Caring for more than 8,000 dogs and cats a year while engaging the hearts and minds of the community, all with the goal of protecting every animal’s life.

Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) was founded in 1885, and became a no-kill organization in 2005. Today, they’re committed to helping all savable animals, and are confident that, working with the support of the community, Jacksonville shelters will achieve and maintain a 90% city-wide save rate. With programs like humane education for children, workforce development for veterans, and a mobile veterinary for clinic, the JHS team lives their motto of “Generosity breeds joy” every day.

CompassMSP helps JHS make more of its resources and stay focused on its mission. 

As CEO of Jacksonville Humane Society Lawrence Nicolas knows well, using resources as efficiently as possible is key to delivering on the organization’s commitment to their community. That means cost is always a deciding factor. When their out-of-date server became a substantial drain on their budget, other IT needs began to fall by the wayside. Lawrence and his team turned to Matt Werkheiser, their CompassMSP virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO), for a solution.

“Initially, they wanted to move to Microsoft Azure,” says Matt. “After researching their situation and discussing their needs further, we determined that a hybrid environment would give them a better work experience and save them more money in the short and long term.” 

After a smooth transition to the new environment, the benefits quickly became apparent. “In addition to the transition being effortless, the cost savings were immediate and significant,” explains Lawrence. 

A productive – and lasting - relationship.

CompassMSP has been working closely with JHS for more than ten years. “We’ve partnered with them for so long, it’s hard to think of a time when they weren’t around,” says Lawrence.

JHS relies on CompassMSP to manage their cybersecurity needs effectively and proactively. “Whether it be email security tools like Barracuda or staff training opportunities like KnowB4, Compass has helped us address the ever-evolving and complex risks of cybersecurity in a way that works for us as a business,” explains Lawrence.

CompassMSP’s customer support has always impressed the JHS team. “Most minor issues are addressed with little-to-no business interruptions or continuity issues,” says Lawrence. “The ability to escalate more complex issues to someone local means those more challenging issues can be resolved in a very prompt manner.”

Beyond business.

Lawrence and the rest of the JHS team view their CompassMSP relationship as a true partnership – and one that often goes beyond technology. “We certainly consider Compass to be more than a vendor, but rather a partner in our work,” explains Lawrence. “Compass participates in all of our events, sponsors us directly, and their staff has adopted pets from us.”

Moving forward, JHS is confident their CompassMSP partnership will continue to grow. As Lawrence says, “We’re committed to doing business with those who support us, and CompassMSP’s commitment to our relationship shines through consistently.”