Government Technology Volume 9.4

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk | VOLUME 9.4

SERVICE MANAGEMENT

GREEN IT

CONTENT MANAGEMENT The power to transform employee productivity, drive down costs and reduce carbon footprint

IT TRAINING Please visit www. government technology.co.uk for the latest news and events

SOFTWARE ESCROW - How to decide whether it is the right choice for you

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Dear Reader, So the election – and the state of uncertainty and confusion that followed – is over and the new cabinet has begun its work. But what will happen to the technology initiatives that Labour put so much money and effort into, such as the National Programme for IT, ID cards, and broadband tax? And how will the new coalition government affect ICT departments in local authorities across the country?

9.4 gy.co.uk | VOlumE

hnolo www.governmenttec

IT TRAINING

GREEN IT

ENT SERVICE mANAGEm

CONTENT mANAGEmENT

Please visit www. government technology.co.uk for the latest news and events

employee The power to transform costs productivity, drive down int and reduce carbon footpr

Both local and central government departments work ever so hard to deliver services to citizens, and these need to be communicated properly and effectively. At the Good Communications Awards we recognise excellence in public sector communications, and if your department has done something within public relations, print, IT & SOFTWARE ESROW e-government, and/or telecoms, that you would like to shout about we want to hear from you. Entry to the awards has been extended until 18 June, and if your organisation is shortlisted, you will be invited to attend the spectacular awards ceremony at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, which will feature a four course dinner, champagne drinks reception, competitions and prizes along with the chance of picking up an award that recognises the hard work that goes into communicating with diverse audiences. Read more about the event and how to enter on page 64. Good Luck!

er it is it the right route

– How to decide wheth

for you

editorial@psigroupltd.co.uk

Government Technology Online If you would like to subscribe to Government Technology magazine please contact Public Sector Information Limited, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 0208 532 0055, Fax: 0208 532 0066, or visit the Government Technology website at: P NEWS P FEATURES P PROFILES P CASE STUDIES P EVENTS P AND MORE

8 www.governmenttechnology.co.uk PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED 226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Fax: 020 8532 0066 EDITOR Sofie Lidefjard ASSISTANT EDITOR Angela Pisanu PRODUCTION EDITOR Karl O’Sullivan PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Reiss Malone PRODUCTION DESIGN Jacqueline Grist

ADVERTISEMENT SALES Justine James, Luke Humphries, Jane Fraser, Sally Brockman, Jeff Reed PUBLISHER John O’Leary SALES ADMINISTRATION Jackie Carnochan, Martine Carnochan ADMINISTRATION Charlotte Casey, Victoria Leftwich GROUP PUBLISHER Barry Doyle REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media

© 2010 Public Sector Information Limited. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. ISSN 1362 - 2541 MEMBER OF THE PERIODICAL PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION

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AN ESCROW nccgroup AGREEMENT REDUCES AN ORGANISATION’S RISK PROFILE escrow

Make sure you choose a stable, well established Escrow provider that will be around for the long term.

With over 30 years’ experience, NCC Group is the world’s largest software Escrow provider, protecting public sector organisations with the most comprehensive Escrow solutions available.

We have over 15,000 customers, including strong long-standing relationships with over 5,000 software suppliers.

For more information about NCC Group’s Escrow agreements call us today on +44 (0)844 538 0133 or email us at publicsectorescrow@nccgroup.com

Visit the website to view the categorised product finder

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CONTENTS GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY 9.4

7 NEWS 11 SOFTWARE ESCROW What is software escrow, and do you need it?

15 CONTENT MANAGEMENT At the AIIM Roadshow 2010 you can learn how best practice in scanning, document management, records management, ECM and SharePoint can help your organisation improve services, optimise business processes, get to grips with compliance, ease restructuring, and save money ECM has the power to transform employee productivity, drive down costs and reduce the carbon footprint for any organisation but how do you achieve maximum value from the investment?

How can you achieve the highest government levels for security, reliability, scalability and efficiency when it comes to content and document management?

What are the trends in content management systems and public sector websites?

27 SERVICE MANAGEMENT itSMF UK looks at strategic change in political times and the lifecycle as an enabler

33 DATA CENTRES The Green Grid discusses its new tools for data centre efficiency

41 GREEN IT What areas should you consider when managing the reduction of carbon emissions?

45 OUTSOURCING The National Outsourcing Association discusses the steps to successful outsourcing What efficiency savings can be achieved through business process outsourcing?

51 RECRUITMENT IT will help deliver efficiency savings; employers should therefore think twice before making job cuts in IT departments, says the Recruitment and Employment Confederation

54 IT TRAINING Learning & Development is at the forefront when it comes to improve workflow, work smarter, and work harder, says the Institute of IT Training

59 SECURITY The British Security Industry Association discusses the enhanced standards for discarding confidential data

64 EVENTS The Good Communication Awards, taking place 15 July, will recognise excellence in public sector communications SmartGov Live will provide you with the first chance to find out what challenges and opportunities will arise following the election IT Decisions identifies the most significant trends currently shaping corporate and public sector IT systems presenting independent perspectives on new developments and showcasing the latest innovations Preview of CIPD’s HR Software Show 2010 taking place at Olympia, London 16-17 June The recent Infosecurity Europe was the busiest and most successful show to date ‘Doing things differently and doing different things – sharing experience of radical change’ was the theme of the Socitm National Conference, held last month in Birmingham

77 COMMUNICATIONS Why should you use a telecoms consultant and how can you get the best value from the consultancy assignment?

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

Policy key to accessing growing Digital Data digital preservation policy is the vital first step organisations must take if they want to access growing volumes of digital data in the future, a report has found.

The report, Digital Divide: Assessing Organisations’ Preparations for Digital Preservation, looked into the work of 200 organisations worldwide to maintain long-term access to digital information.

The report found that 80 per cent of organisations already need to preserve documents and images now and 70 per cent will also need to hold onto databases, websites, audio and video files in ten years’ time.

93 per cent of organisations are aware of the challenges of digital preservation.

76 per cent include digital preservation in their operational planning, 71 per cent in their business-continuity planning and

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62 per cent in their financial planning.

Just 48 per cent of organisations have a digital preservation policy and 47 per cent a budget in place. This drops to one in four public sector institutions. 87 per cent of organisations plan to tackle digital preservation and 77 per cent plan to invest in a solution within two years.

Organisations with a digital preservation policy are more likely to include digital preservation in their planning, three times more likely to have a budget for it, four times more likely to be investing in a solution now and three times more likely to have a long-term solution already in place. Those without a policy are four times more likely to have no experience of or be unaware of the problem, three times more likely to have no plans and twice as likely to put off purchasing a solution for over two years.

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NEWSINBRIEF Changes to No. 10 website The Number 10 channel names for Flickr, Twitter and YouTube have changed to Number10gov. The changes were made to achieve consistency across profiles, reducing potential confusion to users.

Its twitter channel has changed name to Number10gov. The existing 1.7m followers will be retained and previous tweets will be viewable as normal in the chronological list.

The iPhone app is being updated with the new channel names and should be pulling through the new feeds shortly.

