Cloud Computing

Photo above from Flickr

To Cloud or Not to Cloud?

These days, it seems that every website you visit has an advertisement for cloud services – Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365, and Salesforce.com just to name a few. It ‘s as if the world has gone cloud crazy. So, what’s the big deal? Isn’t this just Software as a Service v2.0? Many business owners are wondering if they should test the cloud waters or just keep the lights on given the current state of the economy.
Let’s peek our heads above the clouds to look at some of the pros and cons of cloud computing.

Cloud computing provides businesses with a “pay as you go” model for applications, infrastructure, and platforms. For example, let’s say you’re looking to start a business and need email, document storage, and collaboration tools, you could subscribe to Google Apps for Business or Microsoft’s Office 365 and be up and running the same day. No need to purchase expensive hardware, software, and licensing. Also, there’s no need to worry about upgrading on-premise servers to the latest software version. With cloud computing, the cloud providers handle system upgrades and your business gets the benefit of using the latest and greatest technology. Here are a few more benefits of cloud computing:

- Reduce Cap-Ex Spending – you subscribe to cloud computing services…no need to purchase expensive hardware, software, licenses.

- Reduce Op-Ex Costs – with fewer servers running proprietary software, you’ll have fewer maintenance contracts to renew every year

- Free-up IT Staff – reducing the number of systems that your internal IT staff has to install, maintain, and upgrade allows them to focus on business alignment and innovation. Yes, the IT department should be part of the innovation think tank!

OK, cloud computing sounds great, but what’s the catch? Security and privacy are two of the most common concerns that businesses have with the cloud. If you consume cloud services, then your data is stored outside of your control…out on the Internet. Where exactly is your data stored? Cloud providers such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have data centers around the world and you’re relying on them to secure your data. It’s their job to protect it from hackers. Another point of concern is your dependence on the Internet. As services are moved from on-premise to the cloud, you’ll need to make sure that your Internet connection is highly available and able to meet the performance needs of your staff. If you own a small business, the loss of Internet connectivity at the office may translate to you working from Starbucks while enjoying an espresso drink, but if your business employs 100 people, a prolonged outage is painful.

Cloud computing may not be a perfect fit for every business, but it can be a cost-effective way for companies of all sizes to use applications and to store data. Here at the Sparkline Group, we use Google Apps for email, archiving, and document storage in order to keep costs down and to enhance collaboration. We enjoy showing new and existing clients what can be done in the cloud an encourage them pilot cloud services to see what they have to offer.

Written by Zach Croxford, Partner

What's in your Presenter Toolbox?

Photo above from Flickr

Have you ever tried to use the wrong tool to accomplish a task?  It’s usually not a fun experience and can be very frustrating.  The next time you need to tighten a nut – try using a hammer instead of a wrench (extra credit: use a flat head screwdriver).  Tools cannot do the work for you but the right one can absolutely save you time and headaches.

Likewise, software tools will not make your presentation for you – if you find one that will, please shoot me an email.  They can however save you time (and you will use that new found time to practice and clarify your message).

So here are a list of my favorites – when I build or migrate to a new Mac system they are the first things I install:

Picture Tools

1. Viewfinder – simple + intuitive interface that searches Flickr for photos, very easy to locate and download.  I find the filters handy for sorting thru various picture sizes and finding photos that you are free to use under the creative commons license.  Great little shortcut buttons to send pics to Keynote, iPhoto, or your local file system.
2. Voila – excellent screen capture tool with easy to use photo filters and enhancement tools.  It is down and dirty, if you love PhotoShop for all of its power then this tool is NOT for you.  Voila makes taking a screen shot of your entire screen or only certain parts of it straightforward.

Video Tools

1. Miro - this tool does a few different things but I use it for only one: pull videos off of YouTube and create a local copy.  Why? The biggest reason is so you don’t have to count on having an Internet connection to show a video in your presentation.  Secondly, often times it’s really only 35 seconds of the 8 minute video that you want to show.  Do your audience a huge favor, take a little time to trim it for them.  Once you have the downloaded video file, cutting up is is a snap using iMovie.
2. ScreenFlow – excellent tool for recording your screen, capture it into a video file and then play it back in your presentation.  A great example is if you want to show a walk thru of a new application that you have built – rather than driving it from the keyboard you can remain standing and talk your audience thru certain features as the video is playing.  I prefer this most times because you never know what time of Internet connection you will have during a presentation – with a video of it, it doesn’t matter.  Even with your handy 3G/4G broadband card – ball rooms can be black “connectivity” holes for some reason – probably because they want you to utilize their wireless connection for $199/day.

Let me know some of your favorites (Windows or Mac versions).

“The audience will either read your slides or listen to you.  They will not do both.  So, ask yourself this: is it more important that they listen, or more effective if they read?”

– Excerpt from the book Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte

Far too often I have the unfortunate luck of sitting in a presentation where the presenter is reading their slides word for word to the audience.  Simply put, it’s brutal.  If you plan on reading me your slides then just send me the information thru email or create a document (that I probably won’t read).  If you want me to listen, connect and engage with you then use slides as a visual aid to complement your message or story.

One of my favorite terms coined by Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen, is “slideuments”.   Slideuments are the result of putting far too many words on a slide, fifteen bullet points, and text that is so small that you can’t read it anyways.  As Garr so succinctly puts it, “Documents are documents.  Slides are slides.”   Don’t try to mix them together – it never turns out well.

