Invitation to Further Education Colleges to tender for development projects in

Cloud Computing

Collaboration and Shared Services Grant Fund

Bids to be submitted by: 5.00 p.m. on 16 April 2012

“The rise of the Cloud is more than just another platform shift that gets geeks excited. It will undoubtedly transform the information technology industry, but it will also profoundly change the way people work and companies operate” (Economist, 2008).

Contents

1. Introduction....................................................................................................32. Cloud Computing and its potential in Further Education Colleges................3

What is Cloud Computing?..............................................................................3The potential benefits of Cloud Computing to Further Education Colleges.. .4Ways in which Colleges can use Cloud Computing........................................5The role of JISC in supporting Colleges in their implementation of Cloud Computing.......................................................................................................7

3. The Purpose and Scope of this Funded Programme of Projects.....................8Category 1. Implementing Software as a Service.........................................8Category 2. Implementing infrastructure as a service..................................8

4. Instructions to Bidders...................................................................................95. Evaluation Criteria........................................................................................106. Timetable and Process..................................................................................11Appendix 1 Guidance to Colleges on the Development of Cloud Computing Plans............................................................................................................................ 12Appendix 2 Application Form for Cloud Computing Projects.............................15Appendix 3 JISC Nexus

2

1. Introduction

Cloud Computing is progressively being implemented in a wide range of public and private sector organisations. It has many potential advantages in cost and energy savings and enabling new ways of working. Further Education Colleges are already using Cloud Computing in a number of ways. The range of new providers of Cloud Computing and the many different ways in which it can be implemented means that there is a need for Colleges to share practice in the adoption of Cloud Computing and access the best expertise in this field and help develop what would be best practice for use in FE. The Collaboration and Shared Services Board has allocated £1 million from the Collaboration and Shared Services Grant Fund to progress Cloud Computing in Further Education Colleges through a range of project activities. Colleges are invited to bid for individual projects. The deadline for the submission of bids is 5.00 p.m. on 16 April 2012. This document describes Cloud Computing and its potential in Further Education Colleges and provides guidance on the type of projects which may be funded. It gives details of the evaluation criteria that will be used to select bids and the tender process.

2. Cloud Computing and its potential in Further Education Colleges.

What is Cloud Computing?Cloud Computing is a way of an organisation enabling access, as and when it is needed, to a shared pool of computing resources, rather than always having specific capacity available. These resources can include networks, servers, storage, applications and services. These resources are provided by a Cloud Computing Provider who will manage these resources for the organisation. Examples of Cloud Computing Providers are Microsoft, Google, IBM, and Amazon. JISC is providing an assured, cost-effective procurement approach with commercial providers under the auspices of JANET. Cloud Computing can minimise the IT management effort for the organisation and negate the need for complex internal IT infrastructure and expertise. Cloud Computing is a way of delivering an IT service as a utility so that at any point in time the organisation uses what it needs and only pays for it according to usage.

There are three ways of delivering Cloud Computing Services and an organisation can opt to use any combination of these. These are Software as a Service, Platform as a Service and Infrastructure as a Service.

Software as a service (SaaS) is when software and its associated data are hosted centrally by the Cloud Computing Provider and the organisation accesses it when and where required. It negates the need for the purchase of software licences per desktop machine and reduces the need for processing power at the desktop. Examples include e-mail systems such as g-mail and applications such as Customer Relationship Management Systems.

Platform as a Service (PaaS) is when the organisation rents hardware, operating systems, storage and network capacity over the internet. It allows the organisation to rent virtual servers and associated services for running existing applications and developing new ones. It offers significant advantages for

3

development teams. The focus here is often on saving costs in the development of applications by using infrastructure services. A PaaS is a platform for developers to write and maintain their own SaaS. For example, Windows Azure is an open and flexible cloud platform that enables developers to build, deploy and manage applications across a global network of Microsoft-managed data centres. Facebook is a platform where developers can write and maintain their own social apps. The Google App Engine is a cloud computing platform for developing and hosting applications in Google data centres.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is when an organisation outsources the IT equipment used to support operations. This includes storage, hardware, servers and network components. The Cloud Computing Provider owns the IT equipment and is responsible for housing, running and maintaining it. Organisations normally pay on a pay per use basis but can opt for an annual fee. The difference between IaaS and PaaS is that in IaaS the user organisation normally retains control over the environment whilst in PaaS the environment is controlled for the organisation. The line between PaaS and IaaS is becoming more blurred as Cloud Computing Providers introduce tools as part of IaaS that help with deployment.

