Thanks, Chuck and Ari, and I shall sit back a bit after this one... I appreciate Chuck's reference to reliance on the ISP, but wonder how really increased this would be? We still rely on ISPs for external email, web access, ticketing and others for pretty critical usefulness. Also (maybe this is one of those for better or worse things) google mail becomes more independent of an ISP than if email is simply outsourced to the ISP. I take the point about other applications creating a comfort level for remote applications, but email could also be a start.
But I dont want to neglect the whole issue of Return on Investment. To what extent does moving email (etal) out free up financial and human resources to focus on that which must be done internally, and, more importantly, improve service and resources so that it results in a net gain to the organization as a whole. And if this is ACT ONE, ACT TWO is outsourcing phone systems through remote VOIP hosting, an area which is not quite a mature and cost-effective in all situations as might be hoped...but rapidly getting there. On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 12:20 PM, Chuck Patch <chuck.patch at gmail.com> wrote: > OK. I held off hijacking the thread until someone else did it for me.. > > Interesting. During the month(s) our internal systems were down following > Katrina, I set up initial communications among the staff using Google > groups > and set up people without personal email accounts on Google mail. While we > later developed an online staff directory that people could personally > update while on the road, it was the initial use of the Google group that > allowed us to get in contact. Although I suspect that there would still be > significant resistance among our tech folk, the truth is that there is > nothing that our institution does with Exchange that couldn't be done in > Google mail, which is another way of saying that no one uses any of the > useful features in Exchange, such as meeting scheduling etc. Or rather, a > handful will and the rest never pay attention to those features which > makes > them useless. > > I also agree with Ari that staff will probably hate the Google apps and > prefer Office, but then when has anyone's staff not hated anything other > than what they've been using? Switch them to Office 2007 and I promise > Google Apps will look fabulous. I think the real hump for most > institutions > to surmount is the sense that you're much more reliant on your ISP with > this > system. In fact, it's not email where web services are making inroads, > it's > in more peripheral stuff like event registration, online calendaring, shop > stores, etc that are raising the comfort level for things closer to the > mission. > > Chuck Patch > > > On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 10:43 AM, Leonard Steinbach < > lensteinbach at gmail.com> > wrote: > > > I have been strongly urging cultural institutions, especially those with > > minimal or overworked, overstretched technology staffs to give serious > > consideration to moving to G-mail under their education/non-profit > > organization program. Many colleges/universities have been going, or > are > > considering going, this route, with Arizona State University among the > > leaders in this. (they have been a bit radical in some other technology > > approaches as well). The academic sector may prove a good role model > in > > this. > > > > I wont recapitulate the full apps > > program<http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/org/index.html>but the > > increased storage capacity, sophisticated spam filtering, easy > > access to other google apps , migration assistance, retention of > > institutional email addressing, ease of remote access, become compelling > > cases for evaluation. Undoubtedly one factor would be the extent to > which > > specialized features of Exchange used by staff can not be easily > > replaced. > > > > I have long posited that, generally speaking, the core competency of > > museums is not the management of complex systems, but the creative use > of > > them and that museums should be vigilant in periodically reevaluating > > where > > there time and costs are dedicated. > > > > For some museums, internal email management may be appropriate, but for > > many > > it probably no longer is. In an era of increasing emergence of webware > as > > an effective application strategy, legacy, in-house systems will come > > under > > increasing scrutiny. I think Email is a start. > > > > > > > > > > > > <http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/index.html> > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 16, 2008 at 9:32 AM, Chuck Patch <chuck.patch at gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > > > I'd be interested in learning what led you to consider this option. > > > > > > Chuck Patch > > > > > > On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 2:05 PM, Stan Orchard <stanorchard at mac.com> > > wrote: > > > > > > > I'd love to see any comments here on the list. Thanks! > > > > > > > > On Apr 15, 2008, at 11:07 AM, Nancy Pinn wrote: > > > > > We are taking a look at switching from Microsoft Exchange to > Google > > > > > mail > > > > > for our email services. I am curious if any of you have made this > > > > > switch or have given it any serious consideration. Any thoughts > you > > > > > would care to share will be appreciated. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Please feel free to communicate with me directly at > > > > > npinn at thewalters.org > > > > > or calling me on 410-246-8339. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > > > > > Nancy > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Nancy C. Pinn > > > > > > > > > > Director of Information Technology > > > > > > > > > > The Walters Art Museum > > > > > > > > > > 600 North Charles Street > > > > > > > > > > Baltimore MD 21201 > > > > > > > > > > 410-547-9000 ext 339 > > > > > > > > > > 410-246-8339 - direct dial > > > > > > > > > > 410-244-5870 - fax > > > > > > > > > > www.thewalters.org > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum > > > > > Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > > > > > > > > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu > > > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > > > > > http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum > > > Computer > > > > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > > > > > > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > > > > http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum > > Computer > > > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > > > > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu > > > > > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > > > http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum > Computer > > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu > > > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > > http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > > _______________________________________________ > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l >