Most presentations end up as slideuments because the presenter thinks that the slide deck must stand on its own without them telling their story.  Wrong.  Pieces of paper with words on them that stand on their own are called documents (or handouts).  Your story is the most important piece of the equation.  Your story and how you deliver it is what I really care about and may cause me to think, be inspired or take action.

In my opinion, slides are built correctly when you utilize very few words and a lot of visual elements (no not cheesy clip art).  Slides should make almost NO sense without your story – and that’s OK.  Yeah but, they will freak out if they don’t have handouts.  Then create a handout (a.k.a. document) that has the proper amount of information on it for them to review or reference.  A handout does not need to be your slides printed from PowerPoint as notes pages.  In fact, I think it’s a bad idea to hand them out because they will read ahead to slide 20 before you even start your presentation.

Back to Nancy’s quote, ask yourself: do you want them to read your slides or listen to you?  If you want them to READ then create a document or handout.  If you want them to LISTEN to you then take the time to create visual slides and present it to them with your story.

Do you remember Show and Tell back in elementary school?  For most of us it was probably our first introduction to public speaking and presenting.  What a great concept, bring something in that you are passionate about and want to share with your peers.  Two very simple rules must be followed and there is no slide deck to hide behind.  One, you must show us the item you intend to share so we all start from the same reference point (this is vital – a picture is worth a thousand words).  When we see the item itself (or a picture of it) all layers of abstraction are removed.  Two, you have to tell us why this item is important to you and why we should care.

My question is what happened to “show”?  Did we forget the impact that “show” can have while telling our stories?  In business it seems like we just default to “tell” most of the time.  Long, long, long lines of “tell” in emails, reports, slide decks, requirements documents, procedures, etc.  The “tell” is important but the “show” is what gets us excited and if done correctly, removes the “I have no idea what she is talking about…” from the audience

“Show” forces us to be visual and make something that is real: a drawing, video, photograph, or a mock up of some sort.  “Show” gets us much closer to being on the same page in regards to an idea or future direction.  “Show” can help eliminate surprises at the end of a long project – “that’s not what I envisioned 12 months ago when we wrote the business case and requirements document…”

Custom application development projects are the perfect example of why “show” is so important.  If you and I were asked to read a 25-page requirements document and then draw a picture of what we think the application should look like they would of course be very different.  Start “showing” as soon as possible so you can get feedback from business champions and users before you get too far down a path and find out it’s the wrong road.  Remember that “show” removes layers of abstraction and provides something real that everyone can see with their own eyes.

There are some excellent tools out there to help you create application mock-ups that do not require any coding knowledge whatsoever.  Here are three that I have used: iRise, Protoshare, and Justinmind.   Using tools like these can increase the chances of project success dramatically.  If you can’t afford an application then draw it out on a whiteboard and take a picture at the very least.

The next time you get stuck or frustrated with a project or feel like “they just don’t get it.”  Ask yourself this question, is there something I can do to “show” them what I mean.

How many times have you been in a project kick-off meeting where someone starts the meeting by saying, “we need to have this done in four weeks”?  How do they know it can be done in four weeks?  You haven’t even asked me how long my piece of this project will take and by the way, I leave for a two-week family vacation tomorrow.

The reality is that most projects fail before they even start due to a bad schedule, period.  It’s not very exciting or energizing to be a part of a project that you know will fail before it has even begun.  To know that no matter how hard you work or how many late nights you pour into this project – its all for not.

How do bad schedules get created?  Well, that’s a bit of an oxymoron – they don’t get “created”.  Usually, a business champion or executive throws out a date and a project manager or IT leader just accepts it as gospel.  Most executives are perfectly fine with you saying, “Let me get back to you on the date, I would like to discuss this with my project team and ensure we can meet your timeline.”  Come back to them with a real date that is achievable and everyone will be much happier – especially your project team.

Don’t get me wrong – sometimes a hard completion date is required for a project.  In this case, just make sure you are communicating the resources you need to achieve that date.  If Mike, your Exchange Engineer will be on vacation for two weeks than you may need to bring in outside resources to achieve the target date, which in turn may increase your budget.  In short, communicate clearly and manage your customer’s expectations.

To make your project schedules ten times more accurate and achievable, do one simple thing:  overlay “reality”.  Take your original four week schedule to “Upgrade Our Email System” and add the following items to it and see how it changes:

• Your project teams PTO, vacations and holidays
• Put time in to receive new hardware, software, etc.
• Make sure you seek out any dependencies – if you are waiting for more storage before you can install a new Email system then most of your tasks will be contingent upon that projects finish date• Get input/feedback from your resources (what other projects/priorities do they have)
• Put time in for user testing and validation
• Insert time for knowledge transfer (especially since Mike will walk back into a new email system after vacation) and documentation
• User training

Your original four week schedule is now probably 8-9 weeks BUT it is realistic!  Your business champions and executives will be much happier because you will deliver on time (or earlier).  Your project team members will hope that you lead the next project they are on…

“Yeah but our executives or business champions don’t understand….”  You are right, they probably don’t understand.  They are waiting for someone to explain the logic behind why this is a 9 week project.  You know who that someone is?  You.