Malta Red Cross, an organization synonymous with rescue, is administered by a staff of around 25 people, and supported by a network of 35 volunteers. One of its main issues was that all the processes were running on very old technology platforms, and the organization never had a centralized email system. At the same time, there was no uniformity in the way the staff and the volunteers communicated with each other, relying on different email addresses and services provided by each individual using free online services.
Eyetech Ltd, with Microsoft Malta's assistance, has now deployed Office 365 allowing all of Red Cross Malta's documentation to be stored in the Cloud with OneDrive for Business making documents and data accessible from anywhere at any time. Also, both staff and volunteers have started using Microsoft's OneNote, a digital note-taking application where we can take and share notes, ideas and work from any device where are you are.
In addition, Skype for Business turned out to be a very handy tool in moments when the organization need it most as it is used regularly for direct contact with professionals including doctors who give on-site assistance when people are on duty, guiding Red Cross members in how best to handle the patient, how best to administer first aid and thus avoid further complications.
"Moving to Office 365 allowed us to have a more centrally-managed and controlled system enabling us to focus our effort and time on our voluntary work and not on how to use the technology. Today, all our meetings, lectures, first aid courses and other training initiatives are all conducted via this platform and today, Red Cross Malta is operating more effectively in the community. The technology provided by Office 365 is very easy to use and learn especially with the help of our Partner, Eyetech Ltd, and most importantly we have even more control over our data security and compliance with built-in privacy, transparency, and refined user controls". explained Paulette Fenech Director General from Malta Red Cross
Patrick Cutajar, Managing Director of Eyetech Ltd said "Eyetech Ltd is a Microsoft Gold Partner, providing Microsoft cloud and hybrid solutions to small and mid-sized organisations across Malta. We have started building a solid CSR programme where every year we are trying to assist a project in our community."
"We saw an opportunity in Red Cross and we wanted to use our expertise in cloud technology to assist them in performing their mission better, faster and more efficiently. In fact, it is amazing how technological advancements such as Microsoft's Office 365 can be leveraged to assist an organisation such as Red Cross to improve its social impact," said Patrick Cutajar.
"This initiative was possible through the Microsoft Software Donation Program which enables us to provide our cloud service Office 365 for Nonprofits to local NGO's to help them deliver on their mission more effectively," explains Angela Micallef, Philanthropies Manager at Microsoft Malta.
"Microsoft has always believed in NGO's and the work they are doing in Malta and supporting them, means supporting a better community, enabling its members to reach out to those in need and helping them become better citizens. We want to see Malta's NGO's fully harness the power of innovation to meet the needs of our country and the various communities and this is what spurred Microsoft Malta to collaborate with our partner Eyetech Ltd to help Red Cross Malta with this software donation. We're looking forward to similar projects in the future by other NGO's that aim to leverage technology in order to improve their social impact," concluded Angela Micallef.