAdept links now point to the equivalent Cloud Sherpas page and out of date information has been removed

Moving to the cloud, be it Google Apps or any other service, raises valid questions for all businesses that need resolving to everyone's satisfaction and, in my many years of bringing Google Apps to businesses, I have realised the New Zealand business of all sizes have very similar questions, namely:

Privacy - Will anyone in Google be able to see/use my company information?
Security - Who knows how secure the servers are, and what about the data travelling across the public Internet?
NZ Internet link - We have only one link out of NZ and what if it gets bombed by Al-Qaeda?
Change - Why bother changing, we can do everything on our own machines which we've paid good money for?
Functionality - If it just doesn't have all the features of Microsoft Word it can't be that good. no?
Get out - How do we get out of Google once we've given all our data to them?
Patriot Act - Just because Google says it "won't do evil" with our data doesn't mean the US Government won't force it to with the Patriot Act!
Bleeding edge - It sounds good but we're not a company to use the new "cool" stuff just for the sake of it, we've got a business to run!
Integration - We have many internal systems we've written that rely on email, how on earth can Gmail support them?
Support - Google doesn't even have an office here in NZ, what happens when I can't get to my email?

1: Privacy
Will anyone in Google be able to see/use my company information?

The short answer is No!

To put it simply, Google does not own your data. They do not take a position on whether the data belongs to the institution signing up for Apps, or the individual user (that's between the two of you), but they know it doesn't belong to them!

The data which you put into Google Apps is yours, and they believe it should stay that way. They think that means three key things.

They won't share your data with others except as noted in their Privacy Policy.
They keep your data as long as you require them to keep it.
Finally, you should be able to take your data with you if you choose to use external services in conjunction with Google Apps or stop using their services altogether.

Further reading

2: Security
Who knows how secure the servers are, and what about the data travelling across the public Internet?

Google operates one of the most robust networks of distributed data centers in the world. The protection of the data and intellectual property on these servers is their top priority, with extensive resources dedicated to maintaining data security. Protected around the clock and monitored by a dedicated security team, their facilities are held to extremely high standards of scrutiny every moment of the day.

In a nutshell they can provide a level of data security far exceeding the vast majority of business.

Your data will be stored in Google's network of data centers. Google maintains a number of geographically distributed data centers, the locations of which are kept discreet for security purposes. Google's computing clusters are designed with resiliency and redundancy in mind, eliminating any single point of failure and minimising the impact of common equipment failures and environmental risks.

Access to data centers is very limited to only authorised select Google employees personnel.

All Google Apps services provide the ability to access all data using encryption and customers can choose to require this option for their users. This helps ensure that no one except the user has access to his or her data. This is true for access to our mail, calendar, video, and chat data via our web applications. The mobile email client also uses encrypted access to ensure the privacy of communications. They also require encryption for access to your mail data by third party clients.

Read more

3: NZ Internet link
We have only one link out of NZ and what if it gets bombed by Al-Qaeda?

We’ve really been asked this and, joking aside, it is a valid question about the apparent reliance of all cloud services to be permanently connected to the Internet. The rapid move to HTML5 by all major web browsers will deliver off-line access to Google Apps and most online services (Facebook, TradeMe etc).

HTML5 is an exciting development in the Web delivering richer applications without the need to install anything onto the browser. HTML5 also standardises "off line" access across all modern browsers enabling Google Apps to deliver the full breadth of services to all modern environments without the need for plugins/extensions.

You currently are able to access your Google Apps email and calendar by using any modern office client such as Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird or via your mobile devices such as iPhone, Windows Mobile and Android.

More reading

4: Change
Why bother changing, we can do everything on our own machines which we've paid good money for?

Indeed if you can truly operate at the scale, openness, accessibility and at the rate of innovation of Google then we see no reason to move to the cheaper services provided. If, however, you are in the same boat as most business and are looking to both streamline your costs AND provide a greater flexibility to your business then Google Apps should always be on your "must review" list.

The first step in focussing on your business is to recognise what you don't do - you are unlikely to be in the business of generating electricity, running water, providing email services or hosting collaboration spaces for both yourself and anyone else you need to work with. If that is the case then you should stop tying up staff, costs and brain energy on these activities and recognise that they are commodities that you can "buy in".

