Global non-profit modernizes its IT infrastructure
Summary
A co-managed IT service relationship enables Mission to the World’s IT team to modernize their IT infrastructure. The results have enabled Mission to the World to migrate their entire infrastructure to the cloud, embrace remote work, and support the needs of 500 missionaries in 74 countries throughout the globe.
Our Role
Co-managed IT services and support
Cloud migration projects
Remote work enablement
Voice and video-based collaboration
The Challenge
Mission to the World (MTW) is a Christian mission organization that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). It was founded in 1973 with the goal of sharing the gospel and planting churches in countries around the world. MTW operates in over 95 countries and has sent over 636 long-term missionaries and thousands of short-term missionaries to serve in various capacities, such as evangelism, church planting, discipleship, healthcare, education, and social justice.
Mission to the World partnered with Snap Tech IT for co-managed IT services in 2017. In the beginning, MTW had a typical IT infrastructure for a large non-profit organization, with on-premises Exchange, an aging ERP solution, and ongoing challenges with the cost and complexity on-site IT infrastructure. At the time, the organization had 11 physical servers, 112 virtual servers, and 3 SANs.
In the past three years, the organization was also confronted by the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid switch to remote and hybrid work. The organization needed to embrace SaaS solutions, along with voice and video collaboration technologies to empower remote work and collaboration for dozens of full-time staff.
The Solution
Snap Tech IT delivers co-managed IT services and support to Mission to the World. Nick Hulsey is Director of IT at MTW and supervises a team of three IT staff. Together, the internal IT staff and Snap Tech support the IT needs of dozens of full-time staff spread throughout the globe.
In the first few years of the relationship, Snap Tech focused on the transformation of MTW’s IT infrastructure. The entire infrastructure was modernized and migrated to the cloud. On-premises Exchange was migrated to Microsoft 365. The legacy on-premises ERP solution was migrated to a new SaaS solution. Other server infrastructure was migrated to Microsoft Azure. Today, nearly everything is in the cloud.
When the pandemic struck, Snap Tech helped MTW adopt Zoom and Zoom Phone for video and voice-based communications, enabling remote work and collaboration. Today, the MTW staff works in a customized and modernized SaaS tech stack, with Microsoft, Zoom, Workday, Box, and Circle SaaS applications. Snap Tech provides expert guidance around integration and cybersecurity controls needed to secure the entire solution. With Snap Tech looking after the network and cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and help desk, the internal MTW team stays focused on the evolution of the SaaS apps and technology that support fund-raising and mission support initiatives.
The Results
Partnering with Snap Tech IT has enabled Mission to the World to transform their IT infrastructure and migrate completely to the cloud, while embracing SaaS solutions for remote work and worldwide operation. The results for Mission to the World include an optimized real estate footprint and a better work experience for the full-time staff, all while supporting the needs of hundreds of missionaries throughout the globe.