As part of the changes all news, press notices, press briefings, web chats, speeches, statements, transcripts and e-petition responses from the previous government have been archived. All the archived pages are available to view on The National Archives.

Culture secretary in charge of broadband rollout rime minister David Cameron has given Jeremy Hunt the role of culture secretary, with orders to speed up the rollout of superfast broadband across Britain.

Hunt, who held the same post in the Tory shadow cabinet, called for wholesale deregulation of the current broadband infrastructure at the time, with the aim of providing access to a next-generation high-speed network

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for the majority of the population within five years, with “near-universal provision” as soon as possible after that.

Among other lower-level appointments so far, Cameron has named John Hayes, a former director of the IT company Beta Base Ltd in Nottingham, as a senior minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) headed by Lib Dem former shadow chancellor Vince Cable.

Local authority websites frustrate users, survey finds survey has shown that 35 per cent of local authority website users have been frustrated by its navigation and design.

Over 100 consumers were asked in a survey by GOSS Interactive about their local authority’s website service provision, their primary uses and general experience of local authority sites.

The findings revealed that many users clicked away from the site and resorted to calling the council in frustration.

Rob McCarthy, managing director at GOSS Interactive, said: “We conducted this survey to identify the likes and dislikes of local authority website users and to establish how residents are using these sites.

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“It was clear from the findings that a lack of good navigation and design was frustrating users and ultimately preventing them carrying out specific tasks, which is costing a considerable amount as local authorities deploy valuable staff time dealing with these queries.”

itSMF UK offers CRC guidance itSMF UK’s Sustainable IT Service Management Special Interest Group (SIG) has produced a new white paper on the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme and role of ITSM. It aims to provide an overview, for those in the UK IT Service Management (ITSM) community, of the general objectives and shape of the CRC scheme, and of how ITSM could be required to play a significant part in your organisation’s ongoing CRC performance.

PC suite for the elderly a success A community centre in South Kirkby near Wakefield will celebrate the first anniversary of its popular computer suite that has taught local residents how to bank online, use word processors and reconnect with long-distance family members.

Joy’s Hall on Mill Lane opened the suite last year following the donation of eight laptops from Wakefield and District Housing (WDH) as part of last year’s Silver Surfers week, which aims to teach over 50s the benefits of using the web.

Since its opening in May 2009, the computer suite has grown in popularity – and the addition of a dedicated IT development worker through the Future Jobs Fund in March has given users the chance to learn in a one-to-one environment.

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

NEWSINBRIEF

IT can make you happier, finds report

Faster broadband and free WiFi for Essex CC Essex County Council has rolled out an expansive broadband upgrade and introduced WiFi connections into every library.

The new, reliable WiFi connections will allow anyone with a laptop or smart phone to access the internet free of charge during library opening hours. This means no waiting time for one of the library’s many computers, no time limit on ‘surfing’ and lets users save work straight to their personal device.

Essex County Councillor Jeremy Lucas, Cabinet Member for Heritage, Culture and the Arts, said: “This is a fantastic provision; the new WiFi and faster broadband means that no one is far away from quality access to the internet.

“Be it for business, learning or pleasure we hope this important tool will prove to be invaluable for the people of Essex, whether they are looking for a quiet place to work or study, or simply don’t have access in their home.”

new global study from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, shows that access to information technology has a “statistically significant, positive impact on life satisfaction”.

Women and those on lower incomes or with fewer educational qualifications benefit most from access to and use of IT and appear to benefit more than those on higher incomes or with more qualifications.

The study also suggests that women in developing nations benefit even more than those in the developed world.

Called ‘The Information Dividend: Can IT make you happier?’ the report is based on an analysis of the World Values Survey, and contains responses from 35,000+ people globally. The findings suggest there may well be an ‘information dividend’ – a personal and social benefit which comes from access to information and IT. The study’s author, social scientist Michael Willmott, said: “Our analysis suggests that IT has an enabling and empowering role in people’s lives by increasing their sense of freedom and control, which has a positive impact on wellbeing or happiness.”

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New blog to keep you on track Ordnance Survey, Britain’s national mapping agency, has launched its own blog to provide a new way to communicate with customers, stakeholders and the public. The site, blog.ordnancesurvey.co.uk, includes posts on a range of topics, from walking guides and product news to how geographic information (GI) plays a role in people’s lives. Ordnance Survey also sees the blog as a chance to help raise awareness of its role in the digital economy and the value of GI. An independent assessment has valued its contribution to the UK economy at around £100 billion.

Cloud computing survey shows security fears A recent survey shows IT professionals are fearful that sensitive data will fall into the wrong hands if cloud-based services are used by their organisations.

However, many acknowledge that the risks are being ignored by some employees who may already be using cloud computing.

The Security of Cloud Computing Users study, conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored

by CA Inc., surveyed IT professionals in Europe and the United States. Those surveyed acknowledged that some parts of the organisation may be using cloud computing services without their knowledge.

The survey found that many organisations had a lack of understanding of who is ultimately responsible for ensuring security of data in cloud computing environments. 38 per cent of European respondents believe their organisation’s security leaders are most responsible for ensuring safety. While IT professionals at organisations in Europe generally held a more favorable perception about the state of cloud computing security than their U.S. counterparts, the percentages of organisations fully utilising cloud-based services is low.

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New network to connect 170 healthcare sites in Lancashire ight Lancashire healthcare trusts will be connected via a new high-speed network, allowing them to collaborate more effectively and work more easily on the move.

Virgin Media Business will connect approximately 170 healthcare sites as part of the £9 million project. Healthcare sites include Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Blackburn with Darwen, NHS East Lancashire, East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, NHS Central Lancashire, NHS North Lancashire and

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Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust.

The project will include the delivery of wireless, Local Area Network, voice, Remote Access Service and mobile services. It will connect 11 hospital sites, 85 health centres, clinics and surgeries, 33 mental health and social care departments, three of Her Majesty’s Prisons and 37 other NHS sites.

Future phases of the network project will include videoconferencing, fixed and wireless LAN services, and business continuity initiatives.

Coalition government to scrap ID cards he coalition government has created a document stating that they will end a series of major IT projects pushed by the last administration.

It states that the Liberals and Conservatives will “Agree to implement a full programme of measures to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour government

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as well as roll back state intrusion.”

The measures will include scrapping ID cards, the National Identity Register, the next generation of biometric passports and the Contact Point Database.

The document gave no timetable and stated that it will be followed by a final coalition agreement covering the full range of policy.

ESCROW ENSURES THE LONG-TERM AVAILABILITY OF YOUR CRITICAL APPLICATIONS

nccgroup escrow

Don’t take an unnecessary gamble, protect your applications now

For more information about NCC Group’s Escrow agreements call us today on +44 (0)844 538 0133 or email us at publicsectorescrow@nccgroup.com

Software Escrow - Saving you money - Safe and secure

Why should I care how my developer saves its work?

Because that software is your software.

Protect your investment with Intellect Enterprises software escrow.

Choose from a range of pre-written clauses that allow you to tailor your agreement at no extra cost.

Easy to follow source code release procedures.

A range of optional validation services to suit every budget.