With the full Google Apps service suite you can now free yourself up to concentrate fully on the "secret sauce" of your business.

Contact me to talk about how you can both remove costs AND transform your company - it's what I do with Cloud Sherpas!

More reading

Google: See what you could save with Google Apps for messaging
Google Enterprise blog: Upgrade here (for those thinking about Office 2010)
Google Apps redefining office productivity and RT collaboration

5: Functionality
If it just doesn't have all the features of Microsoft Word it can't be that good. no?

The short answer is No!

There is, however, a large difference between the approaches of traditional office application vendors (Microsoft for instance) and Google. In a nutshell Google Apps is “designed for the teams of tomorrow, not the office workers of today” [more].

Of course everyone needs to be "taken on the journey" and so there is a great deal of familiarity with the services provided with the "20% that everyone needs to do" fully catered for across all the Google Apps services. The services can be used to work as your teams work now, in "bubbles at a desk" but are designed from the very start to be used collaboratively and have effectively removed the traditional technical barriers to sharing and working together and is these that breath live into stale work environments.

Contact Cloud Sherpas and let us show you the power of the "Share" button ...

More reading

6: Get out
How do we get out of Google once we've given all our data to them?

To put it simply, Google does not own your data and as such are constantly working towards making it a "one-click exit" for you to get back all your data in a common format that you can then import into other services.

If you've decided to use another solution for your organisation's email, calendars, documents, and sites, don't forget to migrate your data to your new solution before deleting your Google Apps account.
Here's a list a data transfer options available for Google Apps:

Email: Gmail accounts offer an option to download all mail to your computer via POP or IMAP access with a local desktop client, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.
Contacts: Each email account allows users to export the contacts list in a CSV or vCard format.
Calendar: Google Calendar offers the ability to download an iCal file to your desktop (limited to calendars that are publicly shared), or you can visit http://www.google.com/calendar/hosted/yourdomain/exporticalzip (Make sure to replace your domain with your actual domain name) to download all calendars in your 'My Calendars' list.
Docs: Google Docs lets you save your documents, spreadsheets and presentations to your hard drive in various formats.
Sites: The Google Sites Data API allows client applications to access, import, export and modify content within a Google Site.

Additionally, some advanced options include Google Data APIs for Calendar, Contacts, Docs, and Spreadsheets.

Google aims to make it easy for our users to transfer their personal data in and out of Google's services, by building simple import and export functions.

Read more

7: Patriot Act
Just because Google says it "won't do evil" with our data doesn't mean the US Government won't force it to with the Patriot Act!

Google complies with valid legal process. It is Google’s policy to notify users before turning over their data whenever possible and legally permissible.

If you have offices based in Europe you should also know that Google adheres to the U.S. Safe Harbor Privacy Principles of Notice, Choice, Onward Transfer, Security, Data Integrity, Access and Enforcement, and is registered with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Safe Harbor Program.

Generally, an organisation must decide whether its use of Google Apps is compliant with any regulations it may be subject to.

Cloud Sherpas can assist all organisations through this risk assessment process and provide the conduit to discussions with the appropriate Google Enterprise staff when required - contact us for details.

Further reading

"Will anyone in Google be able to see/use my company information?"
"Who knows how secure the servers are, and what about the data travelling across the public Internet?"
U.S.-EU & Swiss Safe Harbor Frameworks

8: Bleeding edge
It sounds good but we're not a company to use the new "cool" stuff just for the sake of it, we've got a business to run!

Precisely! You are not in the email / calendar business and yet you hire staff, consume resources and focus on running these services for yourself - give it to those that make it their business and then you can concentrate totally on yours.

Cloud services in general have been used by major corporations for the past 6+ years and Google Apps is now over 5 years old and used by millions of users and organisations of all sizes.

We have helped many New Zealand/Australia based organisations "into the cloud" and can point to such successes as Tait Radio:

You are not alone, call us to hear other high profile organisations that have 'gone Google'.

