CLOUD 101 A Guide for GMHBA Employees 2018
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Contents Taking GMHBA to the Cloud .................................................. 2
What is the Cloud? ................................................................. 3
Why Use Cloud Computing? .................................................. 4
Who Uses Cloud Computing? ................................................ 4
Types of Cloud Computing ..................................................... 5
Public Clouds ...................................................................... 5
Private Clouds .................................................................... 5
Hybrid Clouds ..................................................................... 6
Common Cloud Computing Services ..................................... 7
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) ...................................... 7
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) ............................................. 7
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ............................................. 7
Advantages of Cloud Computing ........................................... 8
Common Uses of Cloud Computing ....................................... 9
How Will GMHBA Benefit? .................................................. 10
ITSG Employee Spotlight ...................................................... 11
Wayne Cogan ................................................................... 11
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Taking GMHBA to the Cloud We’re in the midst of an unprecedented revolution in health
care thanks to two huge shifts: runaway cost inflation and
digital health. Higher costs are spawning new incentives and
payment structures. Digital Health is putting customers in the
driver’s seat.
When everyone in the health-care business is having to
demonstrate how much value they deliver, it’s only
reasonable that GMHBA will be held to the same standard.
The catalysts of change are self-evident. Patients’
expectations have increased thanks to the rise of e-
commerce and social media. Members are already
demanding high levels of transparency and access from
health care providers. They will soon expect the same from
GMHBA.
GMHBA needs to re-position itself as a truly customer-centric
business in order to satisfy higher customer expectations and
increased demand for transparency.
A new digital strategy focused on more flexible and scalable
cloud infrastructure will set the foundation for GMHBA to
achieve this outcome.
The purpose of this guide is to help increase GMHBA
employees’ knowledge of cloud technology across all
divisions. A digital transformation for GMHBA will require a
team effort and new technology will no longer be the sole
responsibility of ITSG.
Any questions or feedback on this guide or GMHBA’s IT
strategy in general then please don’t hesitate to speak to
myself or other members of the ITSG team.
Here’s to a new digital era for GMHBA members and
employees.
Paul Hulett
Chief Information Officer
Information Technology Services Group
“GMHBA needs to re-
position itself as a
truly customer-centric
business in order to
satisfy higher
customer expectations
and increased demand
for transparency.”
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What is the Cloud? The ‘cloud’ is a figurative term. It is nothing more than a
network of servers. It is the physical space where
information, software, applications, and services are housed
and accessed. Cloud computing is the term used to describe
the delivery of these products and services over a network or
the Internet.
GMHBA will be accessing a remote network so tasks can be
performed more efficiently as it begins to adopt cloud
technology. Cloud computing can take on a number of
structures and styles though.
The technology has existed since the dawn of the Internet.
Email is a good example. But it has become more important
with time. It’s still evolving but it has already become a critical
component in billions of daily operations.
GMHBA’s ITSG team will be leading the charge in the
adoption of cloud technology. We’ll be employing our
expertise and understanding of the cloud to put GMHBA at
the forefront of the health insurance industry.
Below is a good explainer video if you’re reading this
document on your desktop or mobile device:
Figure 1: What is cloud computing? A short explainer video courtesy of Salesforce.com.
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Why Use Cloud Computing? Cloud technology will allow GMHBA and its employees to be
more efficient. It will enable faster, easier, and more cost-
effective computing, all within a secure and custom
environment.
The cloud will help GMHBA develop services to fit the specific
needs of its employees, members, and prospects. It will
empower us to take advantage of services and capabilities
that would otherwise be beyond our means.
Every employee and member of GHMBA stands to benefit
from the use if cloud technology in our regular operations.
Who Uses Cloud Computing? Many different types of businesses, organisations,
governments, and even individuals are now using cloud
computing in their daily operations.
The types of business that use this technology range from
large international corporations with thousands of
employees, all the way down to small local businesses. In fact,
more than a third of Australian businesses now use cloud
computing with the number expected to grow in the coming
years.1
Cloud computing is becoming more versatile and
mainstream. Any business can benefit from its capabilities.
GMHBA will work with its members and employees to
1 https://www.itnews.com.au/news/cloud-computing-adoption-in-australia-is-booming-468833
Figure 2: A diagram showing how the adoption of cloud technology will help GMHBA transform member experience and help employees do more with less.
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identify ways in which we can become more successful using
cloud technology.
Other organisations and government departments are
steadily transitioning to cloud computing. In the health
industry, insurers, hospitals, medical clinics, specialists and
other professional organisations have recognized the value of
cloud computing and now routinely use its capabilities.
National, state, and local governments have also discovered
the advantages of cloud computing, and are shifting more of
their operations to this technology.
Individuals are taking advantage of cloud computing on a
daily basis. The most common personal computing tasks now
use cloud technology. Individual users are constantly finding
new ways to take advantage. Whether on a computer, mobile
phone, or other mobile device, everyone from a tech-savvy
user to a beginner can exploit cloud technology and its
benefits.