There are distinctions in the way Cloud Computing can be deployed. A Public Cloud is the model whereby the Cloud Computing provider makes the IT resources available to the general public over the internet. A Community Cloud shares infrastructure between several organisations from a community with common concerns. A Private Cloud is when the infrastructure is provided solely for the benefit of a single organisation. A Hybrid Cloud is a mixture of elements of any of the above.

The potential benefits of Cloud Computing to Further Education Colleges.The benefits which Colleges can gain from Cloud Computing will depend on how individual Colleges deploy it. Potential benefits include flexibility to engage in new ways of working, capability to manage IT capacity to meet fluctuating demand and cost savings in staff, software licensing, infra-structure and energy.

Students and staff may already be enjoying the benefits of Cloud Computing in their everyday lives (often without realising it) and will expect these benefits to be available in their College. This will include accessing learning applications using mobile technologies, at home and in the workplace. This includes maximising access for LLDD students. Cloud Computing can enable more effective deployment of applications on mobile technologies.

Colleges have a history of innovation in the way they support learners and employers. Too often innovation can be hampered by the rigidity of existing IT provision. Cloud Computing should provide the flexibility to deliver innovation. An example of innovation might be how College marketing teams can interact with potential students through social media.

Colleges experience fluctuating demands for IT capacity at different times of the year and also through the demands of changing government requirements and the gain or loss of learning related contracts. Cloud Computing enables the management of IT capacity according to need. Whilst many Colleges currently meet changing needs through the virtualisation of servers on its own systems,

4

Cloud Computing can negate the need for purchase of additional servers and other capacity to satisfy short term initiatives.

As more and more IT Capacity is demanded for teaching, learning and administration in Colleges, there will be more demand for server capacity. Cloud Computing reduces the need for College based servers and the significant energy savings associated with these. The virtualisation of servers operated by Cloud Computing providers enables this infrastructure to be shared between organisations and hence there is a significant reduction of energy costs overall. It is contended that servers that are not virtualised use only 6 % of their capacity, hence the potential from Cloud Computing for large energy savings.

Cloud Computing can diminish the need to employ certain specialist IT staff in Colleges and enable savings in this respect. The costs and challenges of keeping up to date with specialist IT will be transferred to the Cloud Computing Provider. Whilst there will always be a need for IT staff within Colleges, Cloud Computing can change the nature of the IT management function in Colleges to a more strategic , user focused and less specialist approach and enable an increased focus on, for example, the application and use of learning technology rather than specialist IT management and delivery. Aspects of IT development can remain with Colleges but the use of Platform or Infrastructure as a Service means there will be less need for specialist management of infrastructure. Cloud Computing can reduce the costs of software licensing and the management of software upgrades. All of this should save costs on both infrastructure and staff. With the adoption of Infrastructure as a Service, Colleges can move their IT costs from capital to revenue expenditure.

Further Education is likely to benefit most from a Community Cloud approach. The value of a Community Cloud approach is that it will cater for the common requirements of Colleges such as access, security and legal issues.

Ways in which Colleges can use Cloud Computing.Many Colleges are already benefiting from the use of Software as a Service, for example through externally hosted e-mail systems for students and staff or externally hosted Customer Relationship Management systems for Employer Responsive Learning.

The key findings in a report by the 157 Group [An examination of Cloud Computing opportunities through Action Research in 157 Group Colleges - Final report – December 2010] states:

“From the initial on-line survey it was apparent that a high rate (76%) of College respondents are using Cloud Computing services, for email, VLE, use of office type software applications, storage and backup services. However it is also worth noting that most Colleges are only making use of 1 type of Cloud Computing service (only 4 Colleges are using 2 services and only 1 College is using 3 services).

For those using Cloud, the benefits were reported to be reduced costs (through reduced support overheads and capital outlays) and improved services to learners (in terms of accessibility and provision of services).

