Kalayaan is a London charity supporting survivors of modern slavery, providing legal advice and support to some of the most vulnerable people in the country. They have a small team of seven staff and 14 volunteers. However, the sensitivity of their work means their IT must be reliable, secure and trustworthy.
ITGUYS has supported Kalayaan on a pro bono basis, part of our commitment as a certified B Corp to using our skills and expertise to help organisations doing vital social good, not just clients who can afford it.
The Challenge
When Hannah Billington joined as Chief Executive in early 2025, IT was the first thing staff raised with her. The charity’s internet connection ran off a 1p mobile SIM card! Confidential client and legal case files were stored on a NAS drive in the corner of the office. Staff couldn’t access the database from home, the internet dropped out regularly, and file collaboration relied on a half-implemented SharePoint setup.
Beyond the daily frustration, the risks were serious: passwords weren’t used properly, data wasn’t stored securely, and staff had built their own workarounds just to get things done. All this increased the cybersecurity risk for an organisation holding highly sensitive personal data. As Hannah puts it: “If you constantly come up against barriers with basic, everyday things, you do start to lose heart.”
Watch Ben’s full conversation with Hannah below…
Solution
ITGUYS started with the basics:
- Advised on and installed a leased line, along with the cabling and server setup needed to support it
- Migrated Kalayaan’s data and files into Microsoft 365 and SharePoint
- Moved their case management system to a new, cloud-based database
- Used the migration as an opportunity to reorganise nearly 40 years of accumulated files — rethinking how information should be stored, who needs access, and why
The Outcome
Kalayaan now runs on a secure, modern IT setup. Staff collaborate on shared documents, and files can be shared securely with the trustees and volunteers essential to how the charity operates.
“It feels a bit like we’ve entered the modern realm of IT,” Hannah says. “We’re aware now that we’re working with systems that are well run, well organised, and that’s good for morale.” She also notes the shift in support quality: “People actually enjoy calling, and they know they’re going to get their problem fixed.” Where staff once avoided reporting issues, they now come forward so problems get fixed instead of piling up.
People actually enjoy calling [IT Guys], and they know they're going to get their problem fixed.
The Future
With reliable, secure infrastructure in place, Kalayaan is no longer firefighting – they’re planning. ITGUYS continues as a proactive partner, flagging issues before they become problems and keeping IT decisions aligned with Kalayaan’s mission.
As Hannah says: “It’s really worth investing in an organisation that’s set up to give the help an organisation needs – the availability, the staff, and the skills and understanding to solve the problems.”
