Act For Peace

Simplifying Collaboration and Security for Act for Peace

‘’As soon as something rears its head, it’s brought to our attention quickly. Having a provider that knows the solution and can make recommendations has been invaluable.”

Tim Sadler, Act for Peace, Head of Digital and CRM

The Problem

Act for Peace is the international humanitarian agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia. They work with and for people who have been uprooted by conflict and disaster, backing local organisations who are best placed to lead change in their own communities.

Together, they support families to find safety in times of crisis, rebuild their lives with dignity, and regain the peace of having a safe place to belong. Their work goes beyond emergency response, aiming to create lasting change driven by local leadership, community priorities, and long-term resilience.

In the past year, their programs reached more than 113,000 people across 16 countries, supporting them through conflict, disaster, displacement and recovery.

As a principally remote organisation since COVID-19, with teams spread across numerous remote locations, Act for Peace needed a reliable IT Managed service provider to simplify and secure their existing IT environment.

Challenge

Act for Peace adopted Microsoft 365 during the pandemic, however, the initial implementation created a complicated environment, presenting an opportunity to review and refine their digital workplace.

Pain Points

  • Unstable systems with bespoke, complex rules 
  • Security concerns and lack of best-practice implementation 
  • Suppliers often suggested approaches that were either too disruptive or too narrowly focused to meet their requirements 

The Solution

Act for Peace put out a tender in June 2021 and selected mcrIT as their managed services partner because their proposal aligned exactly with their needs – focusing on stability, security, and simplicity. 

Key elements of the solution included: 

  • Microsoft 365 optimisation – ensuring SharePoint, and Office suite were fully integrated and accessible 
  • Security review and upgrade – implementing best-practice security measures 
  • Managed services – ongoing monitoring, proactive recommendations, and responsive support 

The decision to choose mcrIT was driven by their collaborative approach.

The Outcomes

The partnership with mcrIT delivered a stable, secure, and user-friendly environment that empowered Act for Peace's remote teams to collaborate effectively. 

  • Simplified systems: Transitioned from a bespoke, complex setup to an automated, cloud-based environment that was easy to access. 
  • Improved security: Best-practice measures ensured resilience and protection across the tenancy. 
  • Responsive support: Issues were quickly identified and addressed, with proactive recommendations to prevent future problems. 
  • Enhanced collaboration: SharePoint and Office suite enabled seamless document sharing and real-time teamwork across international locations. 

"mcrIT looked at what we needed, how we needed to do it, and what worked best for us. Others wanted to impose solutions that could have been disruptive. mcrIT kept it simple and straightforward."  

Tim Sadler, Act for Peace, Head of Digital and CRM