 In the nonprofit world, IT support is rarely just a walk down the hall or a phone call away. Many nonprofit organizations struggle with functions that those of us in the corporate world take for granted, such as data security and backup, e-mail hosting and storage and server configurations.
NPower New York's ITBasic program was created to help fill that gap, providing remote IT services for nonprofits across the United States, allowing them to reduce their costs associated with technology and enabling them to focus on their core missions. Demand rose rapidly soon after NPowerNY launched the service, and it was clear that in order to create a true "one-stop shop" for nonprofits, they needed help to make the service scalable. That's when Accenture stepped in. Through a grant and pro bono commitment from Accenture, an Accenture team analyzed and researched the current ITBasic offering to understand what was needed to meet both current and future demand. In just four months, the team created a detailed migration plan for existing equipment and clients; developed detailed build plans for data backup, e-mail storage and servers and security configurations; and completed a customer service training development program. The team also provided "hands on" technical help as needed across all disciplines. "It is our privilege to help NPowerNY achieve its goal of revolutionizing the nonprofit sector," said Chris Wearing, New York managing director and NPowerNY board chairman. "The ITBasic program is a great example of how Accenture is using our technology capabilities to help build the capacity of all nonprofits across the United States to meet their core missions." In October 2006, Accenture helped open NPowerNY's ITBasic data center, which will also house a second Technology Service Corps training center, providing a technology training program for disadvantaged area youth. "The staff of NPowerNY is grateful for all of the support—financial and in-kind—that Accenture has donated to our organization. Without Accenture's ongoing commitment, we would not have been able to expand our offerings and serve hundreds of groups nationally," said Barbara Chang, NPowerNY's executive director. Back to US Community Involvement page |