StreamliningDementiaNewZealand'sITinfrastructure
Dynamo6 helped Dementia New Zealand and its Northern affiliates streamline its IT. Previously, each affiliate had separate Microsoft 365 setups managed by different providers. The consolidation improved security, user experience, and overall efficiency.
About the client
Dementia New Zealand Charitable Trust is a national organisation that supports a network of affiliates who provide information, resources, and community-based support services to those affected by dementia, their carers and whānau. They have locations in Auckland, Waikato, Lakes, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, and Canterbury.
The challenge
Dementia New Zealand Charitable Trust and three of its Northern Region affiliates (Dementia Auckland, Dementia Waikato and Dementia Lakes) each had independent IT infrastructure managed by various providers.
This complex system caused inefficiencies for the Dementia New Zealand and Northern Region’s teams and created potential security vulnerabilities. They had:
- Four separate Microsoft 365 tenants with varying configurations.
- Reliance on multiple Managed Services Providers (MSPs) for IT support.
- Inconsistent security practices across different regions.
- Difficulty managing user access and device security.
The solution
Dynamo6 proposed and implemented a multi-phase solution focused on consolidation, cloud adoption, and enhanced security. The first step involved a thorough review and remediation of Dementia New Zealand and the Northern Region's main Microsoft 365 tenant. We then streamlined its IT environment by consolidating the remaining three tenants into the main one, creating a single, centrally managed platform. This consolidation simplifies administration and ensures a consistent user experience across the entire organisation.
To strengthen security and establish a standardised operating environment, we implemented Microsoft Intune. This, combined with consistent security policies, configurations, and Microsoft Defender, provides a comprehensive "prevent and detect" approach, significantly improving Dementia New Zealand's overall security posture.
Having a single point of contact with a highly professional organisation such as Dynamo6, who have taken the time to really understand our organisation and our affiliate network model, has led to increased productivity and most importantly to increased assurance in our IT infrastructure security.
Dynamo6 have undertaken the change management and implementation process in an efficient partnership manner which has included staff training and ongoing responsiveness to staff requests for advice and assistance.
Outcomes & benefits
Overall the project and ongoing support have delivered a more streamlined and secure IT environment, empowering Dementia New Zealand and the Northern Region to focus on its core mission. This transformation has delivered several key benefits:
- Enhanced efficiency - The consolidation of infrastructure and standardisation of processes significantly reduced IT management complexity. This translates to cost savings and allows Dementia New Zealand and the Northern Region internal IT team to dedicate more time to strategic initiatives.
- Improved security posture - Centralised management and the implementation of robust security practices within Microsoft 365 significantly reduces exposure to security threats.
- Unified user experience - With a single, centralised platform, Dementia New Zealand and the Northern Region’s teams now enjoy a consistent and user-friendly experience across all devices and applications. This fosters better productivity and reduces the frustration associated with a fragmented system.
- Streamlined support - The consolidation of service providers into a single point of contact for IT support simplifies issue resolution and improves overall support responsiveness. This allows Dementia New Zealand and the Northern Region staff to get needed help quickly and efficiently.
The most significant benefit of this transformation is its increased efficiency. By simplifying our IT infrastructure and consolidating support with a single provider, we've freed up valuable time and resources for our internal IT team. This allows them to focus on more strategic initiatives that directly support our core mission of supporting dementia care.
With a streamlined and secure IT environment in place, our team can now work more productively and efficiently. We're incredibly grateful to the Dynamo6 team for their expertise and partnership in helping us achieve this transformation.