BGT Case Study
Our Client
BGT Jobs & Training Ballarat have been supporting the local community since 1986. The not-for-profit organisation is a vital resource within Ballarat and surrounding areas, offering a wide range of services to help people secure jobs, build careers, achieve personal success. Today BGT has various departments, spanning community services (such as their Better Futures and ReConnect programs), training programs, entry level qualifications, employment services, and a skills centre. In addition to this, they look after the Barkly Square precinct as the lead tenant with responsibilities including maintenance alongside managing tenants and services.
Their Challenges
BGT were frustrated with their existing IT provider, who consistently delivered slow response times and a lack of communication. These issues caused delays, and as they worsened, the organisation realised it was time for a change. Brooke (BGT’s Business Services Coordinator) reflects, “We needed an organisation that could give us prompt turnaround for issues – whether they were minor or big. We were looking to improve our ICT for everybody.” This need for change was reinforced by the fact that their IT company couldn’t provide the technology, solutions, or guidance needed to scale operations and achieve their goals.
Choosing A New IT Provider
BGT started the process by looking at five IT providers in Ballarat, including Lateral Plains who had been recommended. “We don’t have an IT department or a dedicated IT person within the organisation, so we were looking for someone who could give us advice on growing the business, and what facilities or opportunities were out there to help us,” Brooke says. Other important considerations were cost and support, as well as compliance due to their RTO requirements.
BGT evaluated these options based on a range of factors, with Emma (their General Manager) saying these included “The confidence in what they were saying and the understanding of what they could provide, the cost, and personality – how we felt they would engage with staff and be involved with the company. We needed an IT provider that was going to be friendly, approachable, and easy to work with when problems did occur. Also, someone who could give us a breakdown of what we needed.”
At the end of this process in August 2024, Lateral Plains were chosen as their new IT provider. They stood out with a wealth of expertise, a friendly attitude, and the most comprehensive solutions to address challenges the organisation was facing.
Solutions and the Lateral Plains Difference
In this time, Lateral Plains have worked with BGT to transform their IT experience delivering expert solutions and leading tools to simplify workflows and processes, build their cyber posture, and significantly improve support response times.
The team have refreshed and reconfigured BGT’s network to improve functionality and meet compliance requirements, while additional projects are being rolled out to increase the organisation’s online security defences, help them meet future compliance needs, and enhance scalability. This has included bringing the organisation into the cloud with Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, and protecting applications and data.
Providing guidance for digital transformation and cyber security uplift was a priority for Lateral Plains, as it was an area BGT’s previous IT provider neglected. Reflecting on the importance of these changes, Brooke says, “If you’re hesitating thinking you don’t need it, you do. With Lateral Plains we’re getting the advice and direction we were looking for. We’re relying on an expert to say this is what’s going to happen, this is what the impact is going to be, and this is what we need to do to get ready.”
BGT are also experiencing less downtime with responsive IT support for issues of all sizes, with the day-to-day response times and the availability of Luke (Lateral Plains’ CEO) and the team being called top-notch – a sentiment that’s shared amongst all staff. Lateral Plains’ commitment to genuinely caring about the success of their clients also hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“We sent out a survey to see how people felt about the new provider and the standard of support, and it was a glowing review. We feel like we’re being treated like an important client. That we matter and what we do matters, and that they understand how important what we do is and how the ICT not working can be so impactful,” Brooke reflects.
Looking back on the overall experience, Emma says “Lateral Plains have felt more like a part of the business. As if they’re a part of BGT rather than a contractor, they’ve come in as if they’re part of the staff.”