Further reading

Cloud Sherpas case studies
Google: Businesses share their stories
GoogleApps on Youtube: Testimonials from businesses / government agencies

9: Integration
We have many internal systems we've written that rely on email, how on earth can Gmail support them?

Google Apps should no longer be viewed as merely a service to be consumed but a platform to be built upon. As each requirement will be unique we are happy to talk with you about your needs - contact us but please also please check out our Cloud Development service for general details.

If you are looking to replace systems you currently host there are many 1,000s of 3rd party applications listed in the Google Apps Marketplace. These extend your Google Apps services providing integration for your users and providing yet more cost effective solutions that can free up your resources to concentrate on your own business.

Further reading

10: Support
Google doesn't even have an office here in NZ, what happens when I can't get to my email?

Not true, Google does have offices and senior Google Enterprise employees based in New Zealand (and jolly helpful people they are). Note that a main Google Enterprise centre is located in Sydney, Australia a mere hop, skip and jump away over the Tasman.

For that local, cost effective and extremely friendly support may we humbly suggest Cloud Sherpas. We can support your whole organisation, from the small start up to the multi-1,000 employee corporations.

Google Docs Went Stunningly Well At Webstock

2011-08-16T13:13:00.004+12:00

Copy of old WaveAdept post dated Feb 21st, 2011 - re-posted here to preserve the content

During the lead up to Webstock we wondered how we could both pimp our wares and give something useful to all the attendees - we came up with crowd sourcing of the attendee note taking during the sessions.

https://sites.google.com/a/miramarmike.co.nz/webstock2011/

It was a pleasure to watch the notes magically appear before my eyes, URLs mentioned by the speakers were pasted in and even pictures taken by those closer to the front were inserted. I have to say it worked better than imagined and my grin was from ear-to-ear during the opening session as I turned to jot down a note and it appeared before I had fingers upon keyboard.

Favorite Webstock 2011 quotes

Before I talk about the Google Docs though I'd like to say thank you to all the @Webstock crew and pick out just a few of my favourite quotes. There are, of course, too many incredible moments to list them all so please take this as a small sampling of the awesomeness that is a Webstock conference:

"Robot + story = human / human - story = robot"
Frank Chimer
"Developers - advice to you: find a way to make it fun or find something else - quit!!"
Michael Koziarski
"I don’t know why but that accordion sound has gone straight through the head to my heart"
Jason Webley
"The longer the line the more line spacing"
Jason Santa Maria
"there is so much crap on the web trying to find something is like WALL-E wading through trash

instead of updating or replacing content people just pile it on top of what’s already there."
Kristina Halvorson
"Do your own thing"
Marco Arment
“I’m not a _______ person” is twaddle
Jason Cohen
"You are in a hurry and you need to choose what seat you want to sit in. You are horrifically bad at something (if you don’t know which ask your friends!!)"
Michael Lopp
"Even Heroes are scared shitless. Everybody is scared. ... ‘you might be scared - but they can’t eat you’"
Merlin Mann

... but what are your thoughts on Webstock 2011?

Lessons We Learned Using The Google Docs

If you're thinking of setting up something similar for a conference, team away-days or even for meeting notes here are 3 learnings from the Google Docs experience:

1: Make sure someone is the guide

It was a conference full of highly motivated and extremely competent web focussed people and so the assumption could've easily been, "No assistance with Google Docs required here". But remember everyone needs help, guidance and support when there's something new - this is about people not technology.

A few points of guidance I provided:

Signposts to the Docs - where are they, where's the next one etc.
Mostly this was using Twitter but I did pop in "Next session is ..." links at the bottom of each doc
Someone to answer questions
No matter how "obvious" it seems to you having someone to go to is crucial
Be the first to show it's OK
I re-formatted text, added headings inserted table of contents to show that it was Ok to not only type in text but to make it easier to read

There were a few other subtle supports I gave during the earlier sessions but as people realised that these Google Docs were truly theirs (ie, not owned by me/WaveAdept who were merely providing the "playing field") others stepped up and, through modelling of behaviour, validated the approach. An example of this was inserting photos/diagrams.

