Goal: provide better (cloud-based) services to the community
Infrastructure
Storage
Available from anywhere
Private, secure, encrypted
Scales to demand
Access to info
Collaboration and sharing
Familiar and consistent
Why are we doing this?
Better consume our resources
Home directories on middfiles are 25TB
Grows a half TB a month
Enhance service offerings
Available anywhere on most any device
Scalable and efficient use of eresources
Cost effective
Highly available
On demand automatic provisioning
What we can provide
Google apps for edu
No longer in beta!
Online collaboration
Drive
365
Online collaboration suite – word, excel
Software distribution (local office install)
Onedrive
More nuanced levels of licensing and access – differences between MIIS and Midd College, working through those issues
Email in the cloud!
Fully hosted or hybrid model
Where we are now
Groundwork has been laid
All midd users automatically have GAfE account
Including access to apps, drive, and youtube
All midd users automatically have an O365 account
College students can install local copies of Office through O365
Only for residential students, MIIS students can access cloud-based Office suite
Everyone has accounts but they don’t have access yet
All active directory groups exist in both GAfE and O365
Still to come
A series of projects as opposed to one big unveiling
Documentation and education project
Microsoft’s online collaboration apps
OneDrive and GoogleDrive
Home use software distribution Faculty/Staff
Everyone currently has access to Google Apps (but most people don’t know)
Everyone does not currently have access to OneDrive – still to come
Cloud-based email still to come
Decisions that still need to be made
Which service do we recommend to people?
How do different groups collaborate effectively?
Do professors choose one or the other?
Will students need access to both?
Others?
Questions
Do we want to offer the same level of support for both or favor one?
One platform may be better for certain uses than the other
We like the idea of a default/one that is better supported
Any support requests re: Google to date?
A few calendar items, nothing major
Most people are using web interface
I’m a student with a google account that I use for school work – I graduate and move on. How do I transition my work to my private account? (Bill)
No fee, but there will be some hoops/procedures to go through
I’m a student with a Microsoft account that I use for school work – I graduate and move on. How do I transition my work to my private account? (Bill)
Currently more complicated than Google
Everything that is cloud-delivered is free
Do we have an inventory of what’s been turned on by Google Admin? (Joe)
Yes, a list can be shared
When you’re logged in you can see a list of some applications, but not all of them
How does a faculty member associate Google resources with a course?
A Course Hub integration would be helpful here; it’s currently tough to find the right group in Google
Create the resource, connect with the correct student group
With OneDrive, groups can own files/documents – more ownership-based management than Google-drive
If group owns documentation, data management is simpler from an administrative perspective. Group membership should be able to shift seamlessly
This is a nuance we’ll have to figure out between Google and OneDrive
Monterey and Midd campuses have the exact same access to this functionality? (Bill)
Yes, only difference is residential component for the College (Office installs)
This is an example of “big M” Middlebury thinking
For a guest lecturer or auditor, they could be added to a Google folder not a group?
Another nuance that needs to be explored/determination needs to be made about what to recommend to faculty
In terms of announcements/messaging/role out, does Course Hub integration need to be in place first?
We need to have nuances largely figured out before we make an announcement
So what’s the rollout timeframe?
Timeline needs to include various project teams
Probably not reality to have ready for fall 2016 roll out
Do we need to roll both platforms out at the same time?
It would behoove us to roll out the recommended platform first
We need to give faculty clear instructions about procedure change, as they are not accustomed to provisioning folders themselves (Joe)
Now they will need a folder with the appropriate permissions
What’s the motivation for having both services?
We have to have some of each. Google is already pretty ubiquitous in usage across Middlebury. We have to roll out Microsoft because of software distribution. Or do we? We can control what Microsoft functionality is available to avoid too much overlap with Google.
Encryption/security implications – Microsoft is superior to Google in this respect
Google doesn’t work in China – Jeff Cason currently testing OneDrive in China
A potential differentiation could be
Academic – Google. Administrative – Microsoft.
In reality this won’t happen
While Microsoft is in beta, the move to single sign on for everyone seems like a big step (Bob)
MIIS users having to sign on with @middlebury.edu account
We want to promote access to Google Apps – it would be disappointing if we couldn’t make an official announcement to the MIIS campus this fall even if the Course Hub integration is not in place.
What happens when students graduate? Some of our students are only here for a year, some do Peace Corps during their degree – leave campus for 2 years and come back.
How do the nuances of those different user needs get managed? We need an exit strategy.
Exit strategy for individuals and Middlebury as a whole is important.
Where is this project in terms of the ACTT life cycle? (Bob)
Should OneDrive be rolled out the same way Google Apps was?
Resource constraints
Is there a downside to MIIS announcing Google Apps rollout to campus? (Bob)
When Microsoft is rolled out, there may be an inordinate number of help desk tickets from people who want to migrate content from Google to Microsoft
It depends on when OneDrive becomes available
Timelines are not currently known, several different project teams
2,000 Google Apps accounts active before syncing took place
There was already a OneDrive instance at MIIS that was being used by 40 people – no administrator
There’s nothing stopping any Middlebury user from using Google Apps (they just don’t know about it)
We are currently not fully committing or walking away from either