After an online search of IT companies HVMRT found Probado whilst searching for local companies based around West Yorkshire.

Tom Dawes of HVMRT comments ‘as luck would have it ‘Probado’s Director Martin Jones lived close by from our headquarters and was aware of us as an emergency service.’

Confidence in Probado

‘What impressed them most was Probado’s willingness to help us as a charity. They knew exactly what was being asked of them, what was needed and put forward suggested solutions that really worked.’

For HVMRT communications is key, as originally the organisation had stand alone repeaters in locations where standard broadband was either poor or not available at all. HVMRT had already invested in 4G SIMS believing this would be the solution. However, without static IP’s, the VPNs they had setup would regularly drop and need to be reconfigured. Probado recommended the use of 4G enabled routers at the remote sites.

“We now have better interconnectivity of IT systems linking with other mountain rescue teams through things like mapping software and radio which is growing year on year.”

The solution used the fact that the HQ had a static IP and involved creating dynamic VPNs from the remote locations, including the control van when this comes online, back to the HQ. By doing this each of the remote locations could then route via HQ to any of the other locations and so the VPN Probado provided linked all HMVRT’s repeater sites together. HVMRT now have radio coverage spanning all the way from Leeds to Holmfirth.

Improving Technology

In the last few years mountain rescue and IT technology have taken massive leaps and bounds as teams are very reliant on having robust internet connections and VPN which will only prove to be more important in the future.

Tom Dawes continues ‘We now have better interconnectivity of IT systems linking with other mountain rescue teams through things like mapping software and radio which is growing year on year.’

‘After the work was completed Martin has been more than willing to help support us, answering directly to any questions we have and now everything is set up we can email him remotely.’

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“Probado was recommended to Acorn by another charity in our region since they had an excellent understanding of multi-site organisations working with vulnerable people.”

Understanding Charities

Gordon Maclean, one of the directors at Probado explained ‘We understand the sector’s needs and the donor programs which are available to charities from leading vendors such as Microsoft and Cisco. We recognise the continual pressure to reduce costs, increase Service User satisfaction and payment by results by commissioning bodies’.

Economical Data Solutions

Probado’s approach was to have Acorn use the donor programs where appropriate and we then provisioned the service from Probado’s secure, highly resilient datacentre facilities. Further capital investment by Acorn was avoided at the desktop using Thin Client Terminals which they provided as part of their managed service. This was considered to be a more secure, cost-effective, less noisy and considerably less bulky solution when compared to traditional desktop computers. Finally, to keep costs down, Probado used Acorn’s existing equipment and networks where possible.

Supporting Acorn

All on-site visits and telephone support are covered in our monthly charge so budgeting is easy, no expensive call-out fees, keeping managers and provisioning staff client facing.

Clean Implementation

Probado worked with Acorn’s Senior Management Team so that it was clear the IT changeover project was being led from within the organisation. This helped cascade project updates and system familiarisation through the management teams to staff and key stakeholders. The implementation delivered on time and to budget.

As Hayley commented on the Probado account team, ‘Martin, Gordon and Jonathan have provided excellent support – they respond quickly if we need them, we feel really reassured that we’re working with providers who treat us personally and are looking after us as an organisation.’

“Martin, Gordon and Jonathan have provided excellent support – they respond quickly if we need them. . .”

Hayley joined Acorn after the implementation of the new IT system from a much larger social care business. ‘I was really impressed with the IT system, it was one of the things that worried me when I started but it compares easily with much more expensive and sophisticated systems. Maintaining data securely off-site means that we can always access it. Our staff share information more effectively and as a result we’re running a more efficient and cost-effective organisation.’

Hayley Boff and Gordon Maclean were interviewed by Mark Crowe of Mark Crowe Consulting

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That was when Probado stepped in, recommended to them by colleagues who had used Probado’s services in other organisations; Probado listened to the Step Ahead management and staff who all had a stake in making the IT system more efficient.

Data Sharing

Since Peter is often out and about a major concern of his was to have secure and reliable data access to case files and other confidential information while he’s on the move. With thirteen staff across two sites sharing information across the team is paramount – all the staff need to be able to get information from or update any of the young people’s files at any time, securely.

Finally, any transition to a new system had to be smooth so as not to affect the day-to-day work of the staff team. Gordon Maclean from Probado commented that ‘many organisations find themselves growing out of their IT systems but try and add onto them because they want to work with what they know.’

“they could keep software that they were familiar with but we put it onto a system that let them work in a much more flexible way”

‘Fortunately we were able to show Step Ahead that they could keep software that they were familiar with but we put it onto a system that let them work in a much more flexible way’. Louise explained ‘we said to Probado: “this is what we want” and they just did it! I don’t understand the technicalities, all I know is that the system works really well, and that’s what I need to know’.

“Probado are always on hand accessible and approachable. . .”

When asked any downsides? – Louise commented ‘None at all – Probado are always on hand accessible and approachable, and any minor problems have been sorted out quickly so they haven’t become major problems’.

Remote Access

Staff can access information remotely using all the software they were familiar with, meaning that they are able to share information about their Service Users progress more effectively, free up time to work with their Service Users who are working towards independent living. As a result, Step Ahead management are confident that their service is even more efficient and their IT system is saving them time and money.

Peter Bonsu, Louise Campbell and Gordon Maclean were interviewed by Mark Crowe of Mark Crowe Consulting

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Listening to Needs

It was obvious from an initial meeting that Probado were keen to work with not for profit organisations, had good values themselves, and listened carefully to SHAP’s needs. Essentially, they were able to explain things in English!

Probado then worked with SHAP staff on a project group, developing clear and accountable responsibilities between the two organisations. Probado attended management meetings to answer everyone’s questions, and they also trained staff.

Excellent Working Relationship

SHAP Managing Director, Mark Weights, said there was some resistance to change within the organisation, and a change of culture was needed. Andy Lee-McGurk said the excellent working relationship enabled them to talk through difficult issues and overcome teething problems as they arose. The positive nature of this relationship has been confirmed by internal feedback from staff.

Mark explained how Probado offered ways that SHAP could structure the work, and only do what genuinely added value – ‘they didn’t go for gold standard every time’ – always being clear and transparent about costs, benefits and limitations of different solutions.

System Reliability

SHAP now have a stable, cost-effective system, which is not reliant on one individual. For Mark, it’s much easier to performance manage, especially for remote and geographically distant sites which are very dependent on IT links.

Staff spend far less time accessing paperwork, giving them more time to spend with Service Users, who themselves have greater access to the net to look for job and accommodation opportunities.

On-going support is always a crucial component of IT work. Andy describes Probado’s support as ‘responsive and flexible’. Staff can contact them direct, and they don’t need to explain too much for Probado to identify and resolve the problem.

“they can explain, for the decision-maker, the options and benefits, in accessible language. . .”

Mark had no trouble saying what he most appreciated about working with Probado: ‘They are extremely competent and knowledgeable when operating technically. And they can explain, for the decision-maker, the options and benefits, in accessible language, which is a real skill. That’s very important.’

Mark Weights and Andy Lee-McGurk were interviewed by Rob Cook of Mark Crowe Consulting

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