From the: Should Have Seen it Coming file ...

On March 16 Google moved all its Google App nonprofit offerings under the Google for Nonprofits group. This after moving Google Apps for Nonprofits from out of the Google for Educators Edition (which was known as Google Premium Edition) thus splitting it from Google Apps for business. With me so far? Good.

Unfortunately this meant that they also changed their guidelines which pretty much cut off all churches (schools however are still able to apply to the GA for Education), political NPOs, evangelical groups, and any one that limits its members by race, religion or sexual orientation. There are additional restrictions but I’ll not list them all here, follow the link if you want to know more.

So imagine my surprise at the surprise of some in the religious community that were not aware and others that should have known also being in “shock” that this had happened … five months ago. The change was posted the day it happened and people on Google Apps Forums have been generally aware of it, by posting about it, at least two months ago.

Here’s the thing; some would have you believe that Office 365 is the answer. For some it very well could be but if you are deciding based on TOC and ROI then Office 365 compared to Google Apps for Business just don’t add up well, even for nonprofits. What really gets me is that in the article Christianity Today takes a snipe at an old foe of cloud computing: security. “Services like Google use public - not private - servers, raising the possibility of future security breaches involving e-mails, documents, and other sensitive data.” (Christianity Today) Thing is that they then quote a ridiculous price for a private server running Exchange. Trust me that cost is way off any way you slice it.

So let’s set the record straight:

    Google Apps for Business - $50/user/year [no minimum requirement]
    Microsoft Office 365, Plan E2 (w/ charity discount) - $76.80/user/year [25 user minimum]
    Microsoft Office 365, Plan E3 (w/ charity discount) - $115.20/user/year [25 user minimum]

You can argue which option gives you the most bang for the buck. Even I’d say that for a church that already has Office 2010 you might seriously consider Office 365. Doing the math however shows that for a 320 user environment, going with Google Apps will save a church $8,576 per year (over plan E2). Google Apps is just as secure as Office 365 and can sync with the more common Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, etc.) improving collaboration at no additional cost. There is a process to get the discount on Office 365 so be sure and work with closely with a qualified adviser.

It’s unfortunate that Google decided to cut off the groups and institutions that it did. It’s still highly possible that they will change their mind. Seeing the “outcry” however makes me wonder if the change is that impactful. Yes, of course they probably shouldn’t have but then again the changes seem focused on polarizing groups. I’ve also like to put forth that maybe some of those nonprofit groups that were affected might be able to side step it if they a) file their own 501(3)c application or b) for multiple charities create an umbrella group separate from their church.

Either way, as you can see from above, all is not lost. With Google Apps for Business you get more than enough tools to carry on the good work that you do. If you need someone to help chart the course just contact Astral IT Solutions, a Google Apps Reseller and a Microsoft Cloud Partner. Whichever you choose, we can help get it done right.

Ok so what happened?

Hi all, been a bit of a break since my last post. Those (very) few that have come out here might be wondering what happened? Well this happened:

Astral IT Solutions

Yep, those changes I hinted at near the beginning of the year, well that was it. I finally got fed up with where I was and pulled the trigger on starting up my own company. Of course I'd been toying with various ideas and mulling my future paths for a long time prior. In the end it came down to two things that made me jump the shark: 1) I kept seeing more new technology that, due to my position, I'd never get to dig into, 2) getting passed over and put under a sales person for head of IT was just a bit much on top of everything else I'd had to deal with for 14 years.


Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm proud of all that I accomplished at CCB and I wish them all the best. I learned so much and had a great time building a thriving company. However after being instrumental in making the company what it is now I felt that it was obviously time to move on ... so I did.

It has been a hectic process and things are still in flux but I'm happier than I ever have been. I'm building something that I can once again really dig into and succeed or fail, it's all mine.

So check out our site, it's pretty bare bones right now. Just a matter of having time to get more out there. We are also on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Give us a like or add us to your twitter feed. We will be posting more on them about cloud computing, virtualization, and related subject both from us and others in the industry.

Oh and check back too. I'll be re-posting some of my original blogs, some new stuff, and just a few rants on occasion. :D

Peace.