Or “Everything about IT services that I think is important for CFOs to

understand while still speaking English”

Disclaimer“I am not a consultant.”There is no magic bullet to solve issues. It

takes bright people from many disciplines within an agency to work hard over a long period of time

The following information presented is my own. It is not my employer’s or the PCCYFS technology workgroup.

StereotypesWhen you think of IT

staff, what one word comes to mind

When you think of Fiscal staff, what one word comes to mind

Business ContinuityWhat do we mean

Disaster RecoveryChanges in ManagementChanges in program FundingChanges in reporting requirementsImplementation of mandated external

reporting systemsIt could be any of these things…

IT MantraAny time, any place any platform

All solutions have to follow the three S’s

ScalableSecureSustainable

ScalableAll projects have to be expandable as

programs or service offerings grow and contractable as the business changes directions.

SecureAll solutions must adhere to the policies

approved by the agencyFiscal PoliciesHIPAA privacyHIPAA securityOther Agency or Funder policies

SustainableSupport and resources for all projects must

be available after the initial project is completeUpdates and PatchesTrainingChanges in process flow

Once you provide a resource or deploy a asset, it is difficult to that resource away.

Current Views of CFOs and ITComputerWorld 1-2011

You can't run a company without technology, but you can't invest in technology without the blessings of the finance department. And thanks to the stagnant economy, the pendulum of power between Finance and IT is swinging decidedly toward the chief financial officer's door these days.

"The power dynamic in the C-suite really does change when the economic times are difficult,"

This is more true in the social service field as funding decreases or is stagnant

Bells and WhistlesThe cake analogy… IT and Fiscal are on the same

page. We want cake… It is filling and makes us feel better.

Users want ICING. Lots and lots of icing…

Technology envy

IT supported systemsFinancialTime and AttendanceHuman Resources and PayrollReportingCase Management (internal/external)BillingOutcomesAssessment

Other systems IT supportsOperating Systems…

Windows (7, Vista, XP, Server 2008 ,server 2k8sp2)

Linux (CentOS, Ubuntu, RedHat, SUSE)Apple (ios)

Unified Patching (WSUS – Windows Server update services)ITM – integrated threat management…

AntivirusAntispamContent Filtering

Current BuzzWords and VocabularySaaS – Software as a serviceThe CloudThin clientVirtualizationSANGoogle AppsWeb-based

SaaS – the CloudPublic cloud – Amazon, MicrosoftWhy CFOs may like it

Better cash flow – pay as you go… There is no big expenditure up front

Pay for what you useFinancial visibility – cloud providers can

quantify the cost to add a process or userNo depreciation

Not all processes are ready to be moved to the cloud

Thin ClientDesktop box only exist as an entry point for

dataDollars go into the infrastructure not onto the

desktopAll data stays in the Datacenter and can not

reside on the desktop/laptopThin client technology allows for remote

accessWhen a data link is down, everything is down

in a remote office

VirtualizationA technology that uses software to emulate

hardwareOne physical server – many virtual servers

insideSome of the technology is freeIt is greener… You must manage licensing since

provisioning servers is very easy

SAN – storage attached networksMany sizes and varietiesIn the past were very pricy but there are new

initiatives to bring them to small and medium sized businesses

It creates a smaller datacenter footprint. It is now usually paired with virtualization

Google AppsGoogle does it all… email, documents,

spreadsheets and storage….

Web-based vs. browser basedIf it is hosted externally then it is web-basedYou don’t have direct access to the dataBrowser based simply means that you use

Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari to access the data. You have a server that runs the webservice (IIS or Apache)

A Place to StartIf there was one process to make your

business better what would that be?

One Size doesn’t fit all

Business AgilityDoes your solution allow you to adjust with

changes in service delivery?Buy vs. Lease vs. Accepting donated

equipment

ReportingHow easy is it to get meaningful information

outAre your applications user friendly when

data mining

Data

?

Business ContinuityHow does your business survive

disruptionsNatural Disaster – Fire, Power Outages,

Wind, WaterStaff turnover – loss of business processFiscal climate – loss of referrals

Where is your data?

Web 2.0Are people using it at work?Are people using it for work?PodcastsFacebook, Twitter, Linked IN, Jumo, KivaHow do we know if it is effective or not?

Where are you going

What are your IT staff’s skillsAs technology becomes commoditized IT

soft skills become more importantProcess reengineeringInstitutional knowledge

Google PhilosophyWork on things that matterAffect everyone in the world (in our case,

everyone at our company)Solve problems with algorithms where

possible (automate)Hire bright people and give them lots of

freedomDon’t be afraid to try new things

FinallyGrant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.