5

The implications and challenges faced by FE Colleges include data protection, bandwidth issues, reliability issues and change management (i.e. the culture change required by staff to enable maximisation of Cloud opportunities).

From the follow-up interviews with selected Colleges, the benefits of using Cloud services were stressed as: increased cost efficiencies, better reliability of service, on-hand technical experts, and much larger storage space. Concerns included data protection, responsibility and ownership of content problems, auditing and compliance issues, and the risk of data

centre instability. However, interviewees also reported greater levels of service to learners, through:

Personalised and lifetime email accounts, that are accessible anywhere Greater up-time Larger storage Possibility to log in using learner’s personalised e-mail interfaces such as

Google or Yahoo etc.”

Colleges may wish to consider extending their use of Software as a Service, which could be deployed in the following situations:

Applications that have a significant need for web or mobile access. An example would be a Virtual Learning environment such as Moodle or Blackboard;

Software that is used for a short-term need. An example would be collaboration software, such as Huddle, for a specific project;

Software where demand spikes significantly, such as in enrolment; Applications, such as email newsletter campaign software, where there is

significant interplay between the College and the outside world;

College IT Support Teams or their IT contractors might wish to use Platform as a Service to develop applications such as Social Apps on Facebook or Learning Apps (Apple iTunes or Google Android) for mobile devices. This approach can be especially useful in any situation where multiple developers will be working on a development project or where other external parties need to interact with the development process. It can also be invaluable for those who have an existing data source – for example client information from a customer relationship management tool, and want to create applications which leverage that data.

Colleges who are further advanced in Cloud Computing may wish to use Infrastructure as a Service. College situations that are particularly suitable for Cloud infrastructure include:

Where demand is very volatile – any time there are significant spikes and troughs in terms of demand on the infrastructure;

For situations where the College does not have the capital to invest in hardware;

Where the College is growing rapidly, or merging with another College and scaling hardware would be problematic;

Where there is pressure on the organization to limit capital expenditure and to move to revenue expenditure;

6

For temporary College business such as pilot activities or short term initiatives;

It is acknowledged that there are situations where the use of Cloud Computing would not be appropriate such as applications where legislation or other regulation does not permit data being hosted externally. Whilst there are fears about the security of data held by Cloud Computing providers the use of Service Level Agreements with Cloud Computing providers can achieve assurance of levels of security which may exceed their previous self-management of this.

Support for Colleges in their implementation of Cloud Computing - the role of JISCJISC Regional Support Centres are funded by BIS to give practical advice, support and guidance to FECs in developing and using ICT to support and enhance their activities, whether or not Colleges are using other JISC services. They will also act as a gateway to help you understand and access other JISC services.

JISC and Janet (JISC’s joint academic network) have many years of experience of supporting IT in further and higher education. Janet provides the main external network infrastructure for this community, while JISC also provides a wide range of other services which support the sector. BIS continues to fund JISC to support FE & Skills providers; they are currently in the process of securing Cabinet Office approval for the next network upgrade, Janet6.

Janet offers "assured" procurement and cost benefit for Cloud Computing, without Colleges themselves needing to assess. This is a benefit for further education. In 2011 JISC embarked on a £12million HEFCE University Modernisation Fund funded pilot Cloud Computing project for universities. The bulk of this funding is being applied to infrastructure. JISC will be offering Cloud Computing Services to further and higher education. This will be achieved through JISC leasing services from Cloud Computing Providers. This represents highly efficient procurement. This procurement process is currently taking place. This means that Colleges should be able to purchase Cloud Services through JISC at preferential rates for assured services in what will effectively be a further and higher education community cloud. Use of JISC Cloud will be helpful to Colleges as they will benefit from Janet technical expertise in problem solving (and identifying where a fault might be) plus practical support through RSCs. Janet is developing its approach to meet specific needs of education (HE admin and teaching requirements, as well as research) which directly reflect FE issues - security, confidentiality, resilience, etc. Many Colleges will use the ‘HE Cloud’ for its HE services so it would be logical to use the JISC Cloud for its FE services.

