Five Things Your Non-Profit Should Consider Before A Technology Refresh

Digital transformation has taken the world by storm, stirring up the way that people run their businesses, whether they are Fortune 500s, start-ups or non-profits. With technology becoming more intuitive and intelligent every day,

it’s important for businesses to do a technology refresh regularly, in order to remain relevant and on top of their game.

Just because you run a non-profit organisation, it doesn’t mean that you cannot run with the big dogs and use technology to your advantage. In order for your staff to offer the best output, they need to have the right tools at their disposal. Solutions such as Microsoft 365 are geared specifically towards small-to-medium-sized businesses to help them offer their teams complete collaboration, team management, project management and user-friendly IT management, among many other things.

If you’re considering a technology refresh and want to evolve with the ever-changing digital transformation, we’ve put together five things your non-profit should consider before a technology refresh.

1. WILL YOU BE RUNNING A SECURITY RISK

What are the risks of moving forward with a cloud computing solution such as Microsoft 365? Many business owners question the security of cloud computing solutions simply because the control is out of their hands. The truth is that solutions such as Microsoft 365 actually reduce your security risk because extensive measures have to be taken in order to keep customers happy. Microsoft 365 comes with Windows Defender Management Controls, which give the business full control over their own security management across all products, which sets minds at ease.

2. CAN YOUR TEAM COLLABORATE FROM ANYWHERE?

Using Microsoft 365 Business, teams can be spread all over the world and still have the opportunity to collaborate with one another as if they’re sitting in the same office. Cloud computing allows employees to work on the same document together, even though they’re not in the same space. Saving can take place in OneDrive, which takes all documents up to the cloud for anyone to access. Catch-ups can be conducted over Skype, or Skype For Business video calls can bring the whole team together for a meeting.

3. WILL YOUR EMPLOYEES BE ABLE TO STAY CONNECTED?

Consider how some of your support workers might need to be able to stay connected, even when the business is closed for the day. Cloud computing will allow employees to work when they need to, provided they have access to the business network. Even if they’re offline, they’ll be able to work, respond to and access documents. When they’re reconnected to the internet, everything will sync and update, giving employees seamless opportunity to work on their projects without any interruptions.

4. WILL YOU NEED PHYSICAL OFFICE SPACE?

Consider your office space in years to come. Do you need a structured layout with defined desks for each employee? Or would you use less space with hot desks that can be made available to employees as and when they are in the office? Allowing employees to work remotely will alleviate issues with space, rental fees and extensive overheads. This is 100% possible with a cloud computing solution.  

5. CAN YOU REMAIN COMPETITIVE AND RELEVANT?

Maintaining your position in your market is essential to staying relevant. It’s difficult to compete in a digital environment, if you are not a part of the digital transformation. It’s as simple as keeping up to date with the most prominent ways that you can manage your business. Giving your employees access to information 24/7. They can save everything in one place using OneDrive and access it at any time. Using cloud-based solutions, your business can be more flexible, open to change, and able to adapt.

HOW POWERNET CAN HELP?

We take great pride in partnering with organisations. Our team specialises in developing customised solutions to help you get the most out of your technology