- Approx. 12 users
Head office based in Reading.
Established in 1996, Daisy’s Dream is a professional support service-based charity, responding to needs of children and families who have been affected by life-threatening illnesses or bereavement. Daisy’s Dream work largely in the Berkshire region but have recently been able to expand to offer their services in Cheshire East.
Key Outcomes
- Daisy’s Dreams staff have directly benefited from the work flexibility and improved communication that comes with Microsoft 365
- Improved remote working capabilities
The Challenge
The existing setup was inefficient and outdated. The setup at the time was powered by Windows 7 and Server 2008, which was immediately identified as a problem, as both were due to go end of life in the coming year. Once an operating system goes end of life and is no longer supported by updates, users’ PCs become more exposed to security risks. This was evidently a concerning issue for Daisy’s Dream as the confidentiality of their customer’s data is of upmost importance.
Furthermore, the old setup was restricting and did not provide a long-term and effective solution for the charity to grow.
After receiving very positive recommendations from one of our existing connections, we decided to appoint Air IT as our IT partner. Due to our charitable work, our therapeutic workers rely heavily on face-to-face communication. With increased demand for our services, we needed to explore new solutions for effective, efficient communication, such as video calling. After requesting a consultation with Air IT, they initially recommended Microsoft Teams as a possible solution. Air IT’s Thames Valley team provided us with thorough recommendations to suit our initial requirements, followed up by a comprehensive proposal which suggested migrating to the cloud via Microsoft 365 and benefitting from video calling via Microsoft Teams. We were really impressed with the detail in the proposal, which was competitively priced and detailed the benefits we would get for our investment. Upon agreeing to the migration project, Air IT got to work, clearly explaining the steps that they would take, whilst working around us. With such clear communication about the process and any possible interruptions, we felt extremely confident about putting our infrastructure and migration in their hands. Before the pandemic, we were solely based in the office. If we hadn’t made the decision to modernise by migrating to Microsoft 365 before lockdown hit, it would have been very difficult for our business to have operated and served the community in a time of need. Now, we have the added bonus and flexibility to work with our team either from home or in the office, seamlessly.
Sarah Long
Finance Manager, Daisy’s Dream Charity
The Approach
During the consultation phase, it was widely agreed that upgrading the organisation’s operating system to Windows 10 was necessary. It was agreed this would be the best solution for Daisy’s Dream’s requirements since the power of Windows 10 would enable users to take full advantage of the enhanced collaboration and productivity tools that Microsoft 365 offers. This upgrade also enabled Daisy’s Dream to go full cloud, eliminating the need for a server and saving costs.
The team developed a plan to efficiently migrate all Daisy’s Dreams users over to Microsoft 365, ensuring minimal disruption.
The Outcome
Since the migration, Daisy’s Dream have directly benefited from the flexibility and improved communication and collaboration that comes with Microsoft 365. Daisy’s Dream’s day-to-day operation has been revolutionised thanks to Microsoft’s collaborative Modern Workplace Solution features such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint, allowing staff the capability to work remotely and carry out the vital work they do.
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