Hampshire wildlife charity says investment in IT gives it cutting edge
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is one of the largest of the 46 wildlife trusts that make up the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, across the UK. With the invaluable support of volunteers and members, wildlife trusts manage over 60 nature reserves, working with other organisations and landowners to protect and connect wildlife sites across the county and inspire local communities and young people to care for wildlife where they live.
With headquarters in Curdridge, near Batley, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has eight offices and employs 130 people. Their staff need the ability to communicate quickly and efficiently whether they are office-based, working with community groups or schools from their premises, or working in the field – quite literally.
The Challenge…
Being at the forefront of nature conservation the Trust needed secure, reliable IT systems that allowed for ease of communication and access to data while working in remote locations. A reliance on office-based servers and infrastructure was preventing this and limiting the options available to the Trust and its staff while hindering performance and failing to provide the required level of backup and business continuity.
There was also a need to improve the way the systems were used through training and support to ensure that staff and IT users could get the most out of the investment and improve their overall experience.
As a charity, the Trust sought an IT partner that shared its values of sustainability and conservation and prioritised value for money without compromising quality. Amidst a challenging economic landscape, and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trust aimed to implement a growth strategy with the help of an IT company that understood its mission and constraints.
The Solution
Aura’s strategic approach started with the creation of a Technology Roadmap scoped specifically to identify the needs of the Trust and its long-term objectives. This process not only reviewed the technical elements of the IT network but importantly, focused on the operational needs of the Trust and the day-to-day experience of the staff and system users. Aura sat with the Trust’s Board of Trustees, Executive Team and staff and listened to their growth plans and what they wanted to achieve over five years. By understanding their requirements and values, Aura was able to plan recommend and subsequently deliver the first three year roadmap.
Aura designed a cloud solution that provided simple and easy access to applications and data from home, the office or in a field and procured hardware to replace the Trust’s aged equipment; all of
which enabled the Trust to work through lockdown, while continuing to progress through the roadmap and become fully cloud-based by the end of the three year plan. The solution simplified the day-to-day processes for users while also increasing the robustness of data security and improving backup and business continuity.
A new cloud-based telephony solution providing simpler communication and collaboration between the Trust’s staff, volunteers and external contacts while achieving cost savings and increasing scalability, will be the first stage of the new three year plan which is based around the continuing digital transformation of the Trust.
Aura’s commitment to innovation in both hardware and software has streamlined the Trust’s delivery processes making their IT infrastructure work smarter, safer and with lowered costs.
The Trust has found reassurance and peace of mind in Aura’s service-driven approach and round-the-clock support from highly skilled teams. This support extends to both remote assistance and onsite response for reactive issues and includes 24 x 7 x 365 monitoring and proactive maintenance.
The Result
The partnership with Aura has enabled the trust to stay connected efficiently across all its locations, even those in rural settings. This has been instrumental in helping them inspire local communities, manage over sixty nature reserves, and protect wildlife sites across the county.
“Our relationship with Aura has been the major catalyst in providing us with the confidence to approach our digital transformation and to look at improving how we use IT to work effectively,” says Tara Puttock, Facilities Manager at the Hampshire and loW Wildlife Trust.
“While IT is an essential resource to any business, as a charity we face additional considerations such as budgetary constraints and the need for decisions to go through varying authorisation channels before being approved. From the outset, in looking to appoint an IT company, we had to feel sure that we would have a partner who would not only have our best interests at heart but also be able to help us deliver on our strategy for growth taking these considerations into account.
“It was important too that our IT partner shared our values for sustainability and conservation. We had a vigorous selection process and the team from Aura were head and shoulders above the rest. We have not been disappointed in our choice and I honestly, cannot recommend them highly enough.”
Aura’s alignment with the Trust’s core values, combined with its innovative solutions and commitment to service, has been a catalyst for growth for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust during a difficult trading period.
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