Nonprofit organisations are businesses that provide a service to the public while redistributing any revenue back into the organisation’s purpose, as opposed to creating profit for private parties. For this reason, many nonprofit entities want to keep their overheads as low as possible.
Many Australian businesses have migrated to cloud-based computing due to ease of access and safety. Australian nonprofits are also following suit and looking for reliable cloud solutions in Sydney, Melbourne, and all over Australia for the following reasons:
- Lower costs – Moving to cloud technology eliminates the need for much onsite hardware which, in turn, saves money on purchases, updates, and maintenance. It is also more cost effective to move data into the cloud as opposed to buying and setting up new physical hardware. No longer do you need to hire IT support contractors, or if you have existing IT employees, their skills can be transferred to other areas of the organisation.
- Scalability – Cloud scalability and elasticity are what allows the increase or decrease of resources, according to current demand levels. This means that if you use a pay-per-use cloud solution, you don’t pay for resources you are not currently using and can see big savings over time.
- Security and Privacy – One of the main concerns for any organisation is the integrity and security of any data that is migrated to a cloud. Nonprofits need to know that their financial data is safe and secure, as any breaches can easily put an organisation out of business. Cloud technology is among the safest ways to protect your data, especially if you work with a trusted cloud service that can provide continuous data backups, disaster recovery, data encryption, and identity and access management. When donors and clients have peace of mind about the security of their data, it will be easier for them to engage confidently with your nonprofit and be open to using other services you provide.
- Data backup and recovery – Losing data is a worry for every organisation especially if it is saved locally on a server which can be prone to any number of events that could cause data loss. When researching your choice for a cloud service provider, always check what kind of backup and recovery services they provide. Well-established cloud solution providers offer reliable backup and recovery services, so once your data has been migrated to the cloud, you should no longer have to worry about loss or corruption of data.
- Remote accessibility – If you have your data stored on a cloud it means it can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. This creates a lot of flexibility for your organisation, which increases productivity as a result. Volunteers who work remotely can still access information for their work and it provides ease of collaboration with your team as well as other organisations and donors. Cloud technology gives you a chance to expand your workforce and reach areas that may require your organisation’s assistance or education.
Nonprofits rely on their data to be secure, easily accessible, and publicly visible. Therefore, selecting the right vendor for your organization is a must. When doing your research, check with IT experts and other cloud-using nonprofits. You can also fill out a Cloud Readiness Assessment that will help identify your business objectives and help with a smooth transition of your data and applications by identifying security requirements, examining the IT structure, and then determining a budget.