Learn how the experts at Varay Managed IT helped a San Antonio nonprofit move beyond reactive IT support, improve remote file access, strengthen its technology foundation, and give employees more time to focus on their mission.
Client Snapshot: Supporting San Antonio’s Response to Homelessness
Close to Home serves as the Continuum of Care Lead Agency for San Antonio and Bexar County. The organization helps coordinate the community’s response to homelessness by bringing together service providers, government partners, donors, and people with lived experience.
Its work includes coordinated entry through Homelink, HUD funding, data and system performance, training, community engagement, and long-term planning.
Behind that work is a relatively small team with significant technology needs and no internal IT department. For Tavia Manners, Close to Home’s Executive Assistant and Operations Manager, that meant technology frequently became part of her job.
The Challenge: Managing Nonprofit IT Without an Internal IT Team
Close to Home already had an external IT provider before working with Varay. But as the organization scaled and became increasingly dependent on technology and data, its needs began to outpace the reactive support it was receiving.
Everyday issues involving account access, laptops, software, phones, VPN connections, and server access could interrupt employees’ work. And when those issues happened, they often landed with Tavia.
Because she had previous IT experience, staff knew she could help troubleshoot. But technology support was only one part of a role that also included executive and board support, office operations, policies and procedures, vendors, SharePoint, and internal systems.
“I was handling IT support while also managing executive and operational responsibilities,” Tavia said. “I am fully capable of fixing all issues that come my way, but it’s better when I don’t have to.”
The challenge was bigger than individual technology problems. Close to Home needed reliable nonprofit IT support with a clear owner, so employees could get back to their actual work without depending on another staff member to serve as an unofficial help desk.
Why Close to Home Needed a More Proactive IT Approach
File access was one of the clearest examples of how the existing technology environment was affecting day-to-day operations.
Close to Home employees often need to work outside the office. But many of the organization’s documents were stored on a local server, which meant remote employees had to rely on a VPN connection to access the files they needed. When the VPN disconnected, credentials did not work, or a computer was misconfigured, work could come to a halt.
An employee working from home or attending an outside meeting might have to contact Tavia for help or ask someone physically in the office to find and send a document. That created extra steps, interruptions, and sometimes duplicate copies of files.
Meanwhile, the organization had broader needs around monitoring, cybersecurity, backup, Microsoft 365 management, onboarding and offboarding, infrastructure, and long-term technology planning.
“Our technology needs had outgrown a reactive approach,” Tavia said. “Close to Home was growing, employees needed to work from different locations, and we were becoming more dependent on technology and data.”
Close to Home did not simply need faster fixes. It needed a more proactive approach to IT.
Why Close to Home Chose Varay
Responsiveness stood out early in the relationship, but Close to Home was also looking for something beyond a traditional help desk.
Varay took time to understand how the organization worked and where technology was creating friction. Instead of approaching security, file access, infrastructure, and support as separate problems, the team could help Close to Home consider how those pieces work together and what needs to change over time.
Varay’s ability to communicate technical information in plain English was particularly valuable for an organization without internal IT staff. “They were not only focused on repairing individual problems,” Tavia said. “They were also able to help us think about security, access, infrastructure, and long-term improvements.”
For Tavia, the working relationship is practical and direct. “There’s not a whole lot of muddying the waters,” she said. “We get right to business and the practicality of it all. If I raise a problem, there is no hesitation in getting an answer or a resolution.”
The Solution: Building a More Proactive Nonprofit IT Environment
Varay began working with Close to Home in late 2024, focusing on building a stronger foundation for the organization’s technology. That included managed IT support, proactive monitoring, cybersecurity protections, backup, Microsoft 365 management, network improvements, and ongoing technology planning.
The approach was not to change everything at once. The work progressed from stabilizing the existing environment to modernizing the systems that created the greatest operational friction.
One of the most significant projects involved how employees accessed and worked with files.
Moving From VPN-Dependent File Access to SharePoint Online
Rather than continuing to depend on remote connections to an office-based file server, Varay worked with Close to Home to move much of its file environment to SharePoint Online.