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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SOFTWARE ESCROW

YOUR QUICK GUIDE TO SOFTWARE ESCROW Tim Sewart, a Partner at commercial law firm Beachcroft LLP, explains why you should care when it comes to purchasing software, how it can protect your business, and how to decide whether it’s the right route for you IN A TIME OF BUDGET CUTS and significant finger pointing if anything goes wrong, it is baffling to see software purchasers continuing to buy software in such a way that leaves them at the full mercy of their suppliers. Options such as escrow should be a key consideration as part of any basic risk management strategy, and yet the majority of software users don’t care about, or simply don’t understand the full benefits.

WHAT IS SOFTWARE ESCROW? If you use software that is important to your organisation and it crashes, you could find yourself completely reliant on the supplier to fix it – and if the supplier goes out of business or fails to maintain and update the software as promised, your organisation could very quickly be paralysed by software failure.

For the supplier however, the source code in their software is their trade secret. It reveals precisely how the software was built and if it was widely available there would be a danger that all, or part of it, could be copied, and identifying and prosecuting all the copyright infringers would undoubtedly prove to be an unnecessary and costly ordeal.

Escrow presents both users and suppliers alike with a middle ground. The supplier agrees to deposit the source code with an independent third party – an ‘escrow agent’ – and under the agreement, the escrow agent will release the source code to the user in the event that a ‘release event’ occurs. A release event is typically the insolvency of the supplier, or the default of the supplier under its support and maintenance agreement.

DO I NEED SOURCE CODE ESCROW? Escrow comes with many benefits, however, it should not be bought blindly. If you own the intellectual property rights in the software, then escrow is not for you. The source code belongs to you, so the supplier should keep delivering copies to you. However, if the software is owned

If

Escrow Cost Escrow fees + Cost to your organisation of taking maintenance of the source code in-house + Cost to your organisation of the time-lag in taking the source code in-house

by the supplier and is licensed to you with the provision of maintenance and support, it is something that is worth serious consideration.

The biggest escrow cost of all is the cost of taking source code maintenance in-house. It really is no mean feat. Unless you have a big team of developers with not much to do then you need to consider this cost very carefully.

Software that is provided “as a service” (e.g. software that you access through a web browser) can be quite cheap (generalisation), often has many competitors (generalisation), and is geared-up for rapid data migration. So, escrow benefit might be quite low. In addition, such software is going to be a bit more difficult to re-build into a locally run application in the event that you take source code maintenance in-house. So escrow cost might be quite high.

COMMON PITFALLS Use an escrow agent that allows you to tailor the escrow contract to your particular requirements. For example, you might need more than just one or two release events.

Make sure the escrow contract addresses the licence that you will be given to use the source code. Usually, this licence is not adequately dealt with in your software licence and maintenance agreement so the escrow contract gives you another opportunity to get it right. You will want the right to change the source code and to engage an IT consultant to maintain the source code on your behalf.

Don’t sign an escrow contract with cumbersome procedures that apply if you want to trigger release of the source code. If the supplier is not performing, the last thing you want is a couple of months of arguing about whether or not you are allowed to trigger release of the code. The escrow contract needs to give you a rapid remedy.

Make sure you ask the escrow agent to check that the deposited code is indeed the code for the application that you are licensing and can be recompiled into a workable application.

is less than

SOME BASIC CONCEPTS • Software is created from its source code.

• Source code is a series of instructions in a language understood by both humans and computers.

When followed by the computer, the instructions can be compiled into a software application. As the courts note, software is like a cake; source code is like the recipe.

• We software users use the compiled software application, not the source code.

• It is very hard, if not impossible, to maintain and support a software application without access to the source code.

• Suppliers do not usually give a copy of the source code to the users; instead they keep it to themselves. It is a trade secret.

This will cost more, but you could feel foolish if you trigger release and there is nothing on the CD, or it’s the wrong source code.

Finally, do your research. Meet with a number of different ‘agents’ in order to explore all the options, and seek legal advice on your contract. Escrow has the potential to help you make significant cost savings, have greater independence and flexibility with your software, and give you an immediate solution if something goes wrong – but it will be an entirely pointless purchase if it is made as part of a rushed risk management ‘tick box’ exercise.

FOR MORE INFORMATION There is plenty more to software escrow.

If you wish to discuss, call Tim Sewart on 020 7894 6040 or e-mail tsewart@beachcroft.com

Escrow Benefit Cost of migrating to a completely new system if you never had software escrow + Cost to your organisation of the timelag in migrating to a new system + Value of threat of source code release to encourage the supplier to comply with its maintenance obligations

then, yes, you would be well advised to take out source code escrow

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www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

Written By Jon Leigh, Escrow director, NCC Group Plc

SOFTWARE ESCROW

SOFTWARE AVAILABILITY An escrow agreement ensures the ongoing availability of critical software PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATIONS perform essential services that either directly or indirectly affect local communities, and in the case of central government, the country as a whole. Inevitably these organisations use some form of third party software to perform critical tasks, be it data processing, asset management, resourcing, customer payment systems, finance and accounting or payroll.

Yet, despite this reliance on software for the delivery of both internal procedures and public services, many organisations still do not consider the ongoing, long-term availability of these applications and how they would cope should they be corrupted or become unavailable.

During the economic downturn, the issue of the ongoing availability of such applications has been brought to the fore and in some cases caused strained relationships between suppliers and their customers. Under recessionary pressures, and with the continuing impact of the downturn, there remains a very real possibility of software supplier bankruptcy – or at least a break down in relationships

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– which could leave the organisation they support exposed to the impact of software failure without the means to rectify them.

In recent years, public sector bodies have turned their attention to software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing to deliver critical tasks. SaaS offers public bodies a raft of cost and time saving benefits; minimising the resources necessary for software implementation, maintenance and hardware upgrades. This approach also focuses application deployment on operational performance rather than internal infrastructure, and provides immediate access to new innovations that cannot be realised through traditionally licensed software.

ONGOING AVAILABLITY However, ensuring the ongoing availability of any application delivered in this way is a high level priority that organisations must pay immediate attention to, as the consequences of losing access to critical applications are magnified when the application and end

user data are stored elsewhere, as with this technology. An extended or permanent outage not only removes the user’s ability to support the application in the event of an error; it prevents them from accessing the application, its platform and their data altogether.

Irrespective of whether software is licensed and held with the organisation or delivered as a service by its provider, the effects of it being unavailable or unusable are immediate and can cause serious damage to an organisation that can no longer perform essential tasks.

This damage may be operational, financial or reputational. However, in the case of the public sector, such downtime can directly affect the delivery of frontline public services that could have a dramatic impact on the local community and the individuals it serves.

In terms of access to software, an organisation has, through a software license or subscription agreement, the right to use an application in its executable or object code form, but the software owner commonly retains the rights to the building blocks of the application

Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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SOFTWARE ESCROW

– the source code. Without access to the source code, the organisation is reliant on its software supplier to maintain and support its operation-critical applications. If software suffers a fault, or it is necessary to update or amend it, the organisation is unable to do so without the source code, which it neither owns or controls. Therefore, as part of a public sector body’s risk assessment and disaster recovery process, it is vital to consider the loss of a supplier in terms of access to the source code of critical applications and, in the case of SaaS, access to the application itself.