Types of Cloud Computing There are three forms of cloud computing: public clouds—
also referred to as enterprise clouds—private clouds, and
hybrid clouds.
Public Clouds A network that offers its services to the public is known as a
public cloud. Public clouds typically exist at remote sites,
where they can be accessed by subscribing organizations or
individuals, but they may take on many different forms.
Public clouds offer a high level of efficiency through the
sharing of resources, while still providing users the benefits
of custom tweaks. Businesses and organizations, large and
small, plus individuals can leverage the benefits of a public
network to expand their capabilities and potential.
Examples of public clouds include Cloud, Amazon Elastic
Compute Cloud (EC2), IBM’s Blue Cloud, Sun Cloud, Google
AppEngine and Windows Azure Services Platform.
Private Clouds A private cloud exists to serve a single organization or
network, but may be structured in a variety of ways. This will
be the mode of operation for GMHBA.
Private clouds are often maintained on a private network,
and offer their services for users in that network. These
clouds may be managed internally within an organisation, or
hosted by third-parties, either internally or externally.
GMHBA will manage its private cloud internally.
“National, state, and
local governments
have also discovered
the advantages of
cloud computing, and
are shifting more of
their operations to this
technology.”
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Private clouds offer a very high level of security, and provide
the utmost control and ability to adapt. They may not be
practical for all small organizations, they are extremely
valuable to large organisations and corporations, which
routinely employ their services.
By leveraging our cloud capabilities, GMHBA can create a
highly secure private cloud environment for its employees
and members who deal with ultra-sensitive information.
Examples of vendors offering managed private clouds: Citrix,
Cisco, CSC, Dell, EMC, HP, IBM, Mirantis, Rackspace.
Hybrid Clouds A third type of cloud integrates the advantages of private and
public clouds into a distinct network—known as a hybrid
cloud.
Hybrid strives to offer a high level of adaption without
introducing complexity or higher costs. Organizations are
empowered to devise the most efficient environment
possible for their requirements.
You may, for example, use public cloud for data storage or
public cloud computing capacities during performance peaks
and use private cloud to run production lines or legacy
applications.
Figure 3 Public, private and hybrid clouds and their benefits. GMHBA will be operating its own private cloud infrastructure.
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Common Cloud Computing Services
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) Under the IaaS model, a cloud provider offers users remote
access to its server, hardware, and storage capabilities. These
resources are housed off-site, freeing users from the
responsibilities associated with their storage and
maintenance.
Common examples include: DigitalOcean, Linode, Rackspace,
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cisco Metapod, Microsoft
Azure, Google Compute Engine.
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) The PaaS model of cloud computing lets service providers
offer their computing platforms to users. Platforms include
operating systems, databases, web servers and a variety of
applications.
Users are not responsible for the complex integration of
hardware and software within these platforms, and are able
to collaborate on networks, allowing for a scattered
workforce.
Common examples include: AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Windows
Azure, Heroku, Force.com, Google App Engine, Apache
Stratos.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) The most common cloud model accessed by individuals, SaaS
offers users access to applications stored on a remote
network.
Users are permitted to take advantage of complex
applications that would be impractical or impossible to run
on a single computer.
Everything from highly technical to basic interactive software
may be rendered available on the individual level, giving
users the ability to perform both complicated tasks and
mainstream functions.
Common examples include: Google Apps, Salesforce,
Workday, Concur, Citrix GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx.
Figure 4 The 3 major types of cloud infrastructure. Some of these applications you will already be very familiar with.
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Advantages of Cloud Computing The benefits of cloud computing are plentiful for businesses,
organizations, and individuals. GMHBA will be able to take
advantage of cloud technology in a number of ways. These
include:
Cost-Effectiveness: The pooling of resources in a cloud will
enable GMHBA employees to perform tasks that would
be impossible on their own. Employees will be able to
complete such tasks with less time and effort, instead
relying upon the collective benefits that exist within a
network.
Security and Privacy: GMHBA relies heavily on its
reputation to provide safe, secure, and private networks.
Our ability to provide such networks is paramount, and
motivates us to employ the best technology available.
Speed and Power: Access to a network of computers will
allow GMHBA employees and members to use its
collective capability. Information will be transmitted
faster and complex computations can be performed.
Scalability: GMHBA will be able to respond quicker to
changing customer needs and increase its slack in busy
times and reduce overheads in down times.
Flexibility: Public clouds are typically accessible from any
location, allowing for quick and convenient access to their
services.
Likewise, private clouds are generally accessible from
multiple outlets within an organization. Employees will be
able to collaborate online, reducing costs and logistical
complications.
Usability: Clouds are designed to be user-friendly and
easy to use given the new world order for customer
expectations and high levels of usability. Access to
applications can be approved quicker for GMHBA
employees without the need for clunky software
installations.
