What is Microsoft Azure and how can it support hybrid working?

Moving to the Cloud: a case study 

One organisation that has recently found success by moving to the cloud is Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT).  

LTHT employs more than 20,000 staff at seven sites and is still growing. It treats 1.5 million patients annually, all of whom have records with the Trust that need to be accessed by medical professionals quickly and easily when called upon. 

With such a vast number of people to care for, its in-house Electronic Health Record system needed updating.  The records, which include everything from test results to immunisations, provide frontline healthcare staff with everything they need to inform treatment, and by migrating them to the Cloud, the Trust could ensure continuity of care and improve its ability to cope with large numbers of users.  

The Trust’s electronic whiteboards, powered by the Microsoft Azure Cloud platform, now display real-time information to give clinicians a vital understanding of their patients when needed. The information is also viewable on a special mobile phone app, allowing frontline teams to make the right decisions faster and on-the-go.  

And what’s more, the Trust can still be confident that all their data remains safe, protected by Azure’s security and privacy tools – it cannot even be accessed by Microsoft, only the teams approved by the Trust. 

It is not difficult to see where charities might benefit from such a system. With a multitude of beneficiaries, being able to access their data in one centralised location, updated regularly and in real-time, would help greatly with service delivery and delivering that all important impact.  

Likewise, on the other side of operations, fundraising teams would be able to use the cloud to access real-time data telling them when supporters had most recently been contacted, when their last newsletters had gone out, and at what  

Such improved efficiency and collaboration are hallmarks of using the cloud. But two years on from the onset of the pandemic, charities already understand the importance of using this technology to react to change – the next step is implementing it.

Finding the right resources 

Still find yourself wondering “what exactly is Azure?” Microsoft Tech for Social Impact are holding a special 45-minute webinar for organisations around the globe on March 10, where the team break will down the basics of Azure, explain the benefits and use cases to nonprofits, as well as the grants and free resources available to help you get started in the cloud.  You can sign up for the session, where you can also pose your most pressing Azure questions, here. 

There is also lots of free online guidance for Azure users, teaching them everything from how to manage resources in the Cloud to identifying which people need to access specific data. 

Do your research, address your concerns, use the free online tools available to you, and if, finally, you feel the time is right for your organisation, make the move. One less moment spent worrying about the location of that file you can’t get your hands on is more than enough to know it makes sense.