SOFTWARE ESCROW The most effective solution is software escrow.

Under the terms of an escrow agreement, a copy of the source code and where required, application executables and end user data, are held on behalf of the organisation by a trusted third party with the agreement of the software provider. The information held is updated at regular intervals to ensure that the deposit is up to date and reflects the latest version of the application.

Should the worst happen and the software supplier fails or the application becomes unavailable to the organisation, the escrow provider can legally release the data, source code and application executables so that the end user can source an alternative infrastructure and continue operations with minimal disruption to their organisation.

Escrow agreements vary, and can be tailored to the needs of an individual organisation.

Dependent on the type of agreement, deposit intervals can be more or less frequent, or code can be updated in real-time; the escrow agent can provide a duplicate operating environment should a company not wish to source an alternative platform; and all the necessary information can be held in multiple safe locations.

RISK As with any disaster recovery provision, in opting to protect an application with software escrow an organisation must consider whether there is a clear case in terms of risk. It must question whether the application supports a critical function, if the software has been built specifically for the organisation or department, and if frontline services would be affected if the application were to become unavailable. It must also take into account existing concerns over the financial viability of the application’s supplier, and if the supplier is likely to be the target of a takeover that could potentially affect the level of support provided or the ongoing availability of the application. If there are any doubts surrounding these issues, then there is a case to put an escrow agreement in place.

In cases where the application is tailored specifically to the needs of the organisation or a specific department, it is likely that verification testing will also need to be included as part of the escrow agreement to ensure the information held is accurate, up to date and the application can be rebuilt should it

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING AN ESCROW PROVIDER Having undergone a software risk assessment, and established a case for software escrow, it is essential that public sector organisations perform due diligence when selecting a provider to ensure that they receive quality of service and value for money.

NCC Group plc has compiled its five key considerations when selecting an escrow provider: Stability – an escrow provider must be able to operate efficiently against an economic backdrop where many businesses, including the software suppliers that it works with, are under threat of insolvency. In turn, public sector bodies should consider providers that are stable and have strong reputations in the marketplace. Another good indication of an escrow provider’s credibility and stability is the size of its customer base.

Legal expertise – escrow agreements are legal documents which should be presided over by a qualified professional to ensure that there are no complications should a ‘release event’ occur, therefore it is essential that providers have in-house and independent legal teams.

Technical expertise – all escrow deposits should be tested for viruses, passwords and presence of source code as standard to ensure that, at the very least, the deposit contains accessible source code.

Escrow providers that fail to perform such tests adequately risk holding deposits become unavailable. In basic testing, the third party escrow provider should ensure that the material deposited in escrow is uncorrupted.

Through higher level testing they should also observe the complete build of the application, and document details of the environment and process to allow the software to be rebuilt from scratch. The testing element of the agreement should also consider in which environment the application will be rebuilt in the event of escrow release, be it undertaken by the end user or the trusted third party.

SAFEGUARDING YOUR SOFTWARE Despite the strong case for many organisations to safeguard their software, research conducted on behalf of NCC Group found that only 14 per cent of local and central government bodies protect all of the applications that they consider operation critical with escrow agreements, and while 82 per cent claim to have a disaster recovery plan only 55 per cent of these note that escrow protection is specified within it. Even those organisations that do use escrow protection often do not have a policy and process in place to ensure that each application being used within the organisation or procured for it is being assessed for escrow protection and on the same criteria. In this respect, public sector risk and information managers have a key role to play to ensure

that are blank, corrupted or do not contain source code. These tests should be performed by a qualified, security cleared technician who can create a standardised report that details the results of the test and what version of code is deposited. Without such tests, organisations could discover that source code is unusable following release.

Storage – there are no industry guidelines surrounding the way in which escrow providers store source code. In turn, escrow suppliers can charge a fee for storing code in relatively uncontrolled, insecure conditions. Organisations should ask their providers for evidence of source code security. In particular, public sector bodies should insist that source code is stored in both primary and secondary off-site deposit facilities and maintained in a highly secure environment that is monitored 24 hours a day.

Track record and accreditation – public sector bodies should look to escrow providers that have proven track records for well-managed source code releases and audit their processes on a regular basis to ensure quality of service.

In addition, while there is no specific industry standard to which escrow providers should adhere, ISO 9001 certification is an indication that the company adopts sound practices. In turn, public sector bodies should expect their escrow providers to have ISO 9001 certification. that such a policy and process is in place and is being followed throughout the organisation.

Almost every public sector organisation in the UK uses software to control an important function that either directly or indirectly affects its output. In the public sector particularly, spending cuts are an inevitable fallout of the recession, however, organisations must first recognise and then protect their most valuable resource, critical applications. Software provider bankruptcy, takeovers and application failure all have the potential to impact an organisation’s ability to perform essential tasks – including frontline public services. In turn, escrow should be considered as an essential facet of a wider disaster recovery strategy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on Escrow services from NCC Group, please call 0161 209 5324 or e-mail publicsectorescrow@nccgroup.com

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Scanning speed that blows away the competition.

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Kodak i700 Series Scanners

www.kodak.com/go/docimaging Š Kodak, 2009. Kodak is a trademark.

Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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CONTENT MANAGEMENT

IMPROVING DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT ON YOUR DOORSTEP The race is on to improve information management across all areas of government, helped along by the acclaimed AIIM Roadshow from 14-17 June AS CUTBACKS IN PUBLIC SPENDING start to hit home, government organisations can leverage the latest document management techniques to increase efficiency, reduce duplication, collaborate more closely with each other and cut back-office costs so that frontline services can be maintained.

Without effective knowledge sharing between colleagues, suppliers, partners and other agencies, it is easy for projects and processes to become disconnected and productivity to be eroded. The key is the ability to connect people with the information they need, when they need it and where they need it, whilst also keeping it safe and secure for the future.

Run in conjunction with AIIM, the AIIM Roadshow is now in its 19th year. A remarkable track record and 2010 will again provide suppliers with the most direct route to the heart of your market. The AIIM Roadshow delivers key decision-makers and qualified leads from right across the UK and is uniquely positioned as the UK’s most comprehensive Enterprise Content Management event.

The AIIM Roadshow provides nationwide opportunities for you to talk directly to potential new users of information and document management systems and to advanced users planning to upgrade their existing solutions.

At the AIIM Roadshow 2010 you can get independent advice about using best practice in document and records management to improve services, optimise business processes, get to grips with compliance, ease restructuring, and, last but not least, save money – all in just one day at one of four convenient locations.

• Glasgow: Monday 14 June (Thistle Hotel Glasgow) • Bolton: Tuesday 15 June (Reebok Stadium) • Birmingham: Wednesday 16 June (National Motorcycle Museum) • London: Thursday 17 June (Earls Court, Brompton Suite) AIIM is the international authority on Enterprise Content Management (ECM), representing represent users and suppliers of the tools that capture, store, manage, preserve and deliver content in support of business processes.

EVENT FORMAT The AIIM Roadshow provides delegates with a genuine educational and experience-sharing environment in which pro-active business professionals, thought leaders and solution providers can engage, share and network.

