Organization
Crossroads of America Council, Boy Scouts of America (BSA), is a non-profit organization serving 35,000 youth and adult volunteers in 26 counties in central Indiana.
Headquarters
Indianapolis, Indiana
Website
The Challenge
Nat Baker, Business Data Analyst for Crossroads of America Council, has always seen technology as a way to improve efficiency and better deliver on his organization’s mission. So, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the council to look for ways to save expenses, he had to absorb IT responsibilities on top of his primary job. Recognizing that supporting the organization’s technology could be its own full-time job, he started looking for a smarter way to manage their 50+ endpoints.
“Especially with today’s hybrid work environment, where people are face-to-face one week and remote the next week, patching our computers and deploying applications on them with our old on-premises approach was no longer feasible,” explains Nat. “The solution I was looking for had to be easy to use, as IT was an add-on to my existing job responsibilities.”
The Action1 Solution
After comparing several RMM tools, Nat chose Action1 because it was the most cost-effective solution — in fact, the full solution is free for organizations with up to 100 endpoints, so Nat can manage and secure his organizations 50+ computers at no cost.
“I was pleasantly surprised by all the features and the capabilities in the platform — nothing is held back just because we’re on the free plan,” Nat notes. “The other vendors I spoke to would give trial versions that limit you to 10 or 15 or 20 endpoints, and the discount was not really much of a discount considering what you were getting. Even if we were to go above the current endpoint limit of the free plan, Action1 would still be the most cost-effective option for us.”
The Benefits
Easy, hands-off software deployment. Using Action1, Nat has been able to automate application deployment in his organization. Many commonly used applications are available as pre-installed packages in the platform’s App Store, and it’s easy to create custom packages to install other software.
“We utilize around 20 proprietary applications that aren’t commonly used out in the world. Being able to deploy them easily — and push updates for them — is really helpful.
Nat Baker, Business Data Analyst at Crossroads of America Council
Nat can deploy all required applications to set up new laptops in just a few clicks. Indeed, the platform has slashed the time required to deploy and fine-tune new software to all of the organization’s devices from 40 hours to just a few minutes, since Nat no longer has to physically touch the devices.
Streamlined patch management. Nat appreciates that Action1’s intelligent policies have enabled him to establish a patch management program that serves his organization’s needs. “I really like the fact it’s just set-it-and-forget-it,” he explains. “I set it up once and that’s it; I know it’s out there and functioning.”
Remote troubleshooting. With Action1, Nat can perform maintenance tasks far more efficiently and effectively. For example, he can manage computers remotely in bulk with PowerShell scripts and commands. This saves him time and provides him with the necessary control over all the organization’s endpoints.
