Cloud offers silver lining to third sector financial worries for 2013
The majority of charity leaders expect the financial situation of their organisation to worsen over the next twelve months, as stated in the latest charity Forecast report in October.
With only 37% of charities using cloud computing services*, the majority of the sector is not taking advantage of the cost efficiencies that this technology can provide. Greig Schofield, business development manager of one of Coventry’s first full cloud platform providers, Netmetix Limited, says: “More charities need to be aware of how the cloud can benefit their organisations. We’ve found that there is a much higher need for IT in the third sector now, mainly because of the nature of the work companies in this field do and because funds and personnel are not as widely available as in other sectors.”
The third sector needing digital technologies going into the New Year, is born out by The Charity Digital Survey conducted by LASA, stating that two thirds of the 334 charity sector professionals say digital is ‘essential’ to their charities prospects. With jobs in the third sector decreasing by 4,000 since March 2012, according to the latest analysis of the Government’s Labour Force Survey, it makes effective tools and resources for the remaining workers all the more vital.
In addition this sector suffers from a lack of skills across the different functions. Over half of the respondents in the research by LASA, a charitable organisation supporting thousands of third sector and government organisations across the UK, identified training as an issue to moving forwards digitally.
Greig continues: “With many charities falling down on digital and computing skills, they need technologies in place that will eliminate the need for personnel to manage their various roles. However, there is little money for training and staff have very little time to spare, so IT systems need to be user-friendly and also scalable. With cloud computing you are outsourcing your IT needs, and in the case of our solution, Cloudmetix, a team of IT professionals look after all the ‘techie stuff’.”
Netmetix, a leading cloud solutions provider in the Midlands, launched Cloudmetix last year and is making the third sector aware of how cloud computing can benefit them through ease of use as well as providing financial savings.
Cloud computing offers many benefits including third sector organisations being able to offer staff the option to work remotely or from home, which not only helps to reduce overheads, but also helps them to have a mobile workforce, which can be an important factor for charities that need to respond to a variety of situations, including providing support for disaster relief and fundraising here in the UK and internationally. Greig concludes: “Cloud computing offers an ideal solution for charities and voluntary organisations where ease-of-use, scalability and cost-effectiveness are the key factors. Being able to access office systems and data from anywhere can make all the difference. They also have peace of mind, as they don’t have to worry about IT maintenance or back-ups.”
* The Charity Digital Survey conducted by LASA
For more information please contact:
Natalie Hunt, Bridge PR & Media Services on tel: 02476520025, email natalie@bridgepr.co.uk
Netmetix is based in Birmingham Road, Allesley, Coventry. The company offers IT and network solutions including Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and more recently a complete cloud-based solution through Cloudmetix.
Netmetix also provides a full and detailed installation and implementation service for everything it sells. The company provides sensible, reliable and professional advice at both a business and technical level. It works closely with manufacturers to bring effective and innovative solutions to its customers.
The company has achieved Microsft Gold Server Platform status following a rigorous examination process by its team of qualified technical engineers.
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