To target visitors with top quality educational content, and to promote your solutions in context, we will be running parallel keynote and case-study seminar tracks, supplemented by expert-led Round Table sessions.

Keynote and Case Study Theatres – throughout the day exhibitors will be able to take centre stage using case studies to illustrate successful projects and latest technologies.

Round Table Discussion Groups – giving exhibitors the chance to co-chair dedicated sessions and drive discussion on specific aspects of information management.

Each day of the Roadshow acts as a self-contained event, including valuable advice from keynote presentations from AIIM and CMS Watch, followed by a series of focused roundtable and case study

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY

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Warning Data decay can seriously damage your wealth

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

CONTENT MANAGEMENT

A remarkable track record and 2010 will again provide suppliers with the most direct route to the heart of your market. The AIIM Roadshow delivers key decision-makers and qualified leads from right across the UK and is uniquely positioned as the UK’s most comprehensive Enterprise Content Management event

sessions – allowing you to learn, discuss and compare how you manage your information with best practice across the industry.

DAILY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME 09:30-10:15 Keynote from Doug Miles, UK managing director, AIIM Europe Based on AIIM’s extensive user surveys, Doug sets the scene each day with a review of the Enterprise Content Management market, describing the latest drivers, challenges and benefits of ECM adoption.

10:30-12:30 Roundtables, Case Studies & Innovation Briefings Choose from a series of 30-minute focused breakout sessions from industry experts, covering areas such as: e-mail & messaging management, fileplans vs enterprise search, information management & organisational change, process optimisation through workflow, scanning and conversion strategies.

13:00-13:30 Keynote on Microsoft Sharepoint 2010: ECM for the Masses?

The launch of Sharepoint 2010 could mark a major tipping point for the industry, bringing advanced document management tools into reach for organisations of all shapes and sizes and dramatically increasing familiarity with the latest ECM techniques. But how well will it deliver on this promise? How will the launch change user behaviour? And is it really possible to deliver ECM for the masses?

13:45-15:00 Roundtables, Case Studies & Innovation Briefings (continued) 15:00-15:30 Closing Keynote from Alan Pelz-Sharpe from CMS Watch Practical advice on specifying and buying an Enterprise Content Management system, presented by one of the industry’s leading independent commentators.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES Doug Miles has been with AIIM since January 2005, taking over in March 2006 as UK managing director. For over 25 years he has worked with users and vendors across a broad spectrum of IT applications. An early pioneer of document management systems, Doug has been involved in their evolution from technical solution to enterprise infrastructure platform. Most recently, Doug has produced a number of the AIIM survey reports on user issues and drivers for ECM, E-mail Management, Records Management and Enterprise 2.0. Doug has also worked closely with other enterprise-level IT systems such as ERP, CRM and BI. Doug has an MSc in Communications Engineering and is a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology.

Doug is a regular contributor to various information management and vertical industry publications and is a clear,

enthusiastic and experienced presenter.

Alan Pelz-Sharpe is a principal with The Real Story Group, covering and advising on ECM technologies and practices. He oversees all research on EIWatch.com, and focuses his own research in the areas of document management, enterprise collaboration, SharePoint, and e-mail archiving.

Alan is a sought-after keynote speaker, and has delivered dozens of keynotes on six continents over the past decade. In addition to his ‘big picture’ insight, his 20+ years in the document management industry and career start as a document manager himself enable him to incorporate both first-hand insight and seasoned experience into his research, consulting, and presentations.

Prior to joining The Real Story Group in 2006, Alan was a Strategist at Wipro and VP North America for the Industry Analyst firm Ovum. He has recently advised clients such as The US Federal Reserve, Chemical Abstract Service and Nokia on their change management and document management challenges.

UNIQUE FEATURES Since its inception more than a decade ago, the AIIM Roadshow has become a trusted source of information about new developments in the fast-moving market for document and records management systems. It also presents a unique annual opportunity for users to see many of the latest technologies for themselves and meet the leading technology providers in the market, through real-time demonstrations in the central exhibition area.

Unique interactive features such as the on-site Capture Centre even allow delegates to bring along examples of their own documents for processing, showing how these can be integrated with various business processes to improve productivity and collaboration.

The exhibition and advice clinics are open all day at every venue, featuring major players such as Hewlett-Packard, In-Form Consult, Deltascheme, EASY Software, Cimtech, Perceptive Software, OITUK, Vamosa, AvePoint, OPEX Corporation, Paralogic, Imagefast, Dynamyx, ASG, Sala International, IBML/ Kodak, Microsoft and many, many more.

Whether you are a new user just getting started or an existing one looking to build new capabilities, just one day at the AIIM Roadshow 2010 will help you to resolve many of your information and document management issues. Learn what is now possible with the latest solutions and what Return-on-Investment you can expect to achieve, compare concepts, solutions and suppliers and discuss your plans and ideas with industry experts and existing users.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Entry is free-of-charge when you register at www.aiimroadshow.org.uk

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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CONTENT MANAGEMENT

MANAGING INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY Ben Richmond, CEO, The Content Group, looks at 10 common problems with ECM deployments – and gives advice on how to avoid them

ENTERPRISE CONTENT MANAGEMENT (ECM) has the power to transform employee productivity, drive down costs and reduce the carbon footprint for any organisation. But many organisations have yet to achieve maximum value from the investment. From clearly defining corporate expectations up front, to ensuring user buy-in, only the right approach can ensure that organisations achieve their ECM objectives.

WHAT IS ECM? Organisations often fail to reach their expectations of ECM due to a widespread lack of understanding about just what ECM can and cannot deliver. ECM is a complex area simply due to the breadth of practices and technologies that it encompasses. Yet in the absence of an in-depth understanding, organisations are falling at the first hurdle. They are, in the main, achieving departmental implementations that deliver incremental benefits, but do not necessarily meet the organisational-wide ECM objectives.

WHERE ARE THE SKILLS? ECM is far more than a set of technologies.

It is about understanding process change, implementing change management and matching a range of technical solutions – from digital imaging to document management and business process management – to meet organisational

demands. Without building up in-house expertise or leveraging external capabilities, organisations will struggle to overcome the lack of understanding that compromises the large majority of ECM deployments.

PUTTING TECHNOLOGY FIRST ECM is as much about the right practices as it is about the right technology. Failure to understand those practices implicit to ECM can result in poor technology choices, a lack of user buy-in and, as a result, a struggle to achieve the organisational objectives.

Organisations cannot enable good practice without the right technology, but equally it is difficult to choose the right technology without understanding the practices.

IS THERE A STRATEGY? Without understanding the potential of ECM, it is impractical to map specific organisational requirements to ECM strategy.

For example, for clients external to an organisation, a given objective may be key, but it is important to fit these into a broader ECM strategy while meeting objectives.

STRATEGIC RATHER THAN TACTICAL Most organisations look at ECM to solve a specific problem – from compliance to meeting green requirements. But failure to take into account the bigger picture of ECM results in missed opportunities. ECM offers so much

more than a single technology solution. To maximise the investment, organisations need to have an eye on the long-term gain.