Better Software: Rather than constantly upgrading,
installing, and researching software, GMHBA can
delegate this responsibility to cloud service providers.
In turn, GMHBA will be granted access to the best, most
up-to-date software and technology without the
administrative costs or technical complications and risks.
Technical Support: If a computing problem develops,
GMHBA will be able to rely on the expertise and support
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provided by cloud service providers and ITSG. A quick
resolution is handled by knowledgeable experts, while
employees are able to spend their time focusing on their
day-to-day work.
Time Saving: As clouds are created, maintained, and
updated by the service provider, they will save GMHBA
from significant time and cost considerations.
Space Saving: By nature, the design of clouds saves space
and storage costs by housing a network of computers and
services at a remote location.
GMHBA will no longer need to maintain a large number
of computers and the associated storage space, instead it
will relying on the cloud provider to handle this
responsibility.
Financial Planning: The costs of cloud computing are
typically fixed or can be reasonably predicted. Subscribers
often pay a monthly service fee, and are able to
accurately predict this expenditure.
The uncertainty, demands, and fear that may result from
self-maintenance will be eliminated for GMHBA.
Environmentally Friendly: Through the shared use of a
network, computing is done more efficiently and thereby
uses less energy. Energy consumption and carbon
emission for GMHBA can be cut by as much as 30% using
cloud computing.
As evidenced by the length and diversity of this list, cloud
computing offers GMHBA a number of advantages that
would be otherwise unobtainable.
In fact, it is impossible to recount all of the ways in which can
cloud computing can empower GMHBA and its members, as
every member is unique and can benefit accordingly.
Every single employee and member will be able to profit from
the GMHBA’s adoption of cloud technology.
Common Uses of Cloud Computing The implications of cloud computing are vast, and given the
rapid, ongoing development in this technology, its use will
become more and more widespread in the health insurance
industry.
From the largest health insurers to individual members,
health participants are relying on cloud computing more than
ever.
Among the most common uses of cloud computing today are:
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File storage and sharing
File backup and disaster recovery
Email services
Database management
Web site hosting
Software and platform applications usage
eCommerce
Advertising
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Testing and development
Popular media usage
Renting services
Short-term projects and periodic capacity-
enhancement
Editing documents
Global collaboration
While this list highlights the most common uses of cloud
computing, it is not an exhaustive list all of the diverse ways
it may be used by GMHBA.
Nearly every business, organization, government, and
individual stands to benefit from cloud computing, and has
the ability to translate this dynamic technology into improved
efficiency and success. GMHBA needs to be at the forefront
of this change.
How Will GMHBA Benefit? After considering the purposes and characteristics of cloud
computing, think about the number of ways cloud technology
can help you improve your daily tasks at GMHBA.
GMHBA’s has the right experience and capability to build a
cloud environment in the best interest of its employees and
members. We will have access to industry-leading technology
and infrastructure to meet even the most complex demands
of employees and members.
ITSG is on a quest to position GMHBA at the forefront of this
exciting and developing technology by using world-class
technology, carefully designed infrastructure, and a more
personable, customer-centric approach to business.
Pairing the expertise and capabilities of GMHBA with your
knowledge of GMHBA’s operations will help unlock your full
potential as GMHBA employee.
“GMHBA has the right
experience and
capability to build a
cloud environment in
the best interest of its
employees and
members.”
Figure 5 A new era for GMHBA members and employees.
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ITSG Employee Spotlight
Wayne Cogan Wayne is an IT Administrator with GMHBA and will be helping
to bring GMHBA’s future IT strategy in to place. We sat down
with Wayne to ask him about his specific role with GMHBA
and the expected impacted of cloud technology on GMHBA’s
business.
When did you start with GMHBA?
I started with GMHBA at the end of May, 2016.
What is your role at GMHBA? My title is IT Administrator, also known as ‘the role with many hats’.
Where did you study and where are you from?
Although I’m originally from Traralgon, Victoria, my family moved to Lara in 1996. I completed my primary and secondary education in Geelong, before starting my university degree at RMIT. I finished my tertiary education with Charles Sturt University.
Where did you work prior to GMHBA?
The Victorian state Department of Education and Training (it went through three names changes during my tenure!), for six years.
What's a typical day in the life for you at GMHBA?
Full of challenges, and challengers, with which to test each of my hats. Although I provide support to end users, a large chunk of my time is taken up implementing, tweaking and otherwise learning IT systems.
What do you do to relax outside of work?
All of the nerdy things. Dungeons and Dragons, video games, films and of course books! Admittedly I also like to dabble in technology that I don’t otherwise get to play with at work – mostly Linux.
What impact do you think cloud technology will have on GHMBA staff and customers?
Cloud technology enables businesses like GMHBA to provide a versatile and scalable environment to developers and users alike. This ensures features and bleeding-edge technology is available for consumption much faster than traditional on-premise technologies.