Scottish charity and social enterprise the Wise Group has launched an IT consultancy service designed to give other charities discounted access to Microsoft’s cloud technologies.

Cloudwise has been created in partnership with the software giant and promises to give Scottish charities access to the Microsoft Cloud for around half the commercial rate.

Furthermore, the Group says it will provide interested organisations with a free 'health-check' on their current IT systems and will enrol them on a no-obligation 30 day free-trial.

If organisations decide they wish to proceed on a long-term basis, the Group will manage the transition and provide on-going support and training.

The Wise Group has been working with Microsoft since 2009 when it migrated to the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite, a move which it says has allowed it to accommodate rapid growth in staff numbers; better deploy services in new geographical territories and give staff communication and collaboration tools anywhere with an internet connection.

It was assisted in this by a $1.8m grant from the software firm, alongside £500,000 from the Scottish government.

Cross-sector partnership

Speaking at the launch event, the Scottish government’s cabinet secretary for finance and sustainable growth John Swinney said: “There’s a great partnership here where the government has been able to contribute financially to the work of the Wise Group, the Wise Group has been able to provide the imagination and the creativity to design a particular product, and then to work with Microsoft to bring it all about.

“So I think we’ve got a great private, public and third sector partnership and crucially where it contributes is to the long-term sustainability of the third sector.”