JISC Advance Nexus is a commercial service from delivery specialist JISC Advance that enables seamless data transfer within institutions and to remote shared services and external agencies. Any organisation planning to adopt cloud computing would benefit from a conversation with the Nexus team as their growing collection of connectors are available at a fraction of the price that a commercial supplier would charge. Further details of JISC Nexus are given in Appendix 3.

Through the JISC Advance service, JISC Infonet, and also JISC Legal, JISC is providing advice to the further and higher education. This is exemplified by the following key publications:

7

Cloud Computing in HE and FE May 2010http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/greeningict/cloudstudyreport.pdfThe JISC Infokit on Cloud Computing Nov 2011 http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/cloud-computing.The JISC Legal Cloud computing and the Law Toolkit Aug 2011 http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/ManageContent/ViewDetail/ID/2135/JISC-Legal-Cloud-Computing-and-the-Law-Toolkit-31082011.aspxJanet Brokerage on for Cloud Computing serviceshttp://www.janetbrokerage.ac.uk/

3. The Purpose and Scope of this Funded Programme of Projects

It is recognised that Colleges are at different stages in their consideration and implementation of Cloud Computing. This programme will fund a limited number of College based projects at two different stages of planning and implementing Cloud Computing. This will enable these Colleges to progress their user of Cloud Computing and the dissemination of these experiences will provide valuable guidance to the wider community of Further Education Colleges. Bids are invited from Colleges for projects in the following two categories:

Category 1. Implementing Software as a Service.

The programme will fund a limited number of Colleges to progress their use of Software as a Service. Direct financial support will be provided to Colleges to engage in projects such as:

Moving their Virtual Learning Environment (such as Moodle, Fronter or Blackboard) to be hosted and managed externally. In the case of Moodle this might be through an external Moodle Partner such as the University of London Computing Centre, which already works with a number of FE Colleges;

A data integration project, which might involve the integration of College MIS data with an externally hosted Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System. Many Colleges have developed CRM systems as a result of the support available to progress Employer Responsiveness through the recent LSIS funded World Class Skills programme;

A data integration project which enables seamless data transfer within institutions and to remote shared services and external agencies. This might use an enterprise service bus approach, such as JISC Advance Nexus to provide secure information exchange between software applications and external agencies. See Appendix 3 for further details.

These are just three examples and the flexibility is available for Colleges to suggest and justify others. Colleges who apply for funding in this category will need to demonstrate that they have already engaged in a Cloud Computing planning process along the lines of that defined in Appendix 1 The output of an individual project in this category will be a functioning application of Software as a Service and a report on the processes of achieving this and the anticipated benefits.Funding for projects in this category will be limited to setting up and supporting the agreed software applications for the first one year phase of implementation. Funding will be for project management, hosting and user management

8

charges at a data centre, change management consultancy, user testing and project evaluation, Colleges will be expected to fund the support to these applications thereafter and demonstrate in their bid how this commitment will be met.It is anticipated that around 24 College projects will be funded in this category at an average of £12000-£15000 including VAT.

9

Category 2. Implementing infrastructure as a service.

This will provide support to a limited number of Colleges to take their first major step in implementing Infrastructure as a Service. It will involve the transfer of significant College applications, such as MIS, to external data centres hosted and managed by Cloud Computing Providers. It could also include supplementary applications such as the development of externally hosted applications for mobile technology devices. Colleges who apply for funding in this category will need to demonstrate that they have already engaged extensively in a Cloud Computing planning process along the lines of that defined in Appendix 1

The output of this work would be an implementation of major applications by a College of Cloud Computing in an external data centre together with a report on the benefits and the journey. The report would identify learning points such as the value of using a pay per use approach, the potential infrastructure savings to the College, the change management involved, risks and liabilities involved, flexibility gained and impact on learners, staff and other stakeholders. This report would be disseminated to the wider College community.

Funding for projects in this category will be limited to the set up and operating costs for the first one year phase of the Infrastructure as a Service application. Funding will be for project management, virtual data services, change management consultancy, configuration, data migration, development of mobile apps, user testing and project evaluation. Colleges will need to fund the service thereafter. The College would need to commit its bid to ongoing pay per use or equivalent annual costs. It is anticipated that around 6 College projects will be funded in this category at £75,000 - £90,000 including VAT.

