MS Office vs OpenOffice for the CAF & DND (From: The Defence Budget)

[Harris]

IMO it is not the amount of data per se that is the issue.  It is the fact that we (the CF we) can't seem to delete anything.  When I worked in the IM shop at LFAA er 5 Div, we ran a duplicate detector on the HQ shared drive.  There were more than 200k duplicate files.  Many of them had more than 3 or 4 duplicates of the same file.  Anything issued by the Comd usually had at least 10 or more duplicates as at least one person in each branch had a copy.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Latest in our brilliant IT architecture: Personal Folders for Outlook will no longer be permitted on network drives - they'll have to be stored on local machines.  (Part of the Win 7 /Office 2k10 migration).  Your archives will no longer be accessible if you have to log on on a different computer.

Contracting the DWAN out to Google (Gmail, Google docs) begins to sound better and better...  >

To the Cloud!! ;D

 

[FJAG]

SharePoint successfully locks away information from users by imposing byzantine access rules; it's part and parcel of DND/CF's desire to classify and designate beyond reason.  Tools that lessen the ability to restrict information are needed; not tools that increase layers of access control.

That's not a SharePoint issue. SharePoint is highly configurable and can lock up or give liberal access to data depending on how the system owners want it. Trouble is that DND is generally a risk averse organization and tends to err on the side of hoarding data (usually under the guise of security or need to know [and I guess the Manning issue tends to reinforce that attitude]) rather than providing wide and liberal portal access to data.

Also don't blame IM for that. Data is owned by the users; IM generally implements data access rules to suit the users' statement of requirements.

On the USB issue. At JAG we created a Protected B network running through secured/encrypted channels across the unprotected DWAN. To access the system you need to insert a specialized USB key that that in itself is encrypted to Secret standards. (In effect if a key were to be lost the data would be inaccessible to whoever finds it.) While the key can be used as a secure data storage device, the real system intent is to have users keep all their data (including emails) in the JAG-wide back-end servers and to let each user access the servers in secure sessions from any DWAN workstation or laptop (even non JAG ones). The primary reason for that is we decided to break down all the old data silos and put all data into one system where it is accessible to everyone who is given access to it. SharePoint and RDIMS are both part of the system.

 

[captloadie]

While I was outcan, I learned that my French Airforce colleagues use only OpenOffice for their day to day work. The Germans were using Corel suites (Lotus, WP, etc.). The Czechs I believe used Gmail for their mail server.

So, there is a precedent for Governments to use non MS Office systems.

 

[McG]

Latest in our brilliant IT architecture: Personal Folders for Outlook will no longer be permitted on network drives - they'll have to be stored on local machines.  (Part of the Win 7 /Office 2k10 migration).  Your archives will no longer be accessible if you have to log on on a different computer.

Email archive should be public record and subject to our information management (including retention) policies.  RDIMS (or a similar IM software) with Outlook interface can provide the email CR and greatly reduce the need for great big personal folders.

 

[Duckman54]

...and not a word (thus far) about iOS?  Moved my whole household Mac years ago, and will never look back.  Worked with hard-core (and even some custom) UNIX stations at university.  Once I found out that Apple stuff was actually bullet-proof UNIX with a nicer user screen with pretty icons, that cinched the deal!

Plus the inherent architechture makes it a MUCH more secure platform.  I'm no CompSci guy or programmer, but I know the basics.  And I know that back in the days of the early 'Net, computers used to purposely advertise their existence on that 'Net.  More nodes = more powerful back then. Nowadays, it's just an invite for viruses and malware, hence large users (and small alike) spend large fortunes for Norton, McAffee, etc to protect themselves.  Think it's that Windows operates with Port 1026 default open (??  correct me), thus basically leaving the door 'open' to be discovered, take in data, etc.

Macs, by their very nature, operate with that port CLOSED by default, and only open it ever-so-briefly when actually transmitting, or EXPECTING a receipt of data.  Night and day more secure right at the bare-bones level.  Add wonderful operating software on top, and no surprise Mac users like me just don't get viruses and other crap.


