Royal Flying Doctor Service Queensland

Key finance staff can now access the system off site and monthly reporting timeframes were halved

Case study highlights

  • Halved monthly reporting timeframes
  • Future-proofed business for new technologies
  • Cloud access has reduced the desk-time

The Challenge

Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Queensland was looking to move its business software to the cloud, as part of a wider company strategy to remove the need for IT to manage back office systems and allow them focus on strategic initiatives.

“We were previously hosting the software in a data centre, which meant we still needed to manage and maintain the infrastructure and software,” said Executive Manager - ICT Services and Business Solutions Fiona Foley. “We wanted to move away from this, so we didn’t have to worry about running or updating the software or hardware.”

The Solution

RFDS QLD transitioned their TechnologyOne Financials and Business Intelligence solutions to the TechnologyOne Cloud. By moving to Software as a Service (SaaS), the not-for-profit no longer needs to worry about infrastructure projects, physical security and disaster recovery. Now RFDS QLD simply sign in to get enterprise Software as a Service.

The TechnologyOne SaaS platform is powered by Amazon Web Services.

The Outcome

TechnologyOne’s SaaS solution has enabled RFDS QLD to improve access to its finance system.

“With the nature of RFDS’ business, improving access to the system from anywhere was critical,” said Senior Accountant Maree Quizon. “This has certainly been achieved, and finance staff are able to easily access the system offsite. Whether it be on a laptop, iphone or ipad, all we need is a web connection.”

The finance team has since halved the time it takes to run monthly reports, due to the greater access and improved speed of the cloud-based software.

“We run a lot of monthly reports, and it was taking us about a day and a half to run the large number of reports we needed. Since moving to the cloud we have found the system is a lot faster, and we’ve cut monthly reporting down to half a day, which has significantly improved the time frame of our end of month. This has also freed up the team to spend more time on analysis, rather than day-to-day administrative tasks.”

Senior Accountant
Royal Flying Doctor Service QLD

Our key finance staff are now able to access the system off site, much easier than we were able to in the past. Whether it be on a laptop, iPhone or iPad, all we need is a web connection.

Client's perspective

RFDS Queensland provides patient care to 90,000 patients. Its 19 aircraft fly over 22,000 hours per year and cover a distance of over 7.9 million kilometres. RFDS QLD makes approximately 11,000 aeromedical evacuations a year, providing emergency and primary health care services for those living in regional, rural and remote Queensland.

The not-for-profit transitioned to TechnologyOne’s enterprise Software as a Service solution. This was part of a wider strategy to free up the IT team from being an administrative function to focus on more strategic initiatives.

“We’ve been a TechnologyOne customer for many years and have confidence in the software. When we looked to move to the cloud, TechnologyOne’s solution was a no brainer,” said Executive Manager - ICT Services and Business Solutions Fiona Foley.

“It was never our strategy to become specialists in the TechnologyOne software, but now it means we don’t have to bridge the gap between hosting provider and software vendors, because TechnologyOne is responsible for all of it.

“We’re comfortable knowing the system is being run by the specialists, who know how to run it best. TechnologyOne runs and manages the system and keeps us up to date with enhancements and improvements. It means new technologies, innovations and enhancements will be done for us.

“Being on the cloud, our users now just need any computer and an internet connection and can run with it. I no longer need to install anything. It means it’s a lot easier for them to access the system throughout their day, regardless of where they are.”

Spotlight

Ms Foley said moving to the cloud came with both its challenges and benefits, and it is important for organisations to scope out the project properly before making the change.

“There are certain considerations we needed to make when moving to SaaS, because it isn’t just as simple as ‘lifting and shifting’ your software. The move really showed up any system limitations we had, and it was important for us to make some changes at the outset, so we could take advantage of the benefits cloud computing brings.

Senior Accountant Maree Quizon added: “The biggest change we have noticed is that we have a much closer relationship with TechnologyOne - it’s more of a partnership. TechnologyOne is invested in RFDS QLD, and have really become an extension of our team.”

Moving to the cloud has also enabled RFDS to future proof its business, preparing for new technologies and innovations, such as smart mobile devices.

“Providing access via mobile devices is also a big future consideration for our business,” Ms Foley said. “By moving to the cloud, that mobile capability is already built-in, even though we’re not necessarily taking advantage of it yet. The fact that the software is already mobile-enabled, means the finance team can just roll it out when they’re ready, without having to worry about our internal connectivity.

“That is a great enabler in preparing us for the future.”

About Royal Flying Doctor Service Queensland

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world. RFDS Queensland provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote and regional Queensland.

RFDS is a not-for-profit organisation which provides healthcare to people who cannot access a hospital or general practice due to the vast distances of the Outback.

Using the latest in aviation, medical and communications technology, delivered by a dedicated team of professionals, RFDS QLD delivers both 24-hour emergency services and everyday essential health care.

Royal Flying Doctor Service Queensland website

Publish date

17 Nov 2015

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