A pre-condition of awarding funding to a project in either of these categories will be the provision of an end of project report by the College and willingness to act as a case study which other Colleges may access.

4. Instructions to Bidders

Colleges should submit their bids using the Application Form supplied in Appendix 2.

To complete the form, Colleges should save the form using a new title, inserting their name of College and Category of funding applied for as follows:

Name of College. Application for Cloud Computing Support. Category X.

The first section of the form should be completed by all Colleges.

The form is then divided into 2 further sections, one for each category of project (Category 1 or Category 2). Colleges should complete one of these sections according to the category of project for which they are applying. Colleges should only apply for one category of this project.

10

Eligibility: This fund is only available to Colleges with an SFA contract and in receipt of SFA funding

It is expected that the form will be completed by a senior member of staff who holds strategic responsibility for IT across Learning and Information Management.

Any questions on clarification of the details within this ITT should be sent by e-mail to: Cloud@aoc.co.uk .

Bids will be evaluated by a panel and according to the evaluation criteria listed in Section 5.

5. Evaluation Criteria

Bids will be scored against a range of evaluation criteria and assessed by the panel.The evaluation criteria area as follows:

For both project categories:

Criterion Number

Criterion Description Weighting

1 An indication of the College’s IT Strategy and stage of implementation, which has been assessed using an appropriate tool.

1

2 Evidence of SMT involvement in the strategic and operational planning of IT.

1

3 Demonstration, through the use of the JISC Infonet Infokit http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/cloud-computing. of an understanding of the benefits that Cloud Computing can bring to key stakeholders.

2

For Category 1. Implementing Software as a Service.

Criterion Number

Criterion Description Weighting

4 Evidence of developing plans for Cloud Computing applications

4

5 Clarity of rationale for the choice of software application(s) to be implemented through Cloud Computing.

3

6 Clarity of links with College and IT strategic and operational plans and Cloud Computing plans.

2

7 Degree of consideration of the change management required for successful implementation of this

2

11

application(s) and the planned approach to this.8 Indication of a broad level of cost savings which can be

achieved. 1

9 Capacity of existing or planned broadband link(s) 1

10 Willingness to commit appropriate named personnel, and if appropriate external consultants, to work on the project, demonstrated through estimates of the time that will be made available. Experience of personnel

3

11 Accuracy and realism of costings. 2

12 Evidence of plans for funding of continued support to the application(s) after completion of the 1 year start-up phase.

1

13 Completeness and clarity of project plan 2

Total 25For Category 2. Implementing Infrastructure as a service.

Criterion Number

Criterion Description Weighting

4 Evidence of an extensive track record in planning and implementing Cloud Computing Applications

5

5 Clarity of rationale for the choice of infrastructure application(s) to be implemented through Cloud Computing.

4

6 Clarity of links with College and IT strategic and operational plans and Cloud Computing plans.

2

7 Degree of consideration of the change management required for successful implementation of this application(s) and the planned approach to this.

2

8 Indication of a broad level of cost savings which can be achieved.

1

9 Capacity of existing or planned broadband link(s) 1

10 Evidence of consideration of the legal implications of this implementation, through use of The JISC Legal Cloud computing and the Law Toolkit Aug 2011 http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/ManageContent/ViewDetail/ID/2135/JISC-Legal-Cloud-Computing-and-the-Law-Toolkit-31082011.aspx

2

11 Willingness to commit appropriate named personnel, and if appropriate external consultants, to work on the project, demonstrated through estimates of the time that will be made available. Experience of personnel.

4

12 Accuracy and realism of costings. 2

13 Evidence of plans for funding of continued support to the application(s) after completion of the 1 year start-up phase.

1

12

14 Completeness and clarity of project plan 2

Total 30

13

6. Timetable and Process

Issue of Invitation to Tender: 14 March

Last date for submission of questions by Colleges for clarification of any points concerning the tender is 5.00p.m. 6 April 2012

All questions and answers for clarification of any points concerning the tender will be published on the AoC website.