Sounds like not such a bad idea for something (like DWAN) that we'd rather have a tad secure? And yes, back in the day there were compatibility issues... but no more. Heck, my iPhone can flawlessly open Word and Excel docs, and it sure-as-heck don't have Microsquash Office loaded onto it!  It just works nowadays.  My desktop can do anything MS Office can do, with their equivalents of Word, Excel and Powerpoint...  called Pages, Numbers, and Keynote respectively.  Comes FREE!

Then there are the dreaded Updates and Service Packs...  which add, and add, and add to an already HUGE operating system!  When Apple iOS updates, the operating system ALWAYS gets rid of the old code which was replaced, and as complex programming gets more efficient, the program often gets SMALLER as more updates are applied over the years!  THAT is why you'll see some people still running those late-90's IMacs that look like 'table-lamps with screens'. Challenge you to find a 10-12 year old PC in usable condition still doing anything productive.

And as for training/conversion?  All but the most advanced features are idiot-proof...  Thougthful and intelligent design up front makes for intuitive use. Even the most techno-phobic users have no problem wildly customizing their iPhones, do they not? iOS itself is pretty firmly locked. Home users cannot readily dig into the guts to alter functionality.  Perhaps thats why it WORKS?  But for large corporate/gov't users, Apple WILL make unique modifications to apply to that 'fleet', if required. OpenOffice, although cool, has no corporate support. You get what you pay for...  Anyone experience the 'Service' at a genuine Apple store?

Tech support and HelpDesks??  Put 3/4 of that workforce outta work overnight. I worked for big BC Gov't ministry, and compu-geeks here (the PROS) freely admit that. Save lotsa $$! 

Go into a random office and give all the staff Macs one day and YES, there will be some initial grumbling. But 4 weeks later try to switch back to Windows and you'll have a full-blown REVOLT! 

Yes, might be a small price premium up front, but with longer-lasting hardware, software, less frequent 'refresh' ocurring, less tech support and more productivity and security all along the way, sounds like it's worth looking into, at least.

Anyone have solid data as to why that WOULDN'T work?  ("smart" and "Gov't" in the same sentence argument notwithstanding)

 

[FJAG]

Email archive should be public record and subject to our information management (including retention) policies.  RDIMS (or a similar IM software) with Outlook interface can provide the email CR and greatly reduce the need for great big personal folders.

:goodpost:

This was one of our largest problems. Legal personnel were stationed all over the country and therefore their data drives and email folders were located on various disparate servers. Drills were to print off all documents and emails to be placed into paper files for retention (not always done) and all too often electronic folders and files would disappear on posting. All too often as well, incoming personnel would have only a fragment of the background info on a given file. (At the other end of the extreme, most files were never properly stripped and were stuffed with transient records that long ago should have been destroyed while many paper files should have long ago been dealt with [destroyed or transferred to Archives]). The problem is even worse in many other formations and units where properly trained and empowered records management staff do not exist.

While there are better records management products than RDIMS, RDIMS is perfectly capable of adequate records and  information management (including records retention management).

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Being a MAC user at home has me very much agreeing with Duckman54.

"It just works".

 

[PuckChaser]

"It just works".

There's a reason Mac's aren't used on enterprise scale anymore, "it just works" also means "it does what Apple wants it to do, nothing more".

 

[Inquisitor]

Just saw an article that the German Government is warning users not to trust Windows 8. Seems that the "Trusted Computing" ummm "Feature" is the backdoor for NSA to get access.

To add injury to injury it makes Billy G even richer. On a more positive note there was much speculation on the thread about the negative effects this will have on the US IT industry when they are perceived as corrupt. 0.

Oh well, just silly silly me, now that the Americans have been found out I'm sure their all very very sorry and will never ever ever do something similar again.

I also believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.