DACS General Meeting by Chris Novell The March Program was presented by Flo Ferrara, IT Director at Bridges, a non-profit mental health agency, in Milford, Connecticut. Flo identified six key considerations for developing a sound approach to IT planning for non-profit organizations. Some of the points made were those of having a sensibility in approach, which could be applied to other venues. In a similar fashion, some of the points made by Flo about IT for non-profits could be suitably applied to other organization types. Included in the list were a technology plan, standardization, disaster recovery, security, reporting requirements, and budget. Conceptually, putting it in an experience context that most anyone could identify with, Flo commented that computers are similar to lightbulbs, in that they can break at any time, without the least bit of warning. In regard to the technology plan, Flo said not to forget to include the administrative staff . Flo observed that while they might not understand the technology, they do know what is needed to make the organization hum. Likewise, include the technophobe population. Do you know anyone who drives a car that admits to having little sense of direction? There are people who use computers without having a close relationship with them as well. Standardizing the hardware and software as much as possible is helpful to the non-profit. For backup, there are several options to select from, with considerations such as reliability, convenience, degree of granularity, timing of recovery, and related costs for same. Be sure to review the quality of the results. Make sure that what you thought was being backed up is actually being backed up. Security includes limits to server and desktop access, network log-on, firewall configuration, antivirus, and spam filtering. Reporting requirements for the specific type of non-profit need to be met, according to state and/or federal specifications the organization may have to meet. Budgeting requires thoughtful discipline. It may be tempting for a non-profit, on a decidedly less robust budget than a corporate counterpart, to go for low hanging fruit, to accept or even pursue donations, but hand-me-down hardware and software are likely to be more costly in the long run. These items are often hard to support and have no warranties. Having made that observation, Flo also noted that a more careful evaluation of “pre-owned” items may yield some worthwhile resources. Just as it would be better to pause before dismissing from consideration all second hand cars, houses, and (pick one more of your own here), there may be some good values among the disinherited IT ware. Corporations may shed themselves of relatively young equipment. While most inclinations would lean in the direction of economizing, Flo pointed out that training is an area that tends to get clamped too closely. Going the extra mile can pay off, too. Flo recounted a dilemma of needing to solve two seemingly conflicting goals. By looking into air conditioning options herself, Flo was able to come up with a solution that both gave the computer equipment the needed Arctic bent temperature without casting the cool towards some chill challenged occupants of a nearby section of the office. The solution, by the way, was found at the local box store. Perhaps the most interesting point made was to ask, ask, ask until you understand. While Flo was advocating this approach for gaining understanding about computing concepts, one can readily appreciate that having this steadfast posturing could be beneficial in any number of pursuits. Thanks to Flo for a very informative presentation! Here are some websites that may be helpful: |
Mugs and more, visit CafePress to order