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The Youth Campus Improves Efficiency and Creates a Compelling Differentiator. Utilizing Worknet to provide outsourced IT services, The Youth Campus puts the power of technology to work for its staff and foster families.

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Outsourced IT Services | Business

The Youth Campus
 
“Outsourcing was a radical idea to us, especially coming from an organization that embraces tradition and our 130 year history. However, my advice to others is that you can’t be afraid of the change. Worknet has made this so worthwhile, and none of this would have been possible with our previous in-house infrastructure.”
-Patricia Wynn, CFO, The Youth Campus
 
THE CHALLENGE Improve operational efficiency and provide a computing environment capable of supporting innovative technology programs that raise the bar for the benefit of children and foster families
 
THE SOLUTION Engage Worknet to design, build, and manage a highly reliable computing environment with easy, on-demand access for staff, caseworkers, and foster families
 
THE RESULTS
  • Increased operational efficiency with a reliable, stable computing environment that staff and caseworkers can access externally 24x7
  • Gained access to a broader set of technical skills and reduced internal IT staff over 50%
  • Created a compelling differentiator by empowering foster families to connect seamlessly to the computing environment from their homes and access Microsoft® programs
 
THE STORY The Youth Campus has been changing the lives of children in need for 130 years. With facilities in Chicago and Park Ridge, The Youth Campus cares for children and families struggling with serious emotional and social problems or illnesses. Residential treatment, foster care and other community based programs serve over 250 children each day. As a private, nonsectarian, not-for-profit organization, it faces serious funding challenges. Meeting operating costs is a significant achievement leaving few to zero resources for capital improvements, including IT updating. Expansion of IT capabilities was only a dream.

With archaic systems, older software versions, and servers located in both Park Ridge and Chicago, it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a reliable, stable computing environment. Without a way to access the systems externally, caseworkers meeting with families until late in the evening would have to wait until they were back in the office to upload all of their case notes and data into the system. Recognizing the need to create a more efficient way for its caseworkers and staff to operate, The Youth Campus decided to engage a professional IT services firm to help design a more responsive and reliable network and outsource its IT infrastructure.

Implementing the Right Solution
Using Worknet’s technical expertise and reliable Data Center infrastructure, The Youth Campus has transformed its computing environment and improved its efficiency by utilizing a Citrix® solution that enables caseworkers and staff to access critical applications externally from wherever they are working. Leveraging Worknet’s technical expertise for access to a broader set of IT skills, The Youth Campus was able to reduce its internal IT staff over 50%. Plus, the new infrastructure set the stage for The Youth Campus to achieve their vision of providing Internet connectivity to its foster families, the first program of its kind in Illinois.

Creating a Compelling Differentiator
Foster families of The Youth Campus will not only have the Internet for valuable research but also the ability to utilize Citrix® for access to many Microsoft® programs. “This definitely differentiates us from our competitors or other organizations like us; no one is offering something so unique. This is the kind of technology initiative that corporations and foundations want to fund and make possible. It will also be the springboard to so many possibilities; once we update our website we will be able to offer more interactive features to our foster children and families including the possibility of online tutoring and training,” said Patricia Wynn, Chief Financial Officer of The Youth Campus.
 
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