The SharePoint migration changed the experience for employees working outside the office. “The biggest change was that access was no longer tied to being physically in the office or successfully connecting to the VPN,” Tavia said.
Staff could access their work through their Microsoft accounts from approved locations, making remote work more practical. SharePoint also gave Close to Home new ways to organize information, collaborate on documents, manage versions, and share links instead of passing multiple attachments back and forth.
The transition required close coordination. Tavia served as the internal liaison, helping identify priorities, coordinate staff schedules, communicate upcoming changes, gather information about accounts and equipment, and track questions that needed follow-up.
Varay kept the team informed throughout the process and explained changes without expecting employees to have a technical background. That communication helped make a significant technology transition easier for staff to navigate.
The Results: Less Time Troubleshooting, More Time Supporting the Mission
The clearest result for Close to Home was not a piece of technology. It was a change in how technology fit into employees’ work.
Tavia noticed the change in the questions people started asking her. Instead of hearing “Can you help me get into the server?”, the question became “Where should this information live in SharePoint?”
“The second question is something we can address through organization, standards, and training,” Tavia said. “It is a much better problem to have than employees simply being unable to access their work.”
Her own relationship with IT has changed as well. Tavia still coordinates internal technology needs, particularly around employee onboarding and systems. But she no longer feels the same pressure to own every technology problem personally.
“I now have a knowledgeable partner to handle the larger account, device, network, and system issues,” she said. That has allowed her role to shift from unofficial help desk toward operations liaison and systems builder. She can spend more time on SharePoint organization, technology planning, documentation, staff adoption, and process improvement.
The move to SharePoint has also opened the door to exploring tools such as SharePoint Lists, Microsoft Power Automate, and Power BI as Close to Home looks for ways to reduce manual processes and improve information flow across the organization.
For the broader team, better IT support means fewer technology interruptions competing with mission-focused work. “Better IT gives staff more time to focus on the work they are actually here to do,” Tavia said.
For Close to Home, that means supporting community partners, improving system coordination, analyzing data, strengthening the response to homelessness, and helping people move toward stable housing.
“When technology works well, it almost becomes invisible,” she said, “and staff can focus on the mission instead of the tool they are trying to use.”
From IT Provider to Long-Term Technology Partner
As Close to Home’s technology environment has matured, the conversations with Varay have changed too.
The early focus was on reliable support, infrastructure, security, and backups, as well as removing everyday technology barriers. The organization is now able to look further ahead at process improvement, reporting, automation, AI usage, and continued cloud modernization.
That evolution reflects the kind of relationship Close to Home originally needed: not simply someone to repair technology, but a partner that could help the organization make better decisions about it.
For Tavia, that partnership comes down to the people behind the service. “They are and have been fully committed to how we need things done since day one,” she said. “Coming from a long IT background, I appreciate the manner in which they work.”
That commitment was particularly important when Close to Home began working with Varay while also moving offices. What could have added another layer of stress became a more manageable transition with Varay’s team involved.
Tavia describes Varay as a dependable partner, providing leadership, direction, and hands-on support while staying involved until each technology issue was resolved and everything was working as it should.
“No IT relationship is perfect,” Tavia said, “but Varay has been responsive, dependable, and invested in our success.”
Looking Ahead: Using Technology to Improve How the Organization Works
Close to Home’s IT priorities today look different from the challenges that first led the organization to Varay. The focus has moved from reacting to technology problems toward asking how technology can make the organization more effective.
The next stage includes continuing to reduce reliance on the remaining on-premises infrastructure, strengthening security, and exploring tools to improve reporting, automation, collaboration, and everyday processes.
For Close to Home, the goal is not more technology for its own sake. It is technology that supports the people doing the work. And for a nonprofit with an important community mission and no internal IT department, that distinction matters.
“They have earned our trust,” Tavia said, “and I would confidently recommend them as a managed IT partner.”
Ready for a More Proactive IT Approach?
When technology support keeps falling to employees who already have full-time responsibilities, a proactive IT partner can help put that work back where it belongs.
Varay provides managed IT services, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, backup, and technology guidance for organizations that need dependable IT without building an internal IT department.
Book a free discovery call with Varay to talk about your organization’s IT needs.