Bids to be submitted by: 5.00 p.m. on 16 April 2012

Bids to be submitted to: Cloud@aoc.co.uk

Notification of outcomes of bids: 1 June 2012

14

Appendix 1 Guidance to Colleges on the Development of Cloud Computing Plans

Guidance to Colleges on the development of Cloud Computing Plans.

1. Introduction

This guidance is provided to support Colleges in their development of Cloud Computing Plans. It can act as a checklist of activities which should be included in the planning process, together with information on areas of Cloud Computing which should be considered and sources of Cloud Computing information and services.

The plan should span all present and potential uses of IT by the College including teaching and learning, MIS and support to other areas. It is recommended that this planning process is driven at a strategic level by the College and that it involves managers who represent the full range of the College’s operational activities. The process should be managed by a project leader. Colleges may choose how they access any specialist expertise they require to develop this plan. The project leader could be a College manager or a consultant appointed for the purpose.

2. The stages in developing Cloud Computing Plans.

There are 5 main stages recommended for the development of Cloud Computing plans. These stages are summarised below with further details on each stage provided in the remaining sections of this Appendix.

Stage Activities Suggested Personnel

1. Detailed review of existing strategic and operational IT Plans.

Assessment of the performance of plans in respect of delivery of objectives in the full range of College activities and future considerations.Cost analysis – present and projected.Identification of areas where IT cost, infra-structure capacity/ capability, data integration issues or expertise are limiting current or future delivery of College strategy.Identification of areas where the College would wish to innovate but is currently limited by IT.Method: Focus group/questionnaire

VP responsible for TechnologyProject LeaderHead of ITHead of MISDirectors of Key Areas(Please note that this list is indicative as these job roles will have different titles in different Colleges and some may be combined into one role)

2.Analysis of findings and the reasons for any limitations

Analysis Project leader, Head of IT and Head of MIS

3.Identification of feasible options for

Research Project Leader, Head of IT and Head of MIS

15

Cloud Computing solutions, where applicable

4. Appraisal, selection and approval of Cloud Computing options

Prioritisation against College criteria

Project Leader, VP responsible for Technology, Director of FinanceAppropriate College committee(s)/board of governors

5. Planning Cloud Computing solutions

Modification of IT Strategy to include Cloud Computing. Development of operational plans.

Project leader and Heads of IT and MIS

3. Detailed review of existing IT strategic and operational plans.

This would be a “root and branch” review of existing IT strategic and operational plans with a focus on delivery of College strategy and operations. It would involve a range of staff with strategic and operational responsibility in the following areas:

IT support MIS Funding Finance Teaching and Learning Quality Estates Marketing & recruitment Information, Advice and Guidance Student support Employer Responsiveness

These staff would be asked to identify areas where limitations in IT are presently holding back the current delivery of services or are likely to in future or where future capacity might be a problem. They would also be asked to identify areas of innovation they would wish to engage in but are currently limited by IT.

This could be achieved through a questionnaire or focus group and use of existing toolkits to assess degree of IT maturity – in particular, you may wish to use “Generator” available on the Excellence Gateway.

4. Analysis of findings and identification of reasons for any limitations.

This would involve further analysis by appropriate staff including the Heads of IT and MIS to identify the causes of these limitations and classify them into:

Capacity Staff Skill Access issues

16

Cost limitations Data integration issues Mapping of business processes to IT solutions and others.

This analysis would also be applied to areas of innovation.

5. Development of feasible Cloud Computing Solutions.

This would involve the Heads of IT and MIS and the Project Leader working with specialist expertise, where appropriate, and using the JISC Cloud Computing Infokit: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/cloud-computing.and other resources to identify and develop options for feasible Cloud Computing solutions. These solutions might be in any of the three areas of Cloud Computing: Software as a Service, Platform as a Service and Infrastructure as a service. It might involve identifying single applications for Cloud Computing or an integrated structure of applications. Access will be provided to detailed information on Cloud Computing services which will be available through JISC including terms and conditions and costs and JISC Brokerage services: http://www.janetbrokerage.ac.uk/ Access will also be provided to JISC Legal services include detailed legal considerations of specific solutions. The JISC Legal Cloud Computing and the LAW toolkit may be found at: http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/ManageContent/ViewDetail/ID/2135/JISC-Legal-Cloud-Computing-and-the-Law-Toolkit-31082011.aspx

The Cloud Computing solutions, considered by Colleges, will vary according to factors which will include their degree of IT maturity, current IT strategy, performance of existing systems, capacity challenges and levels of in-house expertise.