Indeed, the ECM risk/reward curve is heavily weighted towards the second and third years of deployment. The first year typically demands significant investment in time and resources to address key elements such as change management and technology investment costs. Whilst organisations can, and do, achieve quick wins that offer immediate ROI, it is in subsequent years that the benefits increase steeply. Taking a tactical approach to ECM will significantly constrain operational benefits in areas such as organisationwide knowledge sharing and re-use.

ONE TRACK-MIND For the last few years, the vast majority of ECM deployments have been focused on meeting compliance requirements. Whilst ECM’s ability to track the information lifecycle makes it perfectly suited to delivering operational requirements, by focusing exclusively on compliance, organisations can miss out on the chance to leverage the investment further to achieve both operational efficiency and competitive advantage. Indeed, it is by empowering individuals through knowledge sharing and content re-use that organisations can gain the most valuable long-term benefits. But too often these benefits are not achieved due to ECM tunnel vision.

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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CONTENT MANAGEMENT

And an implementation that only considers the initial business problem may struggle to evolve to support further operational requirements down the line – resulting in expensive “rip out and replace” strategies. By taking a more strategic view of operational needs up front, considering all operational needs up front – even if many are not acted upon immediately – an organisation can be further assured of having the beginnings of an ECM strategy.

RESISTING CHANGE Well-designed ECM will have a significant impact on existing operational processes. It is therefore essential to consider and understand the implications of moving from paper to digital information sources and processes alike.

Putting in place a robust change management programme is imperative to ensure that ECM is adopted across the organisation and that the organisational objectives are achieved in full.

USER BUY-IN Organisations cannot simply expect users to take a leap of faith when adopting ECM technologies. For many, the implementation will result in a significant change in day-today activity – especially those in back office

functions that can be rationalised as a result of improved processing and automation.

Putting in place a content champions group, encompassing individuals from across the business who understand ECM and the long term organisational objectives will help to ensure user buy-in. This cross-organisational team also delivers a unified approach, which minimises the risk of departmental user splinter groups and ensures the ECM goals meet the strategic direction of the organisation.

LOSING MOMENTUM Once an ECM deployment has achieved its initial objectives, there is a very real risk that any ECM programme could lose momentum. Combined with a frequent change of personnel, which can be exacerbated by an ECM champion leaving the company, organisations can then struggle to realise the long-term ECM objectives. Yet as outlined above, it is in the second and third years of an ECM project that organisations really begin to reap significant benefits and therefore planning for continuity, particularly across the ECM champions, is paramount.

FAILING TO EVOLVE THE VISION Even where momentum has been maintained

ABOUT THE CONTENT GROUP The Content Group is a technology agnostic Enterprise Content Management (ECM) consultancy and solutions provider whose proven ECM Expert best practice methodology ensures successful ECM projects for their clients across the globe.

Drawing on its best practice methodology, The Content Group is leading the development of the first ever Publicly Available Specification for ECM with BSI British Standards. and the original ECM objectives have been achieved, organisations still need to continue to leverage and develop their ECM strategy.

ECM should be a constant within any organisation and should continue to be developed along with ongoing organisational objectives. Therefore, in effect, developing an ECM maturity model for any organisation will ensure that the organisation vision is coherent with an ECM strategy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.thecontentgroup.co.uk

Remote anywhere – secure encrypted access to your office desktop

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UR MISSION IS SIMPLE: make technology an asset for your business, not a problem.

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a public sector organisation impedes its operations, putting a significant drag upon its performance and productivity. Add into the pot the requirement to cooperate with external bodies, and the challenge can seem insurmountable – impeding its ability to achieve the objectives it has been set,” argues Dr Nick Trainor, managing director of Ice3 Online Collaboration.

“And that is why we commissioned the development of Ice3 Online Collaboration,” he says.

If you need to work collaboratively across public sector boundaries and/or you are looking to improve the performance and productivity of your operations, then Ice3 Online Collaboration will prove to be an excellent solution.

It is an easy-to-use, webbased application for daily communication, collaboration, and document sharing. Fullyfeatured with a complete range

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Invictus Technology has recently been awarded accreditation for managed services and hardware or software support

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FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0845 680 0387 Mobile: 07967 727 861 E-mail: info@ invictustechnology.co.uk Web: www. invictustechnology.co.uk

COMMUNICATION “P OOR and collaboration within

of web 2.0 facilities – blogs, wikis, forums, document managers, etc.

– it provides unlimited dedicated, private work spaces where public sector organisations can safely engage with each other.

With no software to install, no hardware to maintain, and no minimum contract, Ice3 Online Collaboration is ideal for effective collaboration, cooperation, coordination and engagement within and between public sector bodies.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0845 475 1441 Fax: 0845 475 1421 E-mail: sales@ice3-portal.co.uk Web: www.ice3-portal.co.uk

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY

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ABBYY FineReader 10 DOCUMENTS IN PERFECT FORM

How does your text recognition look? Whether scan to PDF, digital photo to Excel or PDF to Word, the new FineReader 10 converts your document and produce results that are fully editable and searchable in any number of formats. Thanks to superior technologies such as Adaptive Document Recognition Technology, FineReader understands the native formatting and layout structure of the original and replicates it in its entirety, saving you the manual work of aligning the two.

FineReader – get your documents in form.

ABBYY UK Ltd Abbey House Grenville Place Bracknell RG12 1BP +44 (0)1344 392 610 www.ABBYY.com

Written by Dave Evans, regional sales director for UK and Ireland, ABBYY UK Ltd

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

CONTENT MANAGEMENT

ACHIEVING EFFICIENT DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT With many changes expected after an historic election, can IT managers and decision makers within the public sector and, perhaps more importantly, suppliers to the government, afford not to have the right document and data management processes in place?

IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE NEW UK government will negotiate harder with suppliers in order to reduce project costs. According to data published on the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), UK government currently spends around £220bn on goods and services – that’s about £1 in every £4 spent in total by the Exchequer. Recently the OGC made its intentions clear that it is working towards achieving six key goals related to cost cuts that emerged during consultation with stakeholders.

It is the aim of the OGC to ensure that government – both central Whitehall departments and the wider public sector – maximises the value it achieves from this spend through a variety of approaches.

Most important among these will be engaging with the government’s strategic suppliers to foster greater innovation and value within the supply chain.

It is therefore clear that all organisations that do business with the government will need every advantage possible to help them reduce their costs. But how to cut costs is not the only critical question facing IT managers within the public sector. In recent years the calls for greater transparency and freedom of information, or a universal “right to government data”, have grown louder. Add to this the need to maintain accurate and accessible records for the purposes of eDiscovery processes, and you have a long list of reasons why many organisations now look specifically to optical character recognition (OCR) or data capture software for an advantage.

KEY TO EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS So what are the key points that every IT manager needs to know in order to implement an effective solution? As with any business process, not having a well thought out strategy in place can cause delays, frustrations and added expense.

A good plan should begin with three basic questions: What infrastructure is in place to deal with and reduce costs associated with the growth in documents and the data contained in paper? How can you make the information stored in documents available to a wider audience? If you are adhering to the rules that deal with data retention are you storing that data in a safe method?

