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A Windows Desktop Hosting Solution
The Background
St. David’s Child Development and Family Services is a nonprofit organization
with a staff of 185 office-based workers and 450 home-based workers. The agency
provides early childhood, high-risk, and disability services to 3,500 children
and young adults annually. They also offer learning workshops and training
programs to educators and other professionals.
At St. David’s, 90 staff
members are primary users of the organization’s
computer system. The remaining staff members are kiosk users who spend less
than one hour per day on shared computers. St. David’s main location
is in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with satellite offices in Osseo and Crystal.
The Challenge
For nearly a year, St. David’s wrestled with
the challenge of reducing the costs of using information
technology (IT) while still increasing the reliability
of its network. In addition, St. David’s
found it difficult to adhere to the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) data
privacy guidelines. HIPAA ensures patient privacy
and monitors the distribution of medical records.
As
St. David’s grew and the management of
its technology became more complex, staff members
realized they needed outside professional help.
Windows Desktop Hosting was chosen as an alternative
to buying and maintaining an in-house IT system
because it could offer the benefits of total help
desk support and a predictable cost. In 2004, St.
David’s evaluated three application service
providers and chose Netgain Technology for its
IT outsourcing because of the many success stories
that Kris Hays, the executive director, had heard
from other satisfied Netgain clients.
The Solution
In April 2006, St. David’s went “live” with
Netgain. All of its software programs and data
are now hosted at Netgain’s hosting center,
a formidable building of poured reinforced concrete,
steel, brick, and granite with state-of-the-art
data center equipment. Kris and the other staff
members’ minds are
at ease knowing that their critical, sensitive
data is safe and secure in an off-site location.
In addition to hosting St. David’s software,
Netgain also provides unlimited help desk support
to staff members. They can now get immediate
answers from competent and friendly IT professionals.
And when Kris has questions about purchasing new
technology, like PDAs and handhelds, she can get
insightful advice that saves her time and may keep
her from making costly mistakes.
Since the conversion,
both of St. David’s
internal IT staff members left the organization.
In the past, Kris would have been greatly concerned
about replacing these individuals. With Netgain
as her partner, Kris no longer worries about
keeping up with hiring and retaining expensive
IT staff.
The Benefits
For Kris and her team at St. David’s, the
benefits of outsourcing to Netgain have exceeded
expectations. Beyond the initial goals of
reducing costs and increasing reliability are
the added benefits of:
- boosting the remote access
capabilities for the satellite locations
and home users
- easing concerns about data loss
- adhering to HIPAA guidelines and protecting
sensitive patient data
- refreshing technology infrastructure
without large capital outlays
“This whole project has been extremely successful,” Kris
said. “In fact, I have members of my staff
thanking me weekly for making this change. The
Netgain staff is polite, respectful, and responsive.
We always feel like we’re being heard when
we request service.”
St. David’s hasn’t had any downtime
since the conversion and has discovered how easy
it is to add software. Yet the biggest advantage
for Kris is the peace of mind she feels knowing
that her computing needs are being met by a very
capable application service provider. “This
is not a decision I have ever once second-guessed
myself on,” she said. “It’s been
a really good process. Our remote access has increased
considerably and several of our staff members have
converted from hating technology to loving it!”
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