Infotech Lead America: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has expanded on a global Enterprise Agreement with a new Memorandum of Understanding to offer Microsoft Office 365 and other products as the standard communications and collaboration platform for its National Societies worldwide. This will enable greater licensing flexibility and has the potential to serve more than 1 million volunteers and staff members in the network.
The IFRC is aiming to help the National Societies grow stronger by more strategically using Microsoft’s technology advances like cloud services, while making the best use of the resources and investments made by donors.
Two of the estimated 80 early-qualifying National Societies, the ones in Bangladesh and Namibia, have already deployed Office 365. Many more of the National Societies are expected to follow suit soon.
Before zeroing in on Office 365, the IFRC was a seeking a solution to address its internal digital divide and provide smaller National Societies with access to the same tools, same technologies and same modern processes that the larger National Societies have. Providing equal access to entirely new ways of working regardless of location ensures the National Societies become more efficient, participate more fully in the work of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, work more closely with their partners in the broader organization, and are better able to reach out to the vulnerable communities they serve.
IFRC was looking for a company with global deployment expertise and an understanding of the importance of technology to be able to provide on-the-ground communications and organizational tools. Powered by Microsoft’s reliable cloud computing technologies and robust security features, the IFRC will be able to provide all stakeholders with a world-class technology platform irrespective of their location and improve the process of delivering new programs directly to recipients.