Costs savings can be achieved through many means, not least by automating manual

processes. Manual processing is not only fraught with inefficiencies and errors – it is also expensive. By automating the repetitive tasks of document handling, data entry and validation, staff can be reduced or reassigned to higher-value tasks. Data capture technologies enable businesses to automatically retrieve numerous fields of data from business critical documents such as invoices, contracts and shipping notes. After the key information is extracted it can easily be entered into any number of backend systems including databases and document management systems.

Next in line for consideration are OCR technologies, which allow you to convert physical documents and scanned images of paper documents into digital form, most often as searchable PDF. Converting legacy document files to digitised form reduces space and the costs associated with physical storage such as rent, heating and cooling. By creating a searchable archive, the time needed to locate and retrieve a file is significantly reduced.

Organisations are therefore able to free up employees to concentrate on more productive activities. Finally, the productivity increase and cost savings can be applied as well to new and incoming documents by setting rules for and streamlining the routing of those files.

THE RIGHT CHOICE As a senior public sector manager how you choose to implement OCR and recognition technology in your organisation is up to you.

Desktop OCR is ideal for companies that process only a few documents at a time. For high volumes or workgroup scanning centralised and automated OCR on a server is a better solution, with an option to scale up by adding new stations as input volume increases.

Calls for greater transparency and openness in government abound these days. Just one recent example: in discussion currently is a call for the Supply2Gov website to publish all tender governments above a certain value. As many of these are paper documents or in PDF form, how can that publishing be easily achieved and in a cost effective manner? By applying OCR and converting the information in these documents to useable and editable data organisations are able to share and distribute the content through any number of means, including on the web.

Although OCR software will not answer which documents need to be kept to comply

Dave Evans

with retention laws, it will allow you to safely archive those that you deem important.

However, creating a searchable PDF today means you can quickly find that document tomorrow, but what if you need the same document 20 years from now? PDF/Archive or PDF/A is the electronic document file format for long-term preservation. It was developed to provide a file format with a mechanism for representing electronic documents in a way that will preserve the visual content over a long period of time.

This means that organisations have the assurance that a system they implement now will allow documents to be easily retrieved even if the need lies well into the future.

FASTER ACCESS Demands for faster access to information and higher productivity, and new regulations for data access and archiving, mean that those working in public sector IT need the right solutions for document and data management.

The ease and efficiency of implementing and using OCR or Data Capture software today means that working with digitised documents can bring about more than just compliance – other benefits include improved productivity, efficiency and cost savings. And after considering that in most scenarios an ROI can easily be achieved within 12-18 months, is there any reason to put off the decision?

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Providing best in class records management for the London Borough of Hackney Not only is London Borough of Hackney one of the first Councils to complete the roll-out of its ambitious Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS), it was also one of the first to combine outsourced off-site storage and scanning – meaning timescales and cost-efficiencies were maximised – thanks to its partnership with TNT Business Solutions.

The challenge The partnership between LBH and TNT began in 2007. Following a rigorous nine-month tender process, TNT was awarded a contract that provided off-site storage and scanning services.

With records dating back to 1930, and statutory obligations to keep documents for decades to come, LBH decided to store the documents it had to keep off-site, and scan the ones needed regularly in to their EDRMS so that staff and customers could still access them easily and quickly.

Daniel Cook, Corporate Records Manager, takes up the story: “TNT Business Solutions has been central to the work we do at LBH. We wanted an electronic records system to ‘open up’ the functional areas within the Council by facilitating information flows between the different business units.

“Our back scanning and off-site storage project has been managed by TNT and has really helped with this objective. We’ve now removed a lot of paper records off-site, which was crucial for LBH’s new service centre which opened in February 2010 where office space is at a premium.”

The solution TNT manages the off-site storage and scanning for over 35,000 boxes containing a total of 30 million separate items, ranging in size from parking attendants’ notebooks to large A0 plans and drawings.

As well as off-site storage and bulk scanning, TNT has also worked closely with the local authority to provide an innovative ‘scan on demand’ service.

This works closely with Hackney’s digital vision by

have in place means that we can be quick and responsive if things need improving further.”

The partnership strengthened further with a major project undertaken by TNT in 2009 – namely the scanning of almost 5,000 index books for the Registrars Office. Andy explained: “This huge index – stretching back to 1837 to the present day – catalogues where Birth, Marriage and Death certificates are stored in the Council’s archives”.

reducing the paper-flow into the Council and allowing the organisation to destroy material once scanned, reducing their reliance on off-site storage, scan by scan.

Daniel added: “This is used when we know files are likely to be subject to high levels of retrieval.

Instead of back-scanning all the records – of which 20% are required 80% of the time – files are barcoded, and when required the paper file is scanned and available to the Council by the end of the next working day.”

The benefits TNT’s Business Development Manager Andy Lowe explains the benefits of the partnership approach: “LBH has certainly benefited as it’s given them much more control centrally – we work to stringent SLA’s which have increased accountability and tightened performance.

“We can be flexible and adaptable to their needs and requirements and the account management system we

Call 0800 801 605 Visit www.tntbusinesssolutions.co.uk Follow twitter.com/tntforbusiness

The partnership between LBH and TNT is a showcase of best practice between private and public sectors.

Zoe Rowland, Information and Knowledge Manager, added: “EDRMS not only brings the local authority closer together with the sharing of digital information, it also brings LBH closer to its customers.

“TNT has played a major part in reaching our objectives. It’s useful for us when they can think around the issues and come up with solutions that we know will be both cost-effective and also ultimately be more efficient and effective for the London Borough of Hackney.”

Government Technology | Volume 9.4

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

CONTENT MANAGEMENT

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR WEB PRESENCE Edmund Swain, managing director of Web-Labs, looks at the trends in content management systems and public sector websites CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (CMS) are typically used by public sector clients to provide devolved publishing, to enable the fast and inexpensive maintenance of their website or to provide an effective internal collaborative and communications tool via the corporate intranet. They are seen as the tool to craft their web content in the same way a carpenter uses a lathe to turn wood. Most public sector clients have now gone further, driven by the need to lower cost and improve front line services and at minimum are providing basic one-way interactions using electronic forms and polls. Some are providing transactional sites whereby customers are able to find information and also order or pay for services. This means integrating the CMS with legacy back office systems. The CMS has been developed to incorporate the features of an Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS) so that content can be originated in the back office in the EDRMS and then automatically published on the website via the CMS. This means all digital assets, documents, graphics etc besides being securely stored and managed for easy utilisation for web content.

TWO WAY INTERACTION Improved technology and skills along with greater trust in web based applications from users and staff has enabled two-way interactions via the website to flourish with the adoption of customer self-service applications against the less cost effective channels such as telephone and face-to-face meetings. Live text chat and ratings are only just being truly explored as viable alternatives/supplements to traditional channels of interaction. The reliability of cross-browsed rich content is also allowing for accelerated production of an ever increasing range of solutions.

There is now an acceptance that although the CMS must still have an intuitive and consistent user interface to assist unskilled staff in its use, the real change is in engaging with the customer. Organisations must exchange ‘hats’ to take into account the publics’ everyday experience and expectations. This is being increasingly driven by the social media facilities such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube that are now being used to embrace new ways to get in front of a bigger more representative audience in a more natural way. They can be proactive inviting visitors to subscribe to their social media facility and to receive e-mail alerts.

