Previously, the majority of WAP's global IT services were hosted on-premise from the London office. In 2013 World Animal Protection began centralising its crucial communication lines with a new cloud-based suite from Microsoft.
Within six months WAP had migrated all 15 offices to Microsoft Dynamic solutions and Office 365, adopting SharePoint, Exchange (email and calendars), OneDrive and Office Web apps as part of their global strategy for animal protection.
OneDrive provides users with 1TB of online storage while SharePoint hosts content management, personal cloud, enterprise social networking, business intelligence and workflow management aiming to produce a fully integrated network.
These tools "enable [WAP] to maximise impact on animals in the most cost effective way" says head of IT Simeon Lewis.
With Technology Management's tailored strategy and forecasting, WAP now hosts a centralised Dynamics CRM Manager that provides a uniform approach to stakeholder engagement and promotes a single vision, which is vital for a campaign's success.
And with the introduction of Skype for business, WAP can easily contact overseas offices without the the need for costly, time consuming travel, he explains.
IT and disaster relief
After Nepal's 7.8- magnitude earthquake earlier this year, MapAction provided charities and governments with a mapping tool to produce strategic disaster relief.
MapAction uses GIS and data to deploy aid and relief workers effectively following a natural disaster.
MapAction uses Esri's ArcGIS software whose strategic approach results in the deployment of aid, shelter and workers in the most efficient way possible. This results in minimal wastage and delivers aid to directly to the point of need.
Both MapAction and WAP have invested in integrated IT has meant WAP's dedicated team can provide uniform and targeted response to their mission.