“The new G-Suite overhaul is changing the way we use technology and apply that to our lives,” Sophomore Zane Moreign said. “ I think it’s a game changer.”

“Nowadays, people have become desensitized to the term ‘the cloud’,” said Moreign. “From Google Drive to the interconnectivity of the Internet of things, it occupies more and more of our culture. However, I have always believed that we need to take a step back and appreciate the cloud for what it is.”

The Houston Cloud Computing Group (HCCUG) was started by Moreign’s father, Anthony Moreign, back in 2008. The organization operates with the aim of giving back to the community by being an unbiased and free source of point-in-time information about everything Cloud related such as Clusters, BigData and IoT. HCCUG strives to offer this data from multiple perspectives and providers. Over the past 10 years, HCCUG has grown from a small home run operation to more than 900 members.

Moreign has already accrued an impressive resume being the youngest speaker ever at the Houston TechFest. Inspired greatly by New York Times best-selling author David Allen’s “Getting Things Done (GTD)” method, Moreign presented to nearly 30 HCCUG members at the Memorial Microsoft offices on how the new G-Suite applications were the perfect tool for maximizing your time and setting priorities straight. He was vocal about how effective of a tool G-Suite can be.

“There are a couple of steps to the GTD method,” Moreign said. “Capture, being the first step, one should capture everything they need to get done. Your to-dos, your ideas, your recurring tasks, everything needs to be written down. G-Suite Marketplace offers a variety of task management apps that help you jot down all of your tasks.”

Moreign then explained how a variety of other G Suite tools could aid in the other steps of the GTD method, noting the ease of use and interconnectivity of all the applications.

“Gmail and Hangout help clarify your goals, while Calender and Sheets can be used help create and organize tasks which can be prioritized and reflected upon,” Moreign said. “A host of application like Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Forms can be used for task execution. The best part about all of this is that they can all be used seamlessly on nearly all devices. These G-Suite tools make it easier than it has even been to boost productivity.”

Moreign also noted the technical aspects of the tools during his presentation, speaking on the proven security of tools offered by Google.

“Security is one of Google’s fortes. Google’s Cloud Suite or G-Suite ensures that your files and data are constantly secure, and that the company has an excellent track record of not being hacked into.”

With the introduction of Google classroom, G-Suite’s reach was attracting a larger demographic. It has already being used in school across the nation, and is used in HISD classrooms. With G-Suite’s simple interface and heavy use of drag and drop, Moreign believes that the applications can be used by everyone, even students.

Moreign’s ultimate objective was to help inform more people about the state and up-to-date information about the cloud.

“My ultimate goal is to see the use of cloud computing grow,” Moreign said. I want to continue to grow the user group and hope our organization can continue to be a point of contact for everything cloud and cloud related.”

Those interested in joining or learning more about the organization and how they can be involved should visit: https://www.hccug.org/