We’re thrilled and incredibly proud to announce that we have, in partnership with FitzRoy, won the Infrastructure Transformation of the Year 2025 award at the Charity IT Leaders 25th Anniversary Awards.

This recognition celebrates more than just an award-winning project. It represents a fundamental shift in how charities can manage IT assets efficiently, sustainably, and cost-effectively, even with limited resources and remote teams.

The Challenge:

If you’re an IT manager in the charity sector, FitzRoy’s situation before implementing Direct2Desk will likely feel familiar:

• Stacks of unused laptops gathering dust in the office, waiting months for someone to have time to assess, repair, and redeploy them.
• Multi-day delays in getting equipment to new starters because devices needed to be manually configured at head office.
• Premature recycling of repairable devices like laptops with broken screens, simply because there was no trusted partner or internal expertise to fix them.
• Uncertainty about office space as hybrid and remote working became the norm, making physical asset storage impractical.
• No clear view of what equipment you had, where it was, or its condition.

For FitzRoy, a charity supporting people with learning disabilities across 100+ services in England and Wales, these challenges were compounded by their 400-strong laptop fleet and geographically dispersed workforce.

They had explored leasing options, but the costs were prohibitive, nearly double the price of outright purchase. They needed a different solution.

The Solution:

FitzRoy became the first non-private sector organisation to adopt Novatech’s Direct2Desk solution, a comprehensive asset lifecycle management service that includes:

• Zero-Touch deployment: Integration with Microsoft Intune and Autopilot meant devices were automatically configured and ready to use, with next-business-day delivery directly to end users anywhere in the UK.
• Asset triage and repair: Returned devices were professionally assessed, repaired where viable, and returned to circulation rather than being scrapped, dramatically extending their useful life.
• Centralised storage and management: All inventory stored at Novatech’s net-positive warehouse, with real-time visibility through a customised portal and API integration.
• Flexible lifecycle management: From order to delivery to collection to refurbishment to redeployment, with no manual administrative overhead.

As a pilot partner, FitzRoy worked collaboratively with us to refine the service for the charity sector, helping to shape an enterprise-level solution that worked for organisations of all sizes.

The Results: £60k saved in year one

The implementation delivered tangible, measurable impact:

1. Financial savings: FitzRoy saved approximately £60,000 in the first year alone. When 110 unused laptops were sent for triage, 75 were repaired and upgraded to return to active service. This meant substantial budget that could be redirected to front-line services rather than new hardware purchases.

2. Operational efficiency: Gone were the multi-day delays. FitzRoy now maintains a consistent stock of configured equipment ready for next-business-day delivery. An equipment amnesty recovered unused devices from front-line services, which were quickly processed through the triage service and returned to circulation.

3. Sustainability and ESG: By repairing and redeploying devices that would previously have been scrapped, FitzRoy drastically reduced e-waste. Our net-positive warehouse ensured their entire IT supply chain aligned with their environmental commitments.

Beyond the direct relationship, the Novatech ecosystem delivered additional value. When FitzRoy mentioned they needed to replace some IT suite PCs for the people they support, we connected them with another Direct2Desk customer, a UK Leading Energy Supplier. They donated three-year-old desktop PCs that still had plenty of life left, allowing them to safely dispose of assets while contributing to their CSR goals, and giving FitzRoy equipment upgrades at zero cost.

Ripple effect across the sector

The success story spread through the Charity IT Leaders community. Two other charities, the National Deaf Children’s Society and the National Childbirth Trust, subsequently adopted Direct2Desk based on FitzRoy’s positive experience, demonstrating the solution’s scalability and value for the sector.

What made this work: Key success factors

1. Integration with existing systems: The seamless integration with Microsoft Intune and Autopilot was crucial. By granting specific permissions, newly purchased laptops were automatically added to FitzRoy’s Autopilot instance, with all configuration profiles and applications pre-configured. This enabled true zero-touch deployment.

2. Customised triage process: Not every device needs the same treatment. Working together, we established clear criteria for categorising returned items based on condition, specifications, and refurbishment costs, ensuring repair decisions made financial sense.

3. A partnership mindset: As the first charity to use this service, FitzRoy embraced their role as a pilot partner. Rather than viewing initial setup complexities as setbacks, they saw them as opportunities to co-develop a better solution for the entire sector.

4. API and portal customisation: The bespoke portal provided FitzRoy with complete visibility of their asset inventory, order history, warranty information, and delivery tracking, all without additional administrative effort.

Lessons for other charities

FitzRoy’s experience offers valuable insights for IT managers considering similar transformations:

1. Create a formal project timeline: Even when you’re excited about a solution, proper planning with key milestones helps manage expectations internally and with partners.

2. Plan for continuity: Ensure you have more than one key contact at your supplier and document handover plans to minimise disruption from personnel changes.

3. Start with clear objectives: FitzRoy knew they needed to optimise deployment, maximise asset utilisation, streamline management, future-proof for remote work, and enhance visibility. These clear goals guided every decision.

4. Embrace being an early adopter: If you’re implementing something new, approach challenges with a collaborative mindset. Your feedback can shape a better solution for everyone in the sector.

The bigger picture: Why this matters

This award recognises more than operational efficiency. It celebrates a model that proves charities don’t need enterprise budgets to access enterprise-level IT solutions.

Every pound saved on IT infrastructure is a pound that goes directly to your mission. Every laptop extended by two years is one less device in landfill. Every day saved in deployment time is time your team can spend on strategic initiatives rather than manual configuration.

For organisations supporting vulnerable people, managing health services, advancing education, or tackling any of the critical challenges facing society, efficient IT operations aren’t a luxury – they’re essential infrastructure that amplifies impact.

Is Direct2Desk right for your charity?

If any of these challenges sound familiar, Direct2Desk could transform your IT operations:

• You lack physical office space for storing and managing IT assets
• Devices sit unused for weeks or months before being processed
• You’re prematurely recycling equipment that could be repaired
• Manual configuration creates delays in getting equipment to users
• You need better visibility of your asset inventory and lifecycle
• You want to reduce e-waste and improve sustainability
• Your team is geographically dispersed or fully remote
• You’re looking for ways to extend equipment lifespan and reduce costs

The service is designed to scale from small charities to large organisations, with customised solutions that fit your specific needs and budget.

Ready to transform your IT operations?

We’d love to discuss how Direct2Desk could work for your organisation. Our experience with FitzRoy and other charities in the sector means we understand the unique challenges you face and the constraints you work within.

Whether you’re managing 50 devices or 1,500+, whether you’re just starting to think about asset lifecycle management or looking to optimise an existing process, we’re here to help.

Get in touch to arrange a consultation: Visit novatech.co.uk/business/direct2desk/book-a-demo/ or contact our charity sector team to discuss your requirements.

Together, we can ensure your IT infrastructure supports your mission rather than draining resources from it.

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Congratulations again to the entire FitzRoy team for their collaborative approach, clear vision, and commitment to innovation. This award belongs to them as much as it does to us.

Interested in learning more about the Charity IT Leaders community and their awards programme? Visit charityitleaders.org.uk to connect with IT professionals across the charity sector.