Around 90 percent of recently polled business owners report beneficial results from their move to the cloud. This number includes many non-profit organizations who are discovering the varied benefits of cloud computing they leverage daily. So, when should your British Columbia nonprofit organization move to the cloud? As soon as possible, is our advice. And, Compunet makes it eminently possible for all Vancouver BC area not-for-profits — as well as for non-profits throughout BC to move to the cloud smoothly.
Here are 4 main reasons your nonprofit organization in BC should make the move to the cloud ASAP:
Cost-Efficiency
The pricing structure of cloud services is much different than traditional software and takes some getting used to. It’s closer to renting (as opposed to) buying software. Instead of a one-time cost, cloud providers usually charge per month per seat, which initially can make it look more expensive (though it’s not).
Many cloud services, however, are free or very low-cost, especially for charities and not-for-profits. Many companies offer donated or deeply discounted options to nonprofits.
Also, in the long run, cloud-based software tends to save organizations money. You don’t have to buy as much networking hardware or software. And using cloud services means you don’t need to spend as much on IT staffing costs to maintain local networks.
Ability to Work from Anywhere
With cloud services, staff members or volunteers with your nonprofit organization working off-site can access their work and communicate nearly as easily at home as they can in the office. They just need a computer or mobile device and the Internet. So many charities do fieldwork that this is a significant benefit.
Greater Security
One of the true headaches of modern IT is the danger of hacking and malware. Cloud-based applications are more secure from cyber threats than a typical nonprofit server environment is. Cloud applications are updated frequently, and teams of skilled cybersecurity engineers use sophisticated software to watch over datacenters.
Plus, when you decide to move your British Columbia nonprofit organization to the cloud, datacenters make multiple backups to other data centres in different locations around the world. No data is 100 percent secure, but the major cloud services (and trusted local cloud hosting services in Vancouver like Compunet) are probably the best security we have.
Online Databases
Nonprofits increasingly rely on data of all kinds. You must track and communicate well with your donors, members, and volunteers — anyone who interacts with your organization, including press and partner organizations.
CRM (constituent or customer relationship management) applications are becoming the backbone of British Columbia nonprofit IT systems. Nearly all of them now are cloud-based and available to you wherever you need them — at your fundraisers, service events, and off-site meetings. Online databases allow you to get to your data whenever and wherever needed.
Nonprofit businesses throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, and New Westminster BC look to Compunet for all their Hosted Cloud Solutions, where you get access to the software and applications necessary to improve productivity and efficiency – without the upfront costs. Contact us today to learn more!
How to Get Cloud-Based Tools for Charities and Nonprofits
We already mentioned low and no-cost cloud options for charities and nonprofits in British Columbia. Microsoft expanded its donated cloud offers for nonprofits in 2016 to include a significant number of donated or significantly discounted products. Here they are:
- Microsoft Office 365 — the online version of familiar Office applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, plus many more, including video conferencing. It also has hosted email via Exchange Online and online document sharing with SharePoint Online. These can greatly simplify a nonprofit network. See much more about Office 365.
- Dynamics 365 — Microsoft’s online CRM or constituent relationship management database. It helps charities engage with donors and volunteers, manage grants and finances, and coordinate projects from the field or anywhere with an Internet connection.
- Azure — Microsoft’s “infrastructure as a service” cloud offering for building and hosting applications that your charity wants to create or make available to your audience.
- Power BI — transforms your nonprofit’s data into visuals including graphs and charts from your own CRM or from your website using Google Analytics. This online application is useful for demonstrating impact, something that is increasingly important to our donors and grant writers.
- Enterprise Mobility Suite — a suite of software tools that helps you manage the BYOD mobile devices that your employees and volunteers use for work. It provides identity and access management for nearly any app or device, plus lots of security tools to keep your organization’s critical data safe.
And, for those of you that want the full and clear-cut guidance after moving to the cloud, Compunet answers the call for nonprofits across British Columbia.
Make Low-Cost Cloud Hosting for Your BC Nonprofit a Reality with Compunet
Move your British Columbia nonprofit organization to the cloud – and to Compunet’s affordable Hosted Cloud Services – with one simple phone call that will get you the results you’re after. Our cloud computing options for BC charities and not-for-profit organizations delivers exactly what you would expect from an A-list cloud provider in Greater Vancouver!
So, what are you waiting for?
Make the move to the cloud today by calling (604) 986-8170 or email us at info@compunet.ca to get started – your British Columbia nonprofit or charity is worth it!
