Could this Be the Solution to Strict Austerity Measures?

With George Osborne set to stick to his long term economic plan and continue to cut back on public spending, local councils are faced with enduring austerity measures imposed by the government.

For the past 5 years, local governments have had to do more with less money, but how does this relate to technical IT developments?

The funds for new technology are few and far between, making it difficult for our councils to keep up with the innovation currently sweeping the IT industry. But when this has an adverse effect on their processes, with legacy systems becoming obsolete, our government bodies have to make a change – right?

In theory yes. The public sector is not unique, and like all business they must incorporate new IT into their everyday operation to improve efficiency, communications and processes. So, they are firmly stuck between the need to ride the tide of change and the need to deliver up to 40% savings in real terms by 2019-20.

The Solution?

Off the back of these austerity concerns, a few particular IT trends are rising to the fore in the public sector. By now you would have heard the phrase ‘as-a-service’ – virtualising everything from software to full IT infrastructures, the main benefit of which is the cost savings due to lower infrastructure costs. Gone are the arduous worries about the maintenance of hardware and networking equipment, or the concerns about replacing old equipment, replaced with an efficient, usually outsourced, service.

Now that’s all well and good, but what if our councils are unsure which service would benefit their organisation? With the heavy burden of austerity, mingled with the challenging necessity to keep up technologically, the IT procurement process can be an unclear, daunting prospect.

Here at Centerprise, we can identify key potential cost-saving and productivity measures, with the right people, the right skills and the right technology to help, whether local authorities are considering adopting digital transformation to optimise how they interact, a technology refresh following a planned rationalisation of their real estate, or merely wishing to identify savings associated with the under-utilisation of their existing ICT estate. An Information Technology Asset Management (ITAM) audit across a local authority’s entire organisation is the place to start.

The initial stage of the ITAM audit is a non-intrusive, tailored questionnaire. Once complete, we identify any saving opportunities relating to the under-utilisation of software licenses and/or hardware capacity, and also pin point opportunities for ICT optimisation.

And the best part? We are offering our ITAM audits with a risk free guarantee. We’re confident in our ability to deliver results and support this claim by offering this service to local authorities absolutely free of charge if we’re unable to produce material savings.

If you believe your IT infrastructure is currently underutilised, or you’d like to realise the potential of new IT trends in your organisation, contact the Centerprise Team:

01256 378000
locgovsales@centerprise.co.uk 

Written by Kathryn Tilling

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The remedy to data security being 'shockingly lax'

The remedy to data security being 'shockingly lax'

BBC released a story today that may be leaving some people concerned. It has reported that a surprising number of Local Authorities have a ‘lax’ approach to their data security, data that may include important or confidential information, that has subsequently been ‘lost or stolen’.

The findings mention 4236 data breaches during a 3 year period from 2011, such as 5000 letters that were sent to the wrong address which included content for another recipient.  Most shockingly, 197 mobile phones, computers, tablets and USB’s were again, lost or stolen. The wealth of private information on all of these devices is tricky to comprehend, particularly if you consider the reliance we place on our personal devices for storage nowadays.

With the demand for flexible working and the increasing pressure placed on workforces, mobility has become a global phenomenon, with advances in technology being the catalyst. It enables increased productivity, speedy communication and a better work/life balance. It’s no wonder that organisations both in the Public and Private Sector are keen to jump on the band wagon.

But of course, despite the benefits, there are many risks associated with deploying mobility, the main being the complete lack of control. Once data has left the confines of your organisation, in any form, it’s nigh on impossible to get it back. This becomes particularly damaging when said data is confidential and personal. Hence the ‘deeply disturbing’ situation within a few of our Local Authorities at the moment.

It’s these issues that make the deployment of mobility a long term consideration. Of course, at the rate in which technology is developing, mobility will become a necessity for all organisations who want to stay afloat. But for those who are considering mobility, and those who have already taken the plunge – what’s the solution?

The Enterprise Mobility Suite, powered by Microsoft, is an effective management solution that eradicates the issues surrounding mobility. It gives you back the control of your mobile workforce enabling you to deploy mobility with confidence. It’s also perfectly suited to the Public Sector – namely Local Authorities – who need heightened security features to protect their OFFICIAL documents, such as the ability to remotely wipe compromised devices.

So, the moral of the story? Keep up and embrace mobility. But make sure you’ve installed a comprehensive management solution alongside it. You don’t want your data ending up in the wrong hands.

To find out more about The Enterprise Mobility Suite from Centerprise International, take a look at our site at http://www.centerprise.co.uk/cloud-enterprise-mobility-as-a-service.html

BBC Article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33856785

Written by Katie Tilling, Centerprise International

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