Cornerstone Rescue Mission used to be in the dark when it came to cybersecurity. Instead of risking their operations, the non-profit organization dedicated to helping the homeless in the Black Hills region partnered with Golden West and moved to the cloud. Over the years, their managed services from Golden West Technologies have moved them into a safer cyber-future.
“When I started in 2011, we were using a server the size of a refrigerator,” explains Lysa Allison, executive director of Cornerstone Rescue Mission. “We had a few people on staff that were good with computers, so they just kind of became our IT people. But it was more along the lines of unplugging and resetting everything and wishing for the best.”
The turning point came when former Executive Director Jim Castleberry recognized the need for a more reliable system. That led Cornerstone to partner with Golden West Technologies and allowed them to move away from their cumbersome and limited on-premises server.
Cybersecurity in the present
Since then, Cornerstone Rescue Mission has been able to operate without the need for in-house IT members. In addition to Golden West managing their network, Cornerstone benefits from regular computer set-up and software updates, cyber security training for staff, quarterly meetings to set and review technology goals, and the implementation and regular review of cybersecurity layers.
Lysa oversees the multiple Cornerstone Rescue Mission offices in Rapid City and across South Dakota. She explains that initially some people were afraid of touching a mouse. Gradual learning and patience allowed people to succeed and use computers and other devices without worry.
“When something goes down here, we can call Golden West, and they can fix it for us in a matter of minutes,” says Lysa. “We’ve had a couple of times where they’ve had to retrieve some data for us because a staff person has accidentally deleted it, and they can retrieve it. They just do everything for us, and it’s been phenomenal.”
Important protection
As a non-profit organization, it is critical to prevent Cornerstone Rescue Mission’s data from being lost or held hostage by hackers. Prevention is key. Instead of waiting to learn from mistakes, Cornerstone prepared for the future.
Lysa explains that the issue of homelessness isn’t just going away, especially when the number of people they care for is increasing. As a result, their need for Golden West Technologies’ managed services also increased.
“We needed more than a basic IT setup and it was just not something we could manage on our own. Golden West is the standard for being up to date on all the technological issues, being able to foresee what could happen and is great with security.”
Golden West’s expertise helped Cornerstone manage this transition smoothly, assisting the organization with managed services including backups, cybersecurity, and ongoing technical support.
Worry less, focus more
On a day-to-day basis, Lysa doesn’t have the time to deal with cybersecurity incidents on top of all the other business she has going on throughout the day.
“I’m starting at about six in the morning, and it’s that way till about 11:00 at night, just constantly checking emails, troubleshooting issues that come up,” she says.
Services from Golden West Technologies offer a reliable and cost-effective way to reduce the risk of cyber incidents so everyone on the Cornerstone Rescue Mission team – including Lysa – can focus on their work.
To learn more about Cornerstone Rescue Mission and the work they do, visit their website: www.cornerstonemission.org.