St. David’s Child Development and Family Services is a nonprofit organization with a staff of 185 office-based workers and 450 home-based workers. The agency provides early childhood, high-risk, and disability services to 3,500 children and young adults annually. They also offer learning workshops and training programs to educators and other professionals.

 

At St. David’s, 90 staff members are primary users of the organization’s computer system. The remaining staff members are kiosk users who spend less than one hour per day on shared computers. St. David’s main location is in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with satellite offices in Osseo and Crystal.

 

For nearly a year, St. David’s wrestled with the challenge of reducing the costs of using information technology (IT) while still increasing the reliability of its network. In addition, St. David’s found it difficult to adhere to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) data privacy guidelines. HIPAA ensures patient privacy and monitors the distribution of medical records.

 

As St. David’s grew and the management of its technology became more complex, staff members realized they needed outside professional help. They met with Bill Hafdal with Solbrekk and Matt Riley with Netgain and chose desktop hosting and hosted applications as an alternative to buying and maintaining an in-house IT system, because it could offer the benefits of total help desk support and a predictable cost. In 2004, St. David’s evaluated three application service providers and chose Solbrekk and Netgain. Misi Stine, Operations Coordinator, said, “We wanted to eliminate the expense of internal IT staff and the cost of hardware and software for an internal network. We now get more expertise for the same money.”

 

In April 2005, St. David’s went “live” with the hosted solution. All of its software programs and data are now hosted at Netgain’s hosting center, a formidable building structurally, with state-of-the-art data center equipment such as power generation, dry chemical fire suppression, physical access controls, and temperature and humidity controls. Misi and the other staff members’ minds are at ease knowing that their critical, sensitive data is safe and secure in an off-site location.

 

In addition to hosting St. David’s software, Netgain also provides unlimited help desk support to staff members. They can now get immediate answers from competent and friendly IT professionals. Misi said, “With Solbrekk and Netgain we have access to many different types of expertise, so questions or issues we have with technology are easily resolved with a phone call. We have access to many years of experience and great customer service, which is hard to find.”

 

Since the conversion, both of St. David’s internal IT staff members left the organization. In the past, Misi would have been greatly concerned about replacing these individuals. With Solbrekk and Netgain as her partners, Misi no longer worries about keeping up with hiring and retaining expensive IT staff.

 

For Misi and the rest of the team at St. David’s, the benefits of outsourcing to Solbrekk and Netgain have exceeded her expectations. Beyond the initial goals of reducing costs and increasing reliability are the added benefits of: 1) boosting the remote access capabilities for the satellite locations and home users; 2) easing concerns about data loss; 3) adhering to HIPAA guidelines and protecting sensitive patient data; and 4) refreshing technology infrastructure without large capital outlays.

 

“The ability to work remotely from anywhere has made a huge difference for our staff, some of whom work in client homes and are out in the field most of the day.” Misi said. “In fact, I have members of my staff thanking me weekly for making this change. The Solbrekk and Netgain staffs are polite, respectful, and responsive. We always feel like we’re being heard when we request service.”

 

“We have not had any downtime since the conversion and we have discovered how easy it is to add software.” Misi said, “Yet the biggest advantage is the peace of mind knowing our computing needs are being met by a very capable application service provider. There are friendly people always willing to help you with any question or problem you have and teach you, leaving us feeling a little more educated and confident.”