N
Neeshma Mehta
Guest
For organizations working in high-stakes environments, disconnected systems and manual data processes can create serious operational challenges. Global Refuge needed a way to bring together data across platforms, improve accuracy and reduce the time spent managing complex reporting requirements. That search led them to Progress DataDirect.
Global Refuge, formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, plays a critical role in humanitarian efforts across the United States by supporting refugee resettlement and foster care services. At the heart of this mission is the ability to manage sensitive data securely, accurately and efficiently across many systems and partners.
During a recent conversation, George Fan shared how Global Refuge’s technology team supports this work and why data integration has become essential to their operations.
Global Refuge supports refugee resettlement agencies across the U.S., helping refugees travel to and resettle in the country. George explained that his team manages two core processes: refugee resettlement through an internal system called IRIS (Immigration and Refugee Information System) and the refugee travel loan process. While the Travel Loans program recently concluded, these loans, issued by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), helped refugees reach the U.S. and were later repaid after resettlement.
Behind the scenes, this process involved multiple organizations, strict compliance requirements and highly sensitive data. Global Refuge was not operating alone; seven U.S.-based resettlement agencies used similar systems, each with its own databases and workflows.
Global Refuge primarily uses a Microsoft-based technology stack, including Azure, SQL Server and Salesforce as the central CRM. One of the biggest challenges the team faced was integrating data smoothly between Salesforce and backend databases.
What initially sounds simple quickly became complex. Across agencies, there were more than 20 databases and roughly 300 tables that needed to be synchronized. Managing data access, consistency and security across all of these systems required a centralized and scalable approach.
To solve this challenge, Global Refuge turned to Progress DataDirect. Using DataDirect and its ODBC drivers, the team was able to centralize data into a single warehouse and enable two-way synchronization between systems.
DataDirect acts as a middleware and orchestration layer, handling how data is extracted, transformed and moved across systems. This enables seamless integration between platforms like Salesforce and backend databases, while also supporting data cleanup, transformations and ad hoc fixes when needed.
While initially implemented to support government reporting, DataDirect has since expanded into additional use cases across the organization. It is now used for CRM-to-CRM synchronization, internal data processing and even replacing certain automation workflows, demonstrating its flexibility beyond the original use case.
The impact after implementation was significant and measurable. Before implementing DataDirect, Global Refuge had a 15-day window each month to reconcile and submit required reports and often struggled to meet that deadline.
After implementation, the team was able to deliver all required artifacts by the third day of the month, reducing processing time by approximately 75%.
Automation also significantly reduced manual effort. Accounting teams gained direct access to accurate reporting data, minimizing back-and-forth questions. Data accuracy improved, and follow-up inquiries from IOM dropped dramatically, decreasing from five to seven per month to approximately three per year.
Beyond efficiency gains, DataDirect has enabled Global Refuge to scale significantly without increasing team size. The organization’s portfolio has grown from approximately $4 million to $23 million, while the system now supports around 20,000 travel records.
Despite this growth, the team size has remained roughly the same, demonstrating how DataDirect has helped scale operations without adding complexity or overhead.
Cost efficiency was also a key factor in the decision. Alternative solutions such as MuleSoft were estimated to cost between $80,000 and $100,000 per year, while DataDirect provided a significantly more cost-effective option. This made it a strong choice from both a performance and ROI perspective.
The platform has also proven to be highly reliable. Over the past five years, the team has logged only a single support ticket and experienced no major system issues, reinforcing confidence in the solution.
Overall, George estimates that automation eliminated 80% to 85% of manual handling while improving trust in the data.
By simplifying data integration and improving accuracy, Global Refuge’s technology team has been able to focus less on reconciliation and troubleshooting and more on supporting the organization’s humanitarian mission. Secure, centralized data access has become a critical enabler of efficiency, compliance and scale.
As Global Refuge continues to grow, having a scalable and reliable data foundation ensures the organization can support its mission while adapting to future demands.
Want to simplify data integration across complex systems and reduce manual effort?
Learn how Progress DataDirect can help you centralize, secure and scale your data operations.
