Texaport assists Edinburgh charity with Digital transformation

The challenge: an ineffective shift to home working

When COVID first hit the UK, VOCAL's IT provider migrated essential files to Microsoft 365 Sharepoint as an interim solution. This enabled the team to access them from home using any permitted device. The IT provider also upgraded VOCAL's phone system so employees could use it from home.

But after just a few weeks, it became evident that this was not viable in the long term. Phone calls would drop out intermittently, meaning the team could not provide the quality phone support their clients needed.

Additionally, the SharePoint migration had created a complex filing system with incomplete access to VOCAL's data and documents. This left the team using complicated workaround processes that added to their frustrations and prevented them from achieving what they set out to.

A new solution

By November 2021, not much had changed. VOCAL knew they needed a new solution and invited us to tender.

Critically, VOCAL wanted an IT partner that would support them in changing and growing safely.

Their wishlist included the following.

• A full migration to cloud servers, business applications, and new mobile devices so the team could easily work from anywhere.
• A telephone system they could rely on.
• Robust security they could have confidence in.
• A system that would let them change how they deliver services and scale as demand levels shift.
• A responsive, supportive partner that would give them the IT infrastructure and strategic support they need today and into the future.
• A supportive, responsive IT service desk so they could always work productively.
• Costs that were suitable for a charity's budget.

A modern IT infrastructure delivered by a reliable and supportive IT partner

Across the span of the project, we have completely transformed VOCAL's IT infrastructure, including:

• Safely decommissioning the old on-premise server.
• Moving all data, files, and business applications to SharePoint, so the VOCAL team could easily access what they needed from anywhere.
• Assisting with setting up a new Sharepoint filing convention that made it quick and easy for team members to find what they needed.
• Implementing Microsoft Teams and its telephony features as a single internal and external communication hub. This enabled team members to make and answer calls using their company devices and headsets, whether working in the office or remotely.

Now, we provide ongoing IT management services to keep VOCAL’s team productive and their systems secure. Using Microsoft Entra ID, we manage all VOCAL's users, devices, and desktops. This vastly reduces the risk of cybercriminals accessing VOCAL's network by ensuring that all machines and people accessing the system have the correct permissions and meet security requirements. Plus, we ensure other cyber security mechanisms are in place and working effectively around the clock.

The outcomes

Daily IT frustrations have been eliminated for the entire VOCAL team, who now enjoy working from anywhere without using process workarounds. What's more, they can now place calls without worrying about being cut off. Overall, day-to-day work is now more streamlined and productive.

The senior team can relax knowing that security and compliance are taken care of. Plus, with a more flexible IT infrastructure, they have more freedom to make impactful strategic changes and feel confident in their ability to respond swiftly to external events.