2: Give everyone a simple index page

The homepage became more than just a set of signposts as it became both the expression of "ours" and a place to land back on and rest for a while. I think next time we work with this approach we will extend the homepage to be much more a 'water cooler' area allowing for non-session specific chatter (although for public events this is the space Twitter holds extremely well).

The simple index page (including the calendar of session times) also allowed those not at the conference a place to land, catch up on what had been and settle into some live watching of the notes as their interest took them.

3: Let go

Editing a collaborative document requires a fundamental shift away from the file based approach many of us have grown up with. This is NOT your document, these are NOT your words and it is most certainly NOT the place to get all shirty when someone re-formats the text you've just entered. All ownership is given to the group as each member of the group acts in the best interests of each other.

Being clear on what the goal of the group is (in this case it was extremely clear and obvious - accurately record what was expressed on stage) goes a looooong way with easing the "letting go".

More on this at, Google Docs … So What – The ONE Reason Why You Should Care

Thank you

What will happen to the notes now? We promise to leave them open (read-only) for all time including the index website. If you quote from the notes please note that there is a Creative Commons copyright notice upon each doc as we believe it's only fair to attribute to all the work the awesome contributors made.

Thank you all for making it such a great experience for everyone that was there and those that followed along from afar. And remember

(picture from Nathan's, @Webstock 2011, YOU ARE F***ING AWESOME!!!)

6 Years Of Being A Kiwi

2011-08-15T08:30:00.000+12:00

And it's been awesome! I love this country ... well, to be honest I love the city of Wellington and even more specifically the suburb of Miramar as it evolves into the best wee spot of land to live in.

Happy 6th Citizenship Anniversary to Karen as well!

AND, it transpires that Liz and I have been together for 10 whole earth years as well ... my, what a week of celebrations.

How To Get Into Another Company's Google Site

2011-08-08T17:04:00.000+12:00

And yes, I am specifically talking about Google Sites* that you have been INVITED into ... if you're looking how to hack into a Google Site, good luck!

Imagine the scene, you've been invited by another company into a Google site that is restricted in access (ie, not public). Typically you get an email from the person that shares the site with you containing a link to the site which, once clicked, presents you with the company's customised Google Apps login, such as:

But hang on, you don't work at this company and therefore you don't have a login ... what's the go?

Look below the employee login and you will see the "Sign in with a different account" link:

Click on the link to get a box to enter YOUR email address to sign in with and access the company Google Site with the rights given (view or collaborate)

Note: if you are already logged in using Google Apps you will not need to enter your password.

* Google Sites are part of the Google Apps suite of reliable, secure web-based office tools for any size business. Cloud Sherpas are your New Zealand re-sellers for your business - learn more ...

Google Account Multiple Sign-in Magic

2011-05-17T20:14:00.005+12:00

Don't get me wrong, I like that I have more than the "3 accounts at a time" with my Google Accounts multiple sign-in ... but how did I get there?

I Passed! And Now I'm Google Apps Certified

2011-04-14T12:31:00.004+12:00

I am the first amongst everyone to look down on certifications and, to be honest, I don't see this being any different. BUT, I'd like to celebrate the fact I got through it all even if, at the end of the day, it's just a piece of (e)paper to hang on the wall.

2.5 hours of multi-choice questions that pushed my knowledge of Blackberry's and Google Apps API's was something I won't have to do for another 12 months - yaay! And now the rest of the WaveAdept team have to go thorugh it, hee hee.

Get Apps AND Support Christchurch - http://www.appappeal.co.nz/

2011-02-28T16:35:00.001+13:00

Ok, I saw Rowan Simpson's post, 5% Done, and checked out the Top Three iPhone app he talked about .... "Hmmm, do I really want it, it costs $$$ and I'm famously a person that uses $0 licence cost stuff. And it's an iPhone app and I'm also against them really. Hmmmm, I dunno, nah, I'll leave it."

But I really, REALLY liked the idea of the app.

Time goes by. Erthquakes happen and New Zealand rises up to in support and today NZ developers released their contribution: http://www.appappeal.co.nz/

Awesome, I can get the app (fuck the silly quibbles I previously had) AND donate. I am so in!!

