Dementia Wellington had struggled with its IT infrastructure for some time, lacking both the internal expertise and funds to invest in putting it right. Staff and volunteers worked around the outdated systems but it was not ideal. There was general belief it would be a difficult and expensive exercise to upgrade – outside the reach of a small, largely locally funded charity.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic arrived. For Dementia Wellington to remain operational it needed to move its administration and management into the Cloud without delay. While its email and management systems were Cloud based – everything else it needed to operate sat on a server in its Petone office. Many staff lacked the technical knowledge or internet bandwidth to manage accessing it remotely. What was deemed previously impossible was now critical to the organisation’s survival - at a time when its services were needed more than ever.
GoCloud was introduced to Dementia Wellington by one of the charity’s board members. GoCloud rapidly identified what would be needed to move Dementia Wellington’s Microsoft platform into the Cloud and maintain operations. According to Dementia Wellington CEO, Anne Schumacher, the GoCloud team really understood their business and the constraints they worked within. Including having team members with limited technical ability and virtually no budget to do this. Thanks to its Microsoft Partner relationship and a lot of out-of-the-box thinking, the GoCloud team identified a way to move Dementia Wellington to the Cloud and get them operational in a matter of days.
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GoCloud has been roundly praised by the Dementia Wellington team for the “understanding, kindness and generosity” its team showed in helping everyone across their operation to move to the Cloud. It required calmness under pressure and a real ability to translate what were to some highly technical tools into very simple language.
GoCloud enabled everyone to work from home by migrating the data from the on-premise server to Office 365. They also renegotiated the licensing to zero cost and removed the need to have a server in the office and now the data is available all the time which improves the services Dementia Wellington provides.
"We are now fully migrated to the Cloud. Not only has it made our life so much easier it has saved us money. As a struggling charity, we can’t thank GoCloud enough.” says Anne Schumacher, CEO, Dementia Wellington.
While Dementia Wellington may be a small charity – it is tackling a big job. Its team of advisors, all health professionals, work to ensure those with early to mid-stage dementia in the Wellington region continue to enjoy life. The organisation also provides wider support for caregivers of people with dementia while educating the community to better understand the condition. Learn more about what they do from its website.
If you’re a small charity and are worried about how to remain ‘active and engaged’ talk to us. GoCloud are expert in transforming organisations like yours for less budget and effort than you think possible.
Dementia-specific support provider and advocacy service
Dementia Wellington (formerly Alzheimers Wellington) is the only charity in Wellington providing dementia-specific services to local families. Through tailored advice, support, information and education, the team at Dementia Wellington offer free services to anyone diagnosed with dementia and their families, at every stage of the disease. They work across Kapiti, Porirua, Wellington and the Hutt Valley to help people with dementia to remain active and engaged in their community.
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