Empowering Non-Profits: The VyOS Journey of Function Office

“VyOS has been a cornerstone in helping us deliver uninterrupted services to not just our organization but also to the numerous non-profits we support. Its reliability, combined with the financial flexibility provided by the VyOS for Good program, has allowed us to extend our services without stretching our limited resources.”
— Steven Maddox, Director and Volunteer, Function Office

Customer Overview

Function Office is a non-profit organization that leverages VyOS to enhance the IT infrastructure of their Seaquake project. Through their IT Outreach programme, they provide no-cost IT services to other non-profits, community groups, and charities. Steven Maddox, one of the directors and volunteers, shares their journey with VyOS, a relationship that began in 2010 with Vyatta 6.1 and has continued with VyOS ever since.

Challenge

Function Office faced significant IT challenges, managing a complicated network with a very small budget and mostly using old, donated hardware. They needed a strong, adaptable, and affordable network solution that worked well with different types of commodity equipment, especially x86-based systems, to effectively support their charitable work. The solution had to be reliable enough to keep their services running smoothly without interruptions.

Why VyOS

Function Office benefits from the "VyOS for Good" program, which provides VyOS for free to educational entities, non-profits, first responders, and recycling organizations. This program has been instrumental in allowing Function Office to access enterprise-level network features without the associated costs, aligning perfectly with their mission and operational model. Key drivers included:

Cost Efficiency: Access to enterprise features without associated costs.
Community Support: As an open-source platform based on Debian, VyOS allowed the team to benefit from both Enterprise and community support.
Adaptability: Worked well with different types of commodity equipment.

Implementation

Deploying VyOS allowed Function Office to streamline network management and improve reliability significantly. VyOS provided extensive routing capabilities, firewall, and NAT functionality, vital for managing their data centers and virtual environments. Key implementation highlights:

Versatility: In just one instance of VyOS, they were able to cater both for groups that want a public IP directly and those that want to be behind a managed router.
Security: Proper firewall zones and zone policies are utilized to ensure that the external firewall rules are always followed, allowing features like hairpin NAT when needed.

Results

VyOS and the VyOS for Good program have played a pivotal role in enabling Function Office to effectively manage their IT infrastructure. Key outcomes included:

Looking Ahead

The flexibility and robustness of VyOS, coupled with the support from the VyOS for Good program, have enabled them to maintain high service levels and support their community-oriented missions. This demonstrates that advanced technology can significantly enhance operational efficiency in non-profit settings.

Enhanced Reliability: VyOS has been highly reliable, handling network reboots and hardware transitions smoothly, which was crucial during unexpected technical challenges.
Cost Efficiency: Utilizing VyOS under the VyOS for Good program has enabled Function Office to maximize the use of existing hardware and minimize costs.
Community and Development Support: The team benefited from ongoing development, ensuring access to the latest networking features.