Cincinnati Housing Partners gets 35% Increase in Efficiency from Extreme IT Makeover

[#1]

Coffee Coaching is pleased to announce Cincinnati Housing Partners (CHP) as our latest Extreme IT Makeover recipient. Extreme IT Makeover is a joint program between Microsoft and HP, created to help small, not-for-profit businesses improve their IT. The objective of Extreme IT Makeover is to enable these businesses with technology in order to help them better achieve their goals. After a HP or Microsoft partner nominates a not-for-profit that could use IT help, the partner then creates and installs an IT solution to fulfill the organizations needs. HP and Microsoft donate hardware and Software for the solution.

Our most recent Extreme IT Makeover recipient, CHP, is a not-for-profit organization located in Cincinnati, Ohio. For the past 26 years, CHP has worked to provide low and moderate-income housing to first time homeowners in the Mill Creek Valley. Their mission is to stabilize and revitalize the area, by developing new and rehabbed owner-occupied homes. CHP also works to provide a variety of resources to reduce the costs of ownership and to increase buyers’ capacity to manage their finances. Every home that CHP develops helps to contribute to the quality of life in the neighborhood.

Before the Extreme IT Makeover, CHP had recently decided that they needed to retire an old server that had never been installed properly and could fail at any moment taking all of their data with it. After the server was retired, CHP went with an on-line solution. However, due to CHP’s slow DSL connection, the on-line solution was not an ideal one. Instead of being able to share information through a server or on-line solution, they would use flash drives or burn CDs to share their data.

When Kevin Royalty, 8 year Microsoft MVP and managing partner of Total Care Computer Consulting heard of the Extreme IT Makeover, CHP was the first organization he thought of that would be deserving of it. When CHP found out they had been selected, “We were stunned and in disbelief, until Kevin started putting the equipment in,” says Bonnie Blankenship, CHP President, “When the realization hit us that the Extreme IT Makeover was absolutely free, and a considerable upgrade to what we had, it was wonderful.”

Royalty designed the perfect IT solution for CHP and worked with representatives from HP and Microsoft to install the new IT infrastructure. Royalty’s solution included installing Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials on a HP ProLiant MicroServer. This gave CHP added security with regular backups and automatic updates. It also provided CHP staff with remote access, allowing them to access documents and work from out of the office.  Royalty also deployed Windows MultiPoint Server on a HP ProLiant ML 110 server, connected to seven HP t200 Zero Clients for MultiSeat. Not only did this setup enable multiple, local workstations to be connected to each other, it also allowed users to log in from any computer in the office and still access their personal computer setup, and allowed administrators to grant users access to specific folders and programs. This IT solution has increased CHP’s efficiency 35% and gives them more time to serve the community.

“The Extreme IT Makeover allows us, a non-profit, to have the same resources as a bigger for profit. It allows our information to be safe, it allows us easier and faster access to our information, and it allows us to work more efficiently so we can do more for the community.” Says Blankenship. Thanks to HP, Microsoft and the community of partners all working together, Extreme IT Makeover is helping not-for-profit organizations make a difference.

To learn more about this Extreme IT Makeover please take a look at the case study. Keep an eye out for more Coffee Coaching Extreme IT Makeovers. Connect with Coffee Coaching on our blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Learn more about the HP ProLiant MicroServer and how it can help small businesses here. Also, get more information about Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials here, or Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 here.

[#2]

Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thanks, However I am experiencing issues with your RSS. I don't know the reason why I can't subscribe to it. Is there anybody else getting the same RSS problems? Anybody who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanks!!

[#3]

A very good topic,Thanks. Expecting more good blogs.

[#4]

This is a good blog, be worth to collect.

[#5]

It looks great, it is worth collecting thank you for sharing.

[#6]

Thanks for the blogger share!

[#7]

It’s a great step that shows HP & Microsoft in action for a social cause.