Easter Seals Hawaii

Easter Seals Hawaii

As told by Hugh Khim, Information Technology Services Manager

Creating solutions and changing lives is at the heart of what we do at Easter Seals Hawaii (ESH), one of the state’s oldest and most respected non-profit organizations. Over the past seven years, the implementation of key Microsoft technologies has helped us created solutions and support life changing programs and services throughout our organization.

When I joined ESH in 2002 as Systems Administrator, the organization employed approximately 100 people, and only three of our service centers were connected to the Internet and linked via a Microsoft Exchange Server and a Terminal Server. In subsequent years, the leadership of ESH recognized the benefits, importance and critical role that technology plays in the management of our programs and the delivery of our services to Hawaii infants, children, youth and adults with disabilities and their families.

For the past seven years, my work as IT Manager has been dedicated to ensuring that ESH enjoys the diverse benefits of a stable and secure Microsoft technology infrastructure. During this time ESH expanded its program and service offerings along with the supporting technology infrastructure. We now boast nine connected program sites across the state, providing 23 unique programs on five islands and delivering more than 400,000 hours of direct services each year – an exceptional achievement for a non-profit organization considering the geographic challenges posed by the Pacific Ocean separating Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii Island and Lanai. And an impossibility absent Microsoft technologies.

ESH provides unique services to people of all ages with a variety of developmental disabilities and special needs. This includes individuals with autism, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, speech and developmental delays, Down syndrome, and sensory impairments. ESH is Hawaii’s largest provider of Early Intervention Services for children with special needs via programs that have been serving Hilo, Kauai, and Oahu for more than half a century. We are also one of the Hawaii’s largest providers of services for adults with developmental disabilities and the only organization with formal social/recreational programs for youth with special needs. ESH has earned a distinguished record of serving children and families through education, advocacy, rehabilitation and early intervention programs. ESH is consistently recognized as one of the best managed non-profit organizations in Hawaii by the State Departments of Health and Human Services.

ESH utilizes Microsoft technologies exclusively to connect our offices, service centers and employees statewide. Before Microsoft terminal services were enabled on our network, sharing files and information was neither affordable nor practical. Now all of our program sites are connected and ESH employees can collaborate and communicate, increasing efficiency and effectiveness. Such increased efficiencies afford additional staff time to be dedicated to providing crucial services to more children, adults and families. ESH employees can also connect to our network from remote locations via Outlook Web Access or the Remote Desktop, further increasing flexibility and maximizing work hours.

Some key technologies that ESH employs daily are:

Microsoft Windows: All of our computers run on Microsoft Windows. Windows server operating systems provide all of the services on the network. All ESH workstations utilize Windows desktop operating systems.

Microsoft Exchange Server: ESH utilizes the Exchange e-mail server and Outlook clients to communicate, keep track of schedules (including shared calendars), manage and share contacts, use distribution lists, and manage fundraising events with special mailboxes, etc. Our Exchange server also allows employees to access their e-mail, calendar appointments, tasks, etc. on their mobile phones via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. Microsoft Terminal Server: Allows all of our remote offices to use shared files stored on the file server at the main administrative office without problems over a WAN connection.

Microsoft Office: ESH staffs utilize all Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook during daily operations.

Through the exclusive and dedicated utilization and application of Microsoft technologies, ESH benefits from a stable and secure information technology infrastructure that allows for the exponential growth and impact of our organization.

As we navigate the challenges of today and plan strategically for tomorrow Microsoft technologies will remain vital to enabling ESH’s success and sustainability so that we may continues to fulfill our mission of providing exceptional services and programs to all people in Hawaii with disabilities or special needs. Together we truly are creating solutions and changing lives.