YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough by Lydia Hill

Case Study Synopsis Vertical:

Not-for-Profit

Core activity:

Run projects to enable communities, families and especially young people to grow to their full potential

Employees:

100+

Challenge:

Provide IT support services in an efficient and cost effective way

Solution:

Provide IT consultancy and support services

YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough theymca.org.uk

The YMCA Cambridgeshire and Peterborough get the services and support they need, when and where they need it, to keep their critical systems online for less. YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough is a Christian Charity working to enable communities, families and especially young people to grow to their full potential by participating in a supportive and inclusive society, through all our projects, including housing, youth work, and health & fitness. With over 100 staff across 7 sites involved with multiple concurrent projects that support thousands of service users - reliable, consistent IT services are essential. The challenge

The Solution

The YMCA Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has a large support worker workforce distributed across a wide area with varying levels of IT requirements and abilities.

Softwerx proposed and delivered a fully outsourced solution based upon the provision of a surrogate IT Manager to provide strategic and tactical advice together with the installation and continued support of a new IT system.

While IT is a critical tool used across the organisation for managing and delivering itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support services - it is unfeasible to dedicate the appropriate funds to maintain their IT infrastructure in-house. They require expert consultancy when planning and executing their IT strategy, proactive support for all of their users and regular maintenance to maintain the IT investments that they have already made. In addition they wanted an IT service provider that understands charities, how they are run and the challenges that they face from day to day.

An efficient and secure client/server infrastructure based in Cambridge and Peterborough was installed to meet the needs of onsite users and remote users working in small project offices. Microsoft Windows Server and Exchange Server were installed to provide a centralised user directory, file access and email and SMS communication. IT support is provided by the Softwerx Helpdesk team who track and resolve all user issues under the terms of an agreed Service Level contract. Routine enquiries are handled on the telephone, by email or remote access to the system servers or individual PC machine. software upgrades are carried out.

“

As a registered charity, managing our costs while delivering the maximum value of service to our stakeholders is crucial. The selection of Softwerx as our outsourced IT partner has been a key strategic driver in the growth and continued success of our organisation.

”

Neil Portor - Financial Director YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough

The Outcome Softwerx designed an infrastructure solution for YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough that uses a range of different technologies and services form different platform and software providers to achieve the best result for their budget. The final solution is more cost effective - allowing the users to focus on their important work instead of IT. This, combines with an efficient support contract, has enabled them to simultaneously save money and improve reliability.

About Softwerx Softwerx is a dynamic IT Services company based in Cambridge specialising in the design, migration and support of hosted and cloud solutions. With strategic partnerships with vendors such as Microsoft and Rise, Softwerx offers its customers an unparalleled level of support and service in delivering IT solutions, on-premise or as hosted or cloud services. With extensive experience, an enviable reputation and a solid track record in supporting organisations in the Not For Profit and Legal and Service Industries, Softwerx is well positioned to assist organisations in the expansion of their IT services to include hosted and cloud services to deliver flexibility and agility whilst containing cost and enhancing security and resilience.

To learn more, contact Softwerx on 08458 450567 or by email to info@softwerx.com