Get over there and buy one, two or more apps from the big choice.

Thanks NZ dev community, you are making a difference!

PS: Don't forget WaveAdept's offer of getting any Christchurch businesses email flowing again; details: http://earthquake.waveadept.com/

5 Questions From Microsoft That CIO's Could Ask Of Google

2011-02-24T15:17:00.005+13:00

Well, how childish but let's check out Ron Markezich's (Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Online) Top 5 Questions to Ask Google - I'll give my answer from knowing Google a little (and I mean a little!)

1. Do you have a proven track record?
Yes, they have been offering Google Apps for Business (as it is now called) since August 2006 (source: Wikipedia) - anyone else got a 5 year track record in cloud services ... Microsoft?

2. How much will it cost to get my people productive?
Such a wooly open ended question ... for instance define "productive".

However, in my experience this comes in 3 phases:

Instant productivity gained through access to mail & calendar anytime particularly"off-site"
Dumping of old "document" habits and open up to the true collaborative nature of Docs
(see Google Docs ... so what - the ONE reason why you should care)
Change in business process/culture that truly takes on board the 'open' nature of working in the cloud takes much time and work

3. What are your privacy policies?
Well, they provide a link to Google's privacy policy so ... well, read it.

Microsoft's aren't linked but here they are, Microsoft Online Services Privacy Statement

4. What is your long term roadmap?
Wouldn't you like to know ;-)

We (WaveAdept) take prospective and current clients through the Google Enterprise roadmap as required. We also re-iterate Google's stated approach of constant iteration as they learn what services, functionality work and what doesn't. Is this using clients "as a lab for our latest experiment", no it's learning from actual use and improving.

BTW, can we see the Microsoft Office365 Roadmap please - when will it be released and what functionality will it include through 2012 ... no?, oh, ok.

5. Can you support all of my people with what they need?
No. Can anyone FFS

Having read this you'll probably also smile at my September 2007 post, Microsoft questions your decision to move to Google Apps

Wellington CloudCamp Attendees Answer, "What's exciting about cloud computing for your business?" [Updated]

2011-02-21T12:06:00.004+13:00

Unfortunately Gen-I have disabled the 'embed' option so you'll have to click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKu3oejJ32c to see me (around 1:10) amongst others talking about the potential of cloud computing.

You may also be interested in my WaveAdept blog posting, Google Docs Went Stunningly Well At Webstock, as an example of cloud computing/collaboration at its best.

Updated: Embedded the video, thanks Louis from Gen-I for the code heads-up

What Is It About Webstock I Love?

2011-02-14T16:39:00.002+13:00

Over the weekend I put my hand up to a request from @AboutTheStory for their Webstock media scholar to ask some questions of past Webstockers ... I then left it too late to get in the article, typical me.

But here's my thoughts on Webstock with the question, "What is it about Webstock?" for you to answer:

I've been to Webstock twice with 2011 about to be my third go. I've not attended "in a row" with a year fallow in between.

Webstock for me means 2 things, a chance for all those working "with the web" to be in one cool, creative, connecting place in order to understand they're not alone in what they do. Secondly it's a rare chance for Kiwis to hear, chat with and feed off the big international names of the web world.

Both of those surrounded by the immense focus by the Webstock team on creating a unique and always memorable "conference experience" for both attendees & speakers means I will always regret my fallow years and look forward to when I'm going.

Don't forget the public Webstock Google calendar for your phone, laptop AND the shared note taking!

Full Webstock2011 Conference Schedule In A Public Google Calendar

2011-02-09T09:57:00.004+13:00

[Update] Each session now has a link to the open Google Doc ready for all our note taking. See more at http://webstock.waveadept.com/

Here ya go everyone - I've transcribed the full Webstock 2011 Conference schedule into a public Google Calendar for everyone to use

http://www.google.com/calendar/feeds/waveadept.com_qtn8ipdgoh7jad0b9u738fqiuo%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic

http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/waveadept.com_qtn8ipdgoh7jad0b9u738fqiuo%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=waveadept.com_qtn8ipdgoh7jad0b9u738fqiuo%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Auckland