Examples of possible Cloud Computing applications might include:

Development of a Learning Cloud, whereby multi-media course materials, learning activities and assessments are held in the Cloud to facilitate any time anywhere access by students and staff on arrange of mobile devices;

Development of a student support data sharing Cloud whereby information is shared between schools, local authorities and Colleges to enable seamless functionality of student support;

A full Infrastructure as a Service application whereby all Learning and MIS data is held at a data centre.

6. Appraising, selecting and approving feasible Cloud Computing Solutions.

This would involve assessment of the Cloud Computing Solutions against the College’s strategic and operational requirements together with cost benefit and investment appraisal analysis. Cost should include staffing and change management support as well as the costs of the services. College finance staff should be included in this process. This work would be used as the basis for approval of any Cloud Computing solutions to be adopted. Approval of selected options would be then achieved through the College’s normal budgetary approval processes.

17

7. Planning Cloud Computing Solutions.

This would involve planning of the implementation of the selected Cloud Computing solutions over a period. This would involve use of standard project planning and control techniques and may involve methodologies such as PRINCE2 and network planning (critical path/PERT). This would include scheduling key activities, resources and funding, identifying providers, business process planning and change management.

18

Appendix 2 Application Form for Cloud Computing Projects

Name of applicant. Title      First name      Surname      Job title      e-mail address      Direct Telephone number      Mobile      Name of College      Address      

               

Post code      Government region      UPIN number      UKPRN number      

Category of Project applied for( You should apply for funding in one category only)

     

Your College IT Strategy.Does the College have a written IT Strategy which encompasses learning and information requirements for learners, employers and staff?

     

When was this strategy last updated?

     

Please supply the name and role of the person responsible for the IT Strategy

Name:      Role:      

Please provide an indication of the name of the committee which advises the development of IT Strategy and the broad membership of the committee. Please leave blank if there is no committee

(50 words max)      

Please name two key strengths of the strategy

(50 words max)      

Please name two areas where you would like to progress the strategy

(50 words max)      

19

Please complete this section if you are applying for funding in Category 1: Developing and Implementing Cloud Computing Software as a Service Application(s).

Please indicate the Cloud Computing Software as a Service application(s) that you wish to develop and implement with this funded support. Please give brief reasons for this choice.(50 words max)      

Please describe the processes which you have engaged in to decide on your Software as a Service application(s). This should include a planning process with similar elements to those described in Appendix 2 of the Invitation to Tender and consideration of how you will fund the service after the first year.(100 words max)      

Please indicate the benefits which will be gained from these Software as a Service applications by specific stakeholders in the College.(50 words max)      

Please give abroad indication of any cost savings which may arise from implementation of these Software as a Service applications.(50 words max)      

20

Please indicate the consideration that you have given to any change management which is necessary to ensure that these Software as a Service applications meet their objectives.(50 words max)      

Please give details of your type and speed of broadband connection(s) to external networks (e.g. JANET and the internet) (20 words max)      

Please supply an outline project schedule and staffing allocation using the format below, with a maximum of 5 project stages.

Activity Start Date End Date Staffing/other personnel

                                                                                                                   

21

Please indicate the projected costs of developing and implementing these Software as a Service applications using the format below. Please indicate any matched funding which the College is willing to contribute.

Category of personnel

Number of days Daily rate £ Cost £ (VAT Exclusive)

                                                                                                                   Non staff categories

Details:            

External hosting and user management services (set up and first year provision)

Details:            

Software licences (first year provision)

Details:            

Hardware Details:            

Data migration costs

Details:            

Change management

Details:            

User training Details:            

Evaluation Details:            

Total Cost      College Contribution

     

Funding applied for

     

22

Declaration: I declare that in submitting this proposal:1. I agree that any sums awarded will be spent solely for the

purposes of developing and implementing Cloud Computing Software as a Service application(s).

2. That the College will submit a project report to AoC at the end of the project.

3. That I agree that a condensed version of this report may be used as a case study which will be disseminated to the FE Sector.