Continue reading...
Who Is Global Refuge?
Global Refuge, formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, plays a critical role in humanitarian efforts across the United States by supporting refugee resettlement and foster care services. At the heart of this mission is the ability to manage sensitive data securely, accurately and efficiently across many systems and partners.
During a recent conversation, George Fan shared how Global Refuge’s technology team supports this work and why data integration has become essential to their operations.
Supporting a Complex, Nationwide Mission
Global Refuge supports refugee resettlement agencies across the U.S., helping refugees travel to and resettle in the country. George explained that his team manages two core processes: refugee resettlement through an internal system called IRIS (Immigration and Refugee Information System) and the refugee travel loan process. While the Travel Loans program recently concluded, these loans, issued by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), helped refugees reach the U.S. and were later repaid after resettlement.
Behind the scenes, this process involved multiple organizations, strict compliance requirements and highly sensitive data. Global Refuge was not operating alone; seven U.S.-based resettlement agencies used similar systems, each with its own databases and workflows.
The Integration Challenge
Global Refuge primarily uses a Microsoft-based technology stack, including Azure, SQL Server and Salesforce as the central CRM. One of the biggest challenges the team faced was integrating data smoothly between Salesforce and backend databases.
What initially sounds simple quickly became complex. Across agencies, there were more than 20 databases and roughly 300 tables that needed to be synchronized. Managing data access, consistency and security across all of these systems required a centralized and scalable approach.
Why Global Refuge Chose Progress DataDirect
To solve this challenge, Global Refuge turned to Progress DataDirect. Using DataDirect and its ODBC drivers, the team was able to centralize data into a single warehouse and enable two-way synchronization between systems.
DataDirect acts as a middleware and orchestration layer, handling how data is extracted, transformed and moved across systems. This enables seamless integration between platforms like Salesforce and backend databases, while also supporting data cleanup, transformations and ad hoc fixes when needed.
While initially implemented to support government reporting, DataDirect has since expanded into additional use cases across the organization. It is now used for CRM-to-CRM synchronization, internal data processing and even replacing certain automation workflows, demonstrating its flexibility beyond the original use case.
Measurable Impact and Time Savings
The impact after implementation was significant and measurable. Before implementing DataDirect, Global Refuge had a 15-day window each month to reconcile and submit required reports and often struggled to meet that deadline.
After implementation, the team was able to deliver all required artifacts by the third day of the month, reducing processing time by approximately 75%.
Automation also significantly reduced manual effort. Accounting teams gained direct access to accurate reporting data, minimizing back-and-forth questions. Data accuracy improved, and follow-up inquiries from IOM dropped dramatically, decreasing from five to seven per month to approximately three per year.
Beyond efficiency gains, DataDirect has enabled Global Refuge to scale significantly without increasing team size. The organization’s portfolio has grown from approximately $4 million to $23 million, while the system now supports around 20,000 travel records.
Despite this growth, the team size has remained roughly the same, demonstrating how DataDirect has helped scale operations without adding complexity or overhead.
Cost efficiency was also a key factor in the decision. Alternative solutions such as MuleSoft were estimated to cost between $80,000 and $100,000 per year, while DataDirect provided a significantly more cost-effective option. This made it a strong choice from both a performance and ROI perspective.
The platform has also proven to be highly reliable. Over the past five years, the team has logged only a single support ticket and experienced no major system issues, reinforcing confidence in the solution.
Overall, George estimates that automation eliminated 80% to 85% of manual handling while improving trust in the data.
Enabling Focus on What Matters Most
By simplifying data integration and improving accuracy, Global Refuge’s technology team has been able to focus less on reconciliation and troubleshooting and more on supporting the organization’s humanitarian mission. Secure, centralized data access has become a critical enabler of efficiency, compliance and scale.
As Global Refuge continues to grow, having a scalable and reliable data foundation ensures the organization can support its mission while adapting to future demands.
Want to simplify data integration across complex systems and reduce manual effort?
Learn how Progress DataDirect can help you centralize, secure and scale your data operations.
Continue reading...