Introducing Kairos: A New Era of Case Management for Nonprofits
Why Kairos, Why Now? Nonprofits have long struggled with fragmented systems, manual processes, and limited access to enterprise-grade technology. Kairos changes that. Built on Microsoft Azure and designed specifically for nonprofits, Kairos offers: Streamlined Case Management: From intake to closure, every step is digitized and intuitive Data-Driven Insights: Real-time dashboards and analytics help teams make smarter decisions. Custom Workflows: Tailored to the unique needs of each organization, not the other way around. Collaboration at Scale: Seamless coordination across departments, partners, and service providers. And it’s not just theory. During the recent soft launch, over 70 Urban Leaguers from 30 affiliates joined a live demo led by the Urban League of Broward County's own Daela Holness, showcasing how Kairos is already transforming service delivery. Built by the Community, for the Community This isn’t a top-down tech deployment. It’s a co-creation effort led by voices from across the nonprofit ecosystem. Our team recognized a critical need: nonprofits must own their data. Through deep conversations with nonprofit leaders and frontline staff, we envisioned a system that wouldn’t just manage cases—but empower entire organizations. Kairos was designed to serve every department, every program, and every team—so they can serve their communities faster, smarter, and more collaboratively. With Kairos, nonprofits can track families and services across programs, not in silos. That’s why we call it an impact management system—not just case management. It’s about seeing the full picture, breaking down barriers, and building stronger, more connected communities. What’s Next? This blog is just the beginning. We have published a series of deep dives into the technologies powering Kairos—from Azure services and Power BI dashboards to secure document management. Whether you're a nonprofit leader, a technologist, or a curious changemaker, there’s something here for you. Explore the Series Below is a link to over 20 blogs that will talks about the tech behind Kairos and how it fits into the broader nonprofit tech landscape. If you are just getting started in understanding technology, these will explain resources required for the application especially if you're considering the deployable model. Kairos IMS Blog Resources Take a look at the Kairos website to learn more.What Nonprofits Need to Know About Cloud Storage Redundancy
At the heart of this post is Kairos IMS, an innovative Impact Management System designed to empower human-serving nonprofits and social impact organizations. Co-developed by the Urban League of Broward County and our trusted technology partner, Impactful, Kairos IMS reduces administrative burdens, enhances holistic care, and enables organizations to leverage data for increased agility and seamless service delivery. In this blog series, we’ll take a closer look at the powerful technologies that fuel Kairos IMS, from Azure services to security frameworks, offering insight into how modern infrastructure supports mission-driven impact. Click here to learn more. What Is Azure Storage Redundancy? Azure storage redundancy refers to how your data is copied and stored across multiple physical locations to keep it safe and accessible—even if hardware fails or a data center goes offline. Think of it as creating backup copies in real-time, so if one server goes down, another one picks up right where it left off. Azure offers several redundancy options, each with a different level of protection and cost: Locally Redundant Storage (LRS): Data is replicated three times within a single data center. Great for budget-conscious orgs. Cheapest option. Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS): Data is stored across three different availability zones in the same region. Offers higher resilience. Mid-tier pricing. Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS): Data is copied to a secondary region hundreds of miles away. Ideal for disaster recovery. Higher cost. Read-Access Geo-Redundant Storage (RA-GRS): Like GRS, but you can read from the secondary region even if the primary one is down. Why Redundancy Matters for Nonprofits Nonprofits are often targets of cyberattacks and also operate in environments where internet outages or power failures can occur. Redundancy ensures that: You don’t lose important grant or donor data. Services like SharePoint or hosted databases stay online. You can continue serving your community even in unexpected situations. Using Your $2,000 in Azure Credits Wisely Microsoft offers approved nonprofits $2,000 in Azure credits each year through its Microsoft for Nonprofits program. Here’s how you can use those credits for storage redundancy: Start small with LRS or ZRS for frequently used files or backups. Use GRS for mission-critical data like financial or compliance documents. Back up virtual machines or databases with geo-redundancy for restore-anywhere capabilities. Pair with Azure Backup or Site Recovery for additional resilience. Tip: Monitor your credit usage in the Azure Cost Management and Billing dashboard so you don’t overspend. Getting Started If your nonprofit already has an Azure subscription through Microsoft's grant, you're ready to go! Here’s what to do next: Log into the Azure portal with admin credentials. Navigate to Storage Accounts > + Create. Choose your region and desired redundancy level. Configure Advanced, Networking, Data protection, Encryption, and Tag settings and then select Review + create to go over your configuration. Select Create to make your storage account. Start uploading files or connecting services like Microsoft 365 or backup tools. If you’re unsure which redundancy level is right for your nonprofit, a good starting point is to use LRS for general storage and reserve GRS for the most critical data. Storage redundancy isn’t just a technical term—it’s peace of mind. With Azure and your nonprofit credits, you can build a more resilient and secure digital foundation without spending out of pocket. Not sure how to get started? Microsoft has nonprofit partners and tech support that can help you make the most of your credits. Your mission is too important to risk downtime—let’s make sure your data is always safe and accessible.Azure Backup: Best Practices for Secure Data Protection and Restoration
Azure Backup is a powerful and flexible backup solution that can help protect your critical data and applications in a scalable and cost-effective way and can be easily integrated with other Azure services for a comprehensive data protection strategy.
