Arthritis NZ is a charity providing information, advice and support to those with arthritis. Its mission is to improve the life of every person in NZ affected by arthritis (700,000 Kiwis) and help them lead productive and fulfilling lives by managing their condition effectively.
Arthritis NZ advocates for those with arthritis by funding research, contributing to health policy and collaborating with healthcare professionals.
Key results
- Seamless shift to remote working. Transitioned effortlessly to cloud-based Office 365, maintaining full productivity during COVID-19 lockdowns with zero disruption.
- Reduced IT costs and complexity. Simplified infrastructure and lowered licensing expenses, crucial for an organisation funded 80% by donations and grants.
- Future-ready IT environment. Established a scalable and secure cloud platform that empowers Arthritis NZ staff to work flexibly from anywhere, positioning the organisation to grow digitally without technology constraints.
Transforming technology to better support the mission
Arthritis NZ required technology that would actively support, rather than hinder, its mission to improve the quality of life for every New Zealander affected by arthritis. With 80% of its funding sourced from donations and grants, the charity faced the ongoing challenge of either raising more funds or finding more efficient, cost-effective ways to deliver its services—ideally both.
To overcome the limitations of its existing IT infrastructure and complex support arrangements, Arthritis NZ partnered with Fusion5. Utilising reduced licensing costs available through Microsoft’s philanthropic funding programme, Fusion5 delivered a robust and economical Office 365 solution, creating a strong foundation for Arthritis NZ’s digital transformation.
A seamless transition to cloud-based flexibility
Fusion5 collaborated closely with Arthritis NZ’s previous IT service provider to seamlessly transition their file services, email, and authentication to Microsoft Office 365. This migration provided Arthritis NZ’s staff with instant, secure access to critical organisational information from any location.
Adopting a public cloud platform significantly reduced operational risks and eliminated dependency on outdated on-premises systems. The importance of this became clear when, in March 2020, a planned remote-working drill unexpectedly became a real-life scenario due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Office 365 has made life simpler. We experienced a smooth transition to remote working, and we're now confident in our ability to handle almost any business disruption.
Rob Mitchell, Corporate Services Manager at Arthritis NZ
Empowered, agile, and future ready
With Fusion5’s support, Arthritis NZ now enjoys a variety of significant benefits including reduced operational risks, lower IT costs, and greater mobility and productivity. The charity is empowered by newfound flexibility, allowing teams to work effectively from anywhere and enabling the exploration of innovative digital solutions to provide enhanced services to their clients. Philip Kearney, Chief Executive of Arthritis NZ, highlights Fusion5’s ongoing contribution:
Fusion5 continues to offer us much more than just a service. Their deep understanding of our culture, their proactive attitude, and the exceptional support they provide consistently exceeds our expectations.