4. That I understand that there is no funding available to support these applications after Year 1 and that the College will need to fund the subsequent years of implementation if it wishes to continue with these applications.

5. The College has not colluded with any other parties in setting the College’s price for this bid.

Name of Principal:      Signature (scanned)      

Date:      

Please complete this section if you are applying for funding in Category 2: Developing and Implement Cloud Computing Infrastructure as a

23

Service Application(s).

Please indicate the Cloud Computing Infrastructure as a Service application(s) that you wish to develop and implement with this funded support. Please give brief reasons for this choice.(50 words max)      

Please describe the processes which you have engaged in to decide on your Infrastructure as a Service application(s). This should include a planning process with similar elements to those described in Appendix 2 of the Invitation to Tender and consideration of how you will fund the service after the first year.(100 words max)      

Please indicate the consideration which you have given to the legal implications of implementing Infrastructure as a Service. Please refer to the JISC Legal cloud Computing and the Law Toolkit: http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/ManageContent/ViewDetail/ID/2135/JISC-Legal-Cloud-Computing-and-the-Law-Toolkit-31082011.aspx(50 words max)      

Please indicate the benefits which will be gained from these

24

Infrastructure as a Service applications by specific stakeholders in the College.(50 words max)      

Please give abroad indication of any cost savings which may arise from implementation of these Infrastructure as a Service applications.(50 words max)      

Please indicate the consideration that you have given to any change management which is necessary to ensure that these Infrastructure as a Service applications meet their objectives.(50 words max)      

Please give details of your type and speed of broadband connection(s) to external networks (e.g. JANET and the internet) (20 words max)      

Please supply an outline project schedule and staffing allocation using the format below, with a maximum of 5 project stages.

Activity Start Date End Date Staffing/other personnel

                                                                                                                   

Please indicate the projected costs of developing and implementing these Infrastructure as a Service applications using the format below.

25

Please indicate any matched funding which the College is willing to contribute.

Category of personnel

Number of days Daily rate £ Cost £ (VAT Exclusive)

                                                                                                                   Non staff categories

Details:            

Virtual data Centre Services (set up and first year provision)

Details:            

Configuration Details:            

Development of mobile applications

Details:            

Hardware Details:            

Data migration costs

Details:            

Change management

Details:            

User training Details:            

Evaluation Details:            

Total Cost      College Contribution

     

Funding applied for

     

26

Declaration: I declare that in submitting this proposal:1. I agree that any sums awarded will be spent solely for the

purposes of developing and implementing Cloud Computing Infrastructure as a Service application(s).

2. The College will submit a project report to AoC at the end of the project.

3. I agree that a condensed version of this report may be used as a case study which will be disseminated to the FE Sector.

4. I understand that there is no funding available to support these applications after Year 1 and that the College will need to fund the subsequent years of implementation if it wishes to continue with these applications.

5. The College has not colluded with any other parties in setting the College’s price for this bid.

Name of Principal:      Signature (scanned)      

Date:      

27

Appendix 3 JISC Nexus

JISC Advance Nexus is a commercial service from delivery specialist JISC Advance that enables seamless data transfer within institutions and to remote shared services and external agencies. The connected approach uses enterprise service bus (ESB) technology to provide secure information exchange between software applications. and external agencies and also to improve the performance of an institution’s core processes which ultimately will lead to improvements in the student experience, reduction in the administration burden and improved cash flows - all of which are topics on the agenda of most institutions today.

The platform has been implemented using the open source software package WS02, which is what eBay uses to manage its transactions and it can be deployed in one of two forms:

1. A central ESB which connects applications anywhere in the sector to remote shared services and external agencies (such as Local Authorities, UCAS, TfL, the Borders Agency). The central ESB usually works in combination with an adapter sited on campus that handles data collection and message formulation

2. A local ESB which is primarily aimed at process improvement within an institution but which also offers connection to remote services and external agencies.

The diagram lays out our current and planned connections.

28

Any College planning to adopt cloud computing would benefit from a conversation with the Nexus team as our growing collection of connectors are available at a fraction of the price that a commercial supplier would charge.

29