Setup

• There is no fee to join the MyU3A network and no licences required.
• No matter what size your U3A, you are equally welcome to join the MyU3A Network.
• If all or some of your records are in an electronic format:
• Our automated setup processes may be able to get you up and running in a few minutes.
• Setup is normally free - depending on the state of your current records. In some cases a small conversion fee might apply.
• MyU3A coverage of U3A administration and management functions is quite broad. Our support team is always ready to help you gain the maximum benefit from the extensive MyU3A Network facilities.
• If all your records are on paper, it's still quite simple to get up and running on the MyU3A Network.
• Our support team will be happy to help you all the way through the setup process and beyond.

Ongoing

• There are two levels of support:
• The major support requirement is to keep the "cloud" operating 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. This has been contracted out to a large IT organisation with several hundred clients and a large technical support staff. With the economies of scale charges to us are quite modest and easily affordable. This level of support relieves us of the major technical aspects of day to day running and solves the largest part of the continuity and succession problem.
• A local volunteer User Support Team converts the data and sets up new U3As joining MyU3A. It also provides local on-going assistance to member U3As. If a problem occurs where the contracted technical support team is required, the User Support Team will organise it.
• The support team is available to help 8 am to 8 pm weekdays, normally via email; telephone support is available if you require urgent help. Weekend support is usually available.
• Intensive support is available during setup and the first week or two of operation.
• The experience of U3As already using the MyU3A Network is that very little support from us is required after the first week or two - but it is there if you need it.

Long Term Sustainability

• If there is a need to continually enhance the software or carry out any software development, huge costs would be involved which would threaten the viability of MyU3A. To avoid this serious threat, a thorough business analysis coupled with years of hands-on U3A experience has enabled the inclusion of most, if not all of the operational variations required by both small and large U3As. If any U3A joining the MyU3A co-operative prior to February, 2015 needs a sensible feature that is not already available, it will be added at no charge. This eliminates the need for heavy software costs and virtually "Future Proofs" MyU3A.
• Software running on Microsoft platforms is at the mercy of changes to new versions of windows - some work well - others limp along. Upgrades to user software are often required with updates to the Microsoft platfom. This can require expensive software upgrades that have nothing to do with U3A processes.
  MyU3A is based on enterprise level Linux or Unix platforms which do not suffer this vulnerability.
  
  
• When your U3A joins the MyU3A network, the person who currently supports your computer system and any other members of your U3A with course/Tutor co-ordinating experience or technical people with network, linux, web design, database, programing or other computer skills are invited to join our volunteer User Support Team. These members can then continue to support MyU3A at your U3A. If other U3A's experience the loss of their own support personnel, members of the Support Team at other U3As may be able to help out - U3As helping other U3As. Those personnel continue to develop their interest and apply their skill; at the same time our support costs are kept to a minimum.
• Communication between members of the support team is mainly electronic so there's no need to travel for meetings. Support personnel can be located anywhere in Australia and still operate very effectively.
• Each person brings certain knowledge, skills and experience to the volunteer support team and at the same time may have some gaps in their own knowledge and experience where other members can help.
• By sharing each person's knowledge and skill among the team, each member is able to expand their experience. The result is that there is always someone within the team able solve any problem that might arise. This is just a simple extension of the U3A philophy of those with skills sharing it with others (tutors) and those who wish to expand their knowledge (students).
• All personnel in the User Support Team are members of a U3A and experienced with U3A operations (not outsiders who may not completely understand your problem).
• The support team is available to help 8 am to 8 pm weekdays, normally via email; telephone support is available if you require urgent help. Weekend support is usually available.
• Intensive support is available during setup and the first week or two of operation.
• The experience of U3As already using the MyU3A Network is that very little support from us is required after the first week or two - but it is there if you need it.

Succession Planning and Continuity

This is the primary "reason to be" of the MyU3A Network

• If we were to rely on a small software company to support us, we would be vulnerable to that company going out of business or key personnel leaving the company. That would leave us totally stranded and all the money invested down the drain. It would be worse still if that company was essentially a one-man operation.
  This solution would not only leave us with the same succession problem but places control of our future in somebody elses hands with a commercial motivation.
  
  
• We U3As are volunteer organisations with limited sources of funding. For long term viability we need an approach that is low-cost, sufficiently versatile and mature to handle large and small U3As with equal ease and cost-effectiveness. Particularly, we need a real solution to the succession problem.
  
  
• The MyU3A Solution is:
  • To contract the maintenance and operation to a large specialist IT company which possesses the detailed knowledge and experience required;
  • To continue to utilise the current expertise within our U3As to handle support issues at the local level that require less intensive technical knowledge but a higher level of knowledge and experience with U3A processes.
• This completely solves the continuity and succession problem and gives us the lowest possible operation cost for a very advanced Administration Management solution configured specifically for your U3A.
• Why not join us and adopt this state-of-the-art technology as your own "MyU3A"?

For more information:

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