Nonprofit organizations need more support than ever in these tough times. Whether directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic or not, every nonprofit organization is trying its best to offer help to the needy and affected. However, it has not been an easy-going ride for the nonprofits so far.
Many nonprofits are finding it hard to raise funds due to the uncertain financial conditions that even the donors are finding themselves in. A majority of nonprofits that depended on physical events like a marathon for donations are now moving to the virtual events to raise funds.
IT budget optimization has always been a prime objective for the nonprofits, more so during the current crisis. However, the “physical desktop” is one aspect that always demands considerable revenue. Hence, it is only wise for the nonprofits to move to an improved and cost-efficient desktop solution –VDI.
VDI or (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) is a technology that helps in creating multiple virtual desktops on the cloud. You can get virtual desktops from various hosted desktop providers available in the market.
Let’s see how VDI solutions can help the nonprofit organization sustain and flourish –
1. Remote Work
The nonprofit organization members need to attend or conduct events to raise funds and meet up with the generous people who are willing to join their cause. However, with the ongoing pandemic, they have no option but to stay at home. Hence, it becomes challenging to keep in touch with donors.
With VDI solutions, as the virtual desktop can be accessed from anywhere at any time, you can bring all your organizational data at home. Hence, you have access to your nonprofit applications and the donor data that you can use to contact them. You can let the regular supporters know that the organization is still functional, and they can contribute as per liking.
2. IT Support
Do you have a dedicated IT support team for your nonprofit organization? Wherever there is hardware, there needs to be IT professionals to take care of it and resolve all your issues? However, it is tough for the IT professionals to offer you support remotely during these times. Moreover, deploying an IT team adds to the expenditure.
In the case of hosted VDI solutions, the service providers have their customer support team. The team consists of skilled VDI experts who are available round the clock to resolve all your IT-related issues. Since the hardware is owned by the provider, the support team can look into your issue from their end easily. Hence, they can offer you support while you are working from home or anywhere in the world.
3. Capital Costs
Any nonprofit organization is always looking for ways to cut down their costs. Most of them run on government grants and funds that should be utilized to support their cause. However, a significant ratio of the total expenditure in a nonprofit goes to the IT infrastructure setup and maintenance.
Opting for VDI solutions from a hosted desktop provider means that your capital expenses practically comes down to nill. As the provider offers you virtual desktops, there is no need to purchase the expensive desktops for your organization.
The virtual desktops can be accessed from any personal device connected to the Internet, such as your smartphones, laptops, and tablets, even from homes.
4. Easy Provisioning
The problem with any piece of hardware is what to do with it when you don’t want it anymore. For instance, if there are 40 members in your organization and 10 of them have to leave you for some reason, their desktops lay idle until you find the replacements. Also, if one of the desktops malfunctions, you have to purchase a new one, adding to more costs during this ongoing crisis.
In the case of VDI, as the desktops are virtual, there is no need to replace them physically. The virtual desktops are created on cloud servers. Hence, they can be added or deleted instantly as per your requirement. Hence, if you want 40 desktops for 20 days of a month and 30 desktops for the remaining 10 days, it can be easily provisioned by the service provider.
5. Security
Imagine your desktop or laptop breaking or malfunctioning during the current situation. It will be arduous and time-consuming to get a new desktop and install all your applications in it. Also, we have not yet considered the data on your systems. Have you made a backup of it, or is it lost forever?
As in VDI hosting solutions, all your applications and data are hosted on remote cloud servers; you need not worry about the local devices. Your laptops and smartphones are needed only to access your organizational data stored in the cloud. Hence, if anything happens to one device, you can just pickup another device and start working.
Moreover, the providers deploy advanced security measures like data encryption, multi-factor authentication, DDoS protection, and access controls to keep your data secure from all threats.
6. Easy Collaboration
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is becoming exceedingly tough to coordinate with the teammates. As almost all of them are working remotely, sharing of documents, planning virtual events, or working on a project is not easy.
With VDI solutions, as everything is on the cloud, the documents can be shared with other members without having to send them through emails. You can create a common storage, where all the members can access the files simultaneously. Moreover, you can also set roles and permissions for critical files, such as donor information list, to prevent unauthorized access.
Wrapping Up
What is the use of technology if you cannot afford it? Especially for a nonprofit organization, everything comes down to cost optimization. In these tough times, hosted VDI offers them a cost-effective solution to carry out the philanthropic work without fuss.
Want to know more about the VDI solutions for nonprofits? Call our Solutions Consultant at 855-223-4887.
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