Skip to main content
Inflection Point

Charity & Non-Profit

Jamie's Farm
How Inflection Point transformed IT infrastructure for a growing charity

Dom Koole, Head of Operations

£500

StarLink vs £70k fibre

5

Farm sites supported

10+

Years of charity growth

Jamie's Farm is a charity providing weeklong residential courses on farms to spark transformation in vulnerable children through four core principles of Farming, Family, Therapy and Legacy. Founded in 2009, they have grown from a single site to five separate farms in Bath, Hereford, Monmouth, Lewes and Waterloo, with another site in the pipeline.

Dom Koole, Head of Operations, oversees IT among many responsibilities — but without a technology background. When a colleague who had been leading IT matters departed in 2022, it became an opportunity to review how things were done.

The need for expert support

"It was apparent that, over time, the technology we were now reliant on had become much more complicated. So we decided to explore working with an expert MSP."

"We did local research, received some recommendations, and Inflection Point were one of three companies we shortlisted. They came out to meet us and I was very impressed with them."

"Rather than seeing us as 'just another customer', it was clear that they would tailor their service to our needs and offer much-needed consideration to our tight budget as a charity. Moreover, I began to realise that they would offer significant strategic input to our plans, and was excited to discover the impact that this would have on the charity."

An immediate impact

"The onboarding process was very smooth, particularly getting all of our machines onto their system to facilitate remote support. Before we knew it, things were running like clockwork: getting new joiners set up and replacing obsolete computers, for instance."

"They also started work on more specialist projects that would address problems which had been bugging us for years."

"One example was developing a system for securely taking and storing images, which are essential for both our service delivery and marketing. Given we are working with vulnerable children, there are obvious safeguarding protocols to adhere to. Inflection Point have been brilliant at developing technological solutions to this challenge."

A super StarLink service

"One of our main sites had suffered from a terrible Internet connection for years, due to a bad line in. The real hurdle was that it would cost as much as £70,000 to upgrade it to a dedicated fibre line — money that we, as a charity, couldn't just conjure up."

"Enter Inflection Point and their out-of-the-box thinking. They suggested StarLink, a broadband service for remote and rural locations. This was something that we had not considered ourselves, let alone have the confidence to pursue, given how cutting-edge the solution is. But it has been the perfect remedy, costing just £500."

Great quality service day-to-day

"I work directly with one of the senior leads at Inflection Point and find him always to be available, responsive and good fun. I outline our priorities and he takes it from there."

"The helpdesk queries are dealt with by a small team at Inflection Point which is a good fit for Jamie's Farm. Our employees were used to having issues resolved internally, so it was quite a cultural shift to be calling a third party. But Inflection Point have made it work very well."

"Of course, we have multiple sites, but this is no problem. Most things are dealt with remotely, meaning the number of locations is immaterial, and they have built in face-to-face time when required automatically as part of the service."

The value of strategic advice

"Like many start-ups, we didn't immediately invest in a load of technology when we were founded. But you kind of accumulate various tech as you go along. So we now understand it is vital to have Inflection Point on hand to maintain our systems."

"But of more value, they are looking forward to what we may need in the future: what will add value, what will help manage risk. These include things like cybersecurity, an IT asset register and integrated phone systems."

Advice for other charities

"Think carefully about what you want and need. The strategic aspect of Inflection Point's service has been really important to us here at Jamie's Farm, and I did not even realise this when I went to market."

"I would also advise including IT and technology solutions as part of your five-year plan, and thinking of how you are going to achieve your goals."

"During the selection process, make it clear what your priorities are from the outset, and also be open about your strengths and weaknesses. This will enable them to design a service which will fit your needs."

How Inflection Point helped Jamie's Farm

  • Taking over maintenance of increasingly complicated IT infrastructure
  • Developing the IT aspect of the onboarding process for new staff
  • Implementation of cutting-edge StarLink broadband to counter connectivity issues
  • Procurement of new computers and phones when required
  • A helpdesk to support staff across multiple sites
  • Strategic advice on cybersecurity, phone systems and IT asset register
Download this case study as PDF

Services used

Managed IT Services IT Helpdesk Services Cloud Enablement

Ready for similar results?

Get in touch to discuss how we can help transform your IT.

Get in touch More case studies