Donor Network West Relies on Druva for Data Security & Backups to Focus on Saving Lives

Donor Network West, a federally designated nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, specializes in organ procurement and tissue recovery. Its presence in Northern California and Northern Nevada, it has served communities since 1987. With a mission to connect the gift of life to those in need, the organization supports over 13 million people across 45 counties in the region.

Before adopting Druva, Donor Network West struggled with an unreliable, manual backup process that left critical data at risk. Staff had to manually oversee file transfers to servers, a process described by J.T. Mason, Vice President of Information Technology, as time-consuming and prone to human error.

The nature of their work exacerbated the issue. Employees frequently operated in high-stress environments, and laptops used in hospital settings were often damaged or lost. "People could start up their laptops, something gets spilled on it, and the data is simply gone," Mason noted. The risk of losing time-critical donor and recipient data was a constant concern.

A breaking point came when an executive lost irretrievable data. This incident underscored the urgency of finding a comprehensive backup solution. In addition, evolving industry regulations required stronger data retention and retrieval capabilities, and with over 60% of staff working remotely, traditional backup methods were no longer feasible.

After extensive research and vendor comparisons, Donor Network West chose Druva for its fully cloud-native, 100% SaaS backup solution. Druva's automated endpoint protection was a game-changer, ensuring seamless data recovery even when laptops were frequently damaged or lost in field environments. With built-in ransomware protection, continuous backup, and air-gapped storage, Druva ensured critical data remains secure and accessible. Additionally, Druva's centralized management and zero-trust architecture provide IT teams with greater visibility and control, reducing the risk of data loss and unauthorized access. The ability to scale effortlessly and recover files instantly — without complex infrastructure — made Druva the ideal choice for securing endpoint data in Donor Network West’s high-risk, fast-paced environments.

"We needed a solution that could work without constant management from our small IT team, and Druva delivered exactly that," said Mason. The ease of deployment and management meant their IT team could focus on higher-priority tasks rather than babysitting backups.

Donor Network West prioritized endpoint protection in their first phase of adoption and began rolling out Druva to address their urgent need to safeguard mobile and hospital-based workstations. They even began protecting Microsoft 365 accounts for their executives via the end-user bundle that Druva offers.

Druva has been a game-changer for Donor Network West, elevating their data resiliency to an entirely new level. For Mason and his team, Druva emerged as the hero they needed, eliminating time-consuming manual processes and delivering a seamless "Set it and forget it" experience for end-users. This transformation allowed the team to focus on their mission-critical tasks without worrying about data management.

One of the standout benefits highlighted was Druva's ability to effortlessly retrieve data, especially during critical moments like employee terminations, where entire datasets could now be archived with ease. This capability, previously unavailable to the organization, has provided a significant operational advantage. The peace of mind that came with knowing their data was secure and always recoverable allowed Mason to assure his executive team with confidence.

Mason also emphasized Druva's importance in supporting their field staff, who often operate in high-risk environments. The platform's reliability and ease of recovery have been crucial in ensuring that no data is ever lost, even in challenging circumstances. "Reliability, a sense of security, and peace of mind," Mason shared, summing up his experience with Druva. He further credited Druva with doubling their security posture, significantly boosting confidence in their data protection and operational stability.

Reflecting on the overall impact, Mason remarked, "Druva has been instrumental in ensuring that we never lose any data." For Donor Network West, Druva has not just been a tool but a trusted partner, empowering their team to operate with confidence, efficiency, and the assurance that their data is always protected.