This State Of Ohio County Board Of Developmental Disabilities Made The Move To Managed Services And The Cloud… Now They “Don’t Worry About IT” Thanks To GO Concepts
Developmental Disabilities of Clark County in Springfield, Ohio is a team of 159 dedicated individuals who provide information, support, and services for people with developmental disabilities such as intellectual disability, autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and traumatic brain injury.
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They currently assist over 1,100 Clark County residents throughout their lives with funding, support, safeguards, and connections with partner agencies. Their mission is “To empower people who have developmental disabilities to achieve their fullest potential.”
THEIR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES
The staff needed help. Their IT system was constantly experiencing outages due to outdated technology and software incompatibilities. Additionally, their IT staff person had retired and the person now responsible was being overwhelmed. Beyond the usual needs of email and data transmission, the staff relied on technology to handle data for demographics and billing information, as well as to do their jobs effectively. They needed immediate assistance.
The Board developed an RFP, and we submitted our bid along with two other IT service companies. Of the three respondents, we were chosen to be their Managed IT service provider.
OUR STRATEGY
We began transitioning them right away for reactive services, connecting them with our help desk and a team of dedicated and professional IT engineers to quickly respond to all their needs.
They had several major infrastructure issues that needed to be addressed immediately:
- We quickly evaluated their entire network and developed a plan to systematically address their needs beginning with the most critical items.
- Their PCs were outdated, so we worked with them on a strategic plan to update their computer hardware on a schedule that worked within their budgetary needs.
- They wanted to continue utilizing their existing on-premise hardware. We quickly and carefully evaluated all their IT assets and discovered the existing hardware was never properly setup or secured. We optimally configured all hardware, allowing them to get the most of those existing resources, though it was determined to be outdated and limited in usability.
- Once the limitations of their existing servers were fully realized, including the inability to work remotely (replacement was needed due to age), the decision to move to the cloud was made. Utilizing our private cloud infrastructure housed in our on-premise datacenter, we implemented our reliable and secure virtual private servers and Remote Desktop solutions. This not only provided them access to current hardware and software systems, allowing them expanded capabilities for utilizing and accessing their network and data, it also allowed for remote access to their work-related software packages.
- Email was a concern, so we ensured their email reliability and security by moving them to our private cloud Hosted Exchange with encryption and archiving. They now know their email is protected both in transit and at rest.
- Mobile devices like phones, tablets, and laptops, were not being tracked, so we implemented a Mobile Device Management solution to ensure data is always secure even if a device is lost or stolen. We implemented a “Bring Your Own Device” policy to make them more secure.
- Reliable back-up, data storage, and disaster recovery were of great concern. With the implementation of virtual private servers, their data, applications, and entire infrastructure are securely backed up and always recoverable. And, it is always accessible due to Remote Desktops, wherever the staff has an Internet connection.
- HIPAA compliance and its impact on IT needed to be addressed. We provided, and continue to provide, assistance with their audits and surveys for HIPAA compliance.
THE OUTCOME
Their County Board now has the hardware, IT systems, and managed support, as well as the peace of mind they need to achieve their mission with:
- No longer worrying about IT. Their risks have been all but eliminated. Things work as they should and are both reliable and secure.
- Up-to-date computer, mobile, and server hardware. They always know exactly what IT assets they have.
- Redundancy and proactive systems management resulting in high availability and reliability.
- Expert support team that is accountable to immediately react and appropriately responds to all IT needs.
- Reliable and secure remote access to work-related software packages providing staff with more options to be able to perform their job, which allows for better culture and morale.
- A reliable and secure private cloud with current and highly available server hardware.
- Information technology that’s secure and aligned with best practices.
- Much more productive staff and more efficient operations.
- Reliable and secure email and data without the concern of missing or lost information.
- High rating on their most recent IT audit and HIPAA compliance review.
- Much less need for daily IT assistance due to extensive proactive systems management and the breadth of services being performed on the backend.
Now they can focus on what matters most in their operations due to having the level of information technology that helps drive their organization.
WHERE THEY ARE TODAY
Ravi Shankar, Ph.D., CPA, CMA, who is the Comptroller of Business Services at Developmental Disabilities of Clark County, has more than 32 years of experience with a county board. He knows the needs and challenges organizations in the DD community face, and he understands the best solutions to address them. Here’s how he explains where Developmental Disabilities of Clark County is today:
“We had problems under our old operating system. Because of this, we lost all our emails and experienced IT outages.
“We needed an experienced IT provider to tackle these challenges. GO Concepts took over our entire IT infrastructure.
“The transition went very smoothly. They worked over the holidays, while our staff was on vacation. When we came back, everything ran just as it should with no issues.
“Since we signed on for their Managed IT services, we access everything we need via a private cloud that GO Concepts set up for us. They handle all the patching, updates, antivirus software, security checks, data backups on the private cloud, and more. They also provide Microsoft Office as part of their service.
“We have everything we need. They maintain all our hardware, software, and keep track of our IT inventory and warranties.
“Our vCIO (virtual Chief Information Officer), that they provide, meets with us on a quarterly basis to assess our ongoing needs. A technician comes to our office once a week to take care of any needs.
“We no longer experience outages. If we do have any questions or concerns, they are always open, and our staff can reach out to one of their dedicated technicians. They work with our folks until the issue is resolved.
“I have recommended GO Concepts to about four other county boards. We have 88 counties in Ohio, and I’d recommend GO Concepts to any of them. We are very satisfied with their services.
“They call it ‘Don’t worry about IT’ and this is true!”
For more information about how we can assist you and ensure you “Don’t worry about IT,” contact the experts at GO Concepts… The Premier Information Technology Solutions Provider for Agencies, Independent Providers, and County Boards of DD.
In the meantime, stay up-to-date on technology and how it can improve your IT processes. Check out the “Insights“ section on our website, ITforDD.com, which is specifically for county boards of developmental disabilities and related entities. Here are a few articles to get you going:
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