RNIB Divestitures - Nero Blanco

Supporting UK charity to manage multiple divestitures with ease and care

At a glance:

Client: RNIB
Industry: Charity NFP
Location: London, UK
Services provided: Microsoft Office 365 and Azure migration, divestiture handover and support, ongoing managed IT service
Number of users: 1,300

The Client:

RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) is one of the UK’s leading sight loss charities and the largest community of blind and partially sighted people. With roots dating back as far as 1868, the charity provides practical and emotional support for those affected by sight loss. The charity is known for its Talking Books service, and has provided a helpline since 1997.

The Need:

Charities such as RNIB face an ongoing challenge: how best to optimise their limited resources – both finances and people power – in a way that empowers the organisation to work both efficiently and effectively. Juggling careful management of these resources while embracing cloud-based technology to stay relevant can be difficult.

In 2016, RNIB went through significant change. As part of a three-year plan, a restructure was agreed that would streamline the organisation, with the intention of focusing on the charity’s core work – helping blind and partially sighted people. The new structure meant transferring schools and other disability-related support – hich had been closely connected with RNIB for many years – with other providers.

Unlike a standard business divestiture, where a company sells off part of its organisation and wants a clean break, RNIB felt it was important to ensure that the transition was as smooth as possible for customers and staff. This mean making sure that these organisations were suitably settled and comfortable with their new partner charities. But how?

The Solution:

Simplifying your organisation or business through divestitures presents the perfect opportunity to ensure your IT function is flawless. It’s a chance to unite your newly streamlined team behind a robust and reliable IT set up that works for your organisation both now and in the future.

As a trusted partner since 2016 – and with an in-depth understanding of RNIB’s structure and goals – Nero Blanco were on hand as part of their ongoing managed service to help with the divestiture process. The team has assisted, and continues to assist, with the migration of several schools, colleges, hotels, care homes and disability partner organisations to other charities, taking the number of users from 2,500 down to just 1,300.

The Success Story:

IT can be complex, but it should be an enabler, not a hurdle. The best way to bring to life the effectiveness of Nero Blanco’s work with RNIB is to share a quote from the perspective of a new team member.
Martin Ralfe recently joined RNIB as a technology business analyst.
He moved from The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, and is a Guide Dog user himself, having experienced sight loss.

During his first week with RNIB, Martin said:

“Two days into my role at RNIB and genuinely one of the best onboarding experiences I’ve gone through.”

www.rnib.org.uk

Find the full case study here: pdf

"Traditionally, and for many years, RNIB has partnered with other organisations and charities that complement the work we’re doing to help visually impaired people. In our most recent restructure, we decided to rehome these organisations – divesting them to other charities that can provide ongoing support so we can focus on our core activity.The discovery process for these divestitures was done by Nero Blanco as part of the ongoing retainer. Each individual process is then priced up as a separate project, and delivered in collaboration with the internal team.Nero Blanco have already helped us to divest five to six organisations, with another three to four still to be processed. Some are relatively small projects, while others – such as the divestiture of Loughborough College to Sense Scotland – are more complex, requiring VPN access and the move to a new server. Yet whatever the size of the project, all require the same smooth transition with minimal impact and disruption to the people involved.In the case of Loughborough College, one RNIB staff member transitioned across to manage the handover, which was super smooth and interruption-free. Without the experience, resources and support of Nero Blanco, we would have struggled to manage the divestiture process. It’s good to have their ongoing support and expertise on hand when we need it."

Aidan Forman, Director of Technology, RNIB