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Technology Spend Without Clarity

IT Operations Assessment Helps a National Non-Profit Reinvest in Its Mission

A growing national non-profit with staff in more than 25 cities was paying for over-licensed applications and a provider that offered little transparency. Silver Tree's assessment found $3.1M in annual savings to reinvest in the mission.

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$3.1M

In annual savings identified through licensing audit, contract optimization, and support restructuring

$3.1M

In annual savings identified through licensing audit, contract optimization, and support restructuring

50%

Reduction in Tier 1 and 2 support costs via a recommended global resourcing strategy

Significant

Reduction in non-compliance risk from software oversubscription and lack of governance

The Situation

A growing national non-profit, with staff and programs spanning over 25 cities, faced mounting IT inefficiencies and cost pressures. As the organization scaled, its IT operating model lagged, with over-licensed applications, underperforming infrastructure, and fragmented service delivery. The existing IT partner delivered minimal value, lacked transparency, and maintained critical systems on outdated tools without timely visibility or reporting.

The organization needed to shift from tactical IT firefighting to a modern, strategic operating model: reducing costs, strengthening security, and supporting innovation across infrastructure, applications, and operations.

Why Silver Tree

Silver Tree was selected for its deep expertise in IT transformation, proven ability to drive measurable cost savings, and its approach to change management. The team provided a proven framework for IT operations and financial optimization, vendor-agnostic guidance rooted in industry best practices, execution-ready action plans with a sequenced roadmap, and the confidence to move from a costly, fragmented IT model to a streamlined partner ecosystem.

What We Did

Silver Tree assessed IT infrastructure, licensing, contracts, applications, and support functions, identifying immediate and long-term opportunities for cost reduction and operational improvement.

  • SaaS licensing audit: Uncovered 250+ unused Salesforce licenses and excess Tableau seats, and introduced role-based license governance to prevent future oversubscription.
  • Third-party vendor rationalization: Identified redundant, overpriced vendors across HR, finance, and CRM systems, and recommended renegotiation and consolidation under one strategic partner.
  • Tier 1 and 2 support restructuring: Proposed moving low-value support activities to global delivery teams, reallocating budget to higher-priority strategic initiatives.
  • IT operating model redesign: Proposed a modern support model with demand governance, performance metrics, and centralized service management.
  • Security and network modernization: Outlined plans for a SOC/NOC rollout, modernized WAN architecture, and endpoint security upgrades to close critical visibility and response gaps.

Following the assessment, the client engaged Silver Tree to lead additional strategic initiatives, including Security Managed Services and ongoing Application Maintenance and Management.

Key Results

  • $3.1M in annual savings identified through licensing audit, contract optimization, and support restructuring
  • 50% reduction in Tier 1 and 2 support costs via a recommended global resourcing strategy
  • Significant reduction in non-compliance risk by addressing software oversubscription and lack of governance
  • Follow-on engagements for Security Managed Services and Application Maintenance and Management

Silver Catalyst Stages Applied

Assess · Design

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