The information from the organisation can

appear as part of that subscribers information feed and hence be available to them without their having to actively seek out their website.

This ensures the content/message is more likely to be seen by their target audience whilst giving added kudos to ‘being cool’, especially with the younger generation.

The above social media facilities do not replace or integrate directly in all cases but augment the solutions a CMS provides. The future will likely be dictated by the next poster child of social media. The ability to exploit these will define the future of CMS. It is still early days to show whether integrating these features truly provide a return but there is no doubt it enables a conventionally formal content provider to appear to be trendy and engaging which previously was often seen as a barrier for many public sector clients.

USER TRENDS The more progressive public sector organisations realise that it is insufficient for their web sites to be basic receptacles of information and are analysing the visitor statistics and effectiveness of the media, e.g. is the visit to find out what’s going on or do they only visit when they need specific information or to communicate with the organisation?

Arguably the latter would be the most likely answer. The positive trend is to utilise a CMS

that provides the facility for the content to be entered once and then automatically classified and published in a multiple of formats. The most obvious is providing a graphical interface by integrating with GIS and mapping systems the CMS can present appropriate information on a map e.g. showing the nearest schools, hospitals, clinics etc.

CMS solutions will have to adapt to provide additional/extended facilities to allow their output to be used by the ever expanding range of mobile devices.

There is already capability to have a two way dialog with mobile phones/notebooks, e.g. remote staff can look at content, documents or e-mails and approve them or be tasked with work to do and report back on the status. The public can report incidents by text and receive text alerts about topics of interest. These devices are more capable in terms of presentation technology, however, the traditional navigation methods are less effective and these devices are introducing new ways of interacting with the content that may mean a re-evaluation of the way that web sites are designed and the functionality they will need to provide.

FOR MORE INFORMATION E-mail: es@web-labs.co.uk Web: www.web-labs.co.uk

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www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

By Urban Fröderberg, Business Area Manager, Anoto AB

SERVICE MANAGEMENT

PRACTICAL TECHNOLOGY Supporting the use of Digital Pen and Paper technology within local government ABOUT ANOTO GROUP AB Anoto is the company behind the technology for digital pen and paper, and operates through a global partner network that focuses on user-friendly forms solutions for efficient capture, transmission and storage of data within different business sectors, including healthcare, public sector and education.

IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PAPER is still the key medium for capturing information, Digital Pen & Paper (DP&P) technology is winning over many local authorities in the UK by putting usability and simplicity over IT wizardry.

DP&P automatically captures handwritten information in forms and digitises it, eliminating the need to type up notes electronically.

The digital pen looks just like a ballpoint pen, but with a tiny infrared camera at its tip that tracks its movements relative to a pattern of barely visible dots printed on the form, recording and storing what is being written. Stored data is then synchronised with back-end systems simply and quickly by docking the pen in a USB cradle or connecting via Bluetooth and a mobile phone.

The benefits of DP&P, invented by Swedish technology firm Anoto (www.anoto.com), are widely documented, particularly within the healthcare sector. Yet despite being established as efficient, reliable and relatively low cost compared to other technologies, digital pen technology is still new to some in the public sector, who perhaps have not yet realised how it can enhance their working day and improve overall efficiencies.

REMOTELY EFFICIENT In particular, for employees working remotely, like those in social care, a digital pen is an ideal solution that allows them to fill in care forms while out and about. As there is no need to return to the office to type up notes, it means more time spent on the important things, such as scheduling additional meetings, and seeing more people throughout the day – all of which

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helps to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

Community care is a great example of how DP&P is at its very best – care workers can fill in the requisite forms during a home visit. Once completed, the information is then sent and the next steps can be actioned immediately, such as when the next visit will be, if any medication is required, or if the person needs a doctor. This information is also immediately made available to other agencies, carers or family members, if needed.

DIGITAL PEN TECHNOLOGY IN USE North Yorkshire and Selby County Councils have been using Anoto’s Digital Pen and Paper to improve their procedures for assessing older people’s care needs under the UK Government’s Single Assessment Process (SAP). The digital pens help council staff to gather information on health and welfare from each individual they visit. Once completed, the information on the form is transferred securely to a shared database, resulting in significant time and cost savings. The technology is now being used across community services staff, the housing support agency and the local NHS Primary Care Trust.

At Dorset Police, digital pens are helping reduce bureaucracy, by making it easier to transfer scene-of-crime information to investigating officers and crime analysts.

A solution developed by Anoto partner, Magicomm, incorporating digital pens with Bluetooth technology, transmits notes securely from crime scene investigators back to the police station within seconds, which

means investigators get their information quickly, and investigations progress faster.

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust and Anoto partner PaperIQ have been awarded BlackBerry’s Wireless Leadership Award for their innovative use of digital pen technology, with savings of £220,000 a year. Portsmouth midwives are using Anoto pens to take notes during consultations with pregnant women, which are then transferred to encrypted smartphones via Bluetooth, and onto a PaperIQ platform installed at the Trust, integrated with the maternity unit’s patient records system.

STAFF BENEFITS Anoto has found that many public service workers prefer digital pens to other technologies, like PDAs or hefty laptops, which can be difficult to transport and also create a barrier between a care worker and their patient, for example. Studies have shown that other portable technologies can be tricky to write on, difficult to clean, get easily damaged and are prone to theft or loss – all of which hinders effective use and drives up costs.

We also tend to assume that most of the working population is highly IT literate, but this is not always the case. Many local authorities cite a lack of confidence in using electronic tools, such as PCs or PDAs as a reason for trying out DP&P. With digital pens, staff working remotely can continue to fill in forms the old-fashioned way, but from then on all of the processing happens electronically. Users also need less training and can be up and running very quickly – with high staff turnover often a problem, this makes it a very attractive option.

It is also worth highlighting that even now, paper remains fundamental to the audit trail across the public sector. This is because for many, quality and process standards require paper records to be retained. Digital Pen and Paper is an ideal way to ensure this happens, without the need to print extra copies.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.anoto.com

Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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SERVICE MANAGEMENT

TAKING THE RIGHT STEPS Megan Pendlebury, head of Service Management, itSMF UK, looks at strategic change in political times and the lifecycle as enabler THE LAST THREE YEARS IN SERVICE Management there has been a lot of talk of the lifecycle, and indeed ITIL version 3 brought this to the fore by basing its entire model around it. This way of looking at any part of the business, Service Management included, teaches us that in order to do things properly we need to begin with a strategy, design something suitable, and move that design into the operations of the business so you end up with a service that meets your customer needs.

Alongside this there is also the need to improve within the lifecycle stages themselves and with the service periodically once it has gone live.

For a new service this is relatively simple to achieve – firstly, you should understand the constraints in which you need to design the service; these will be things like money, time, resources and environmental impact, through to considerations like customer satisfaction and the potential political implications of doing the wrong thing. With the constraints defined you can then see the safe area in which you can carry out your design of the service. Once designed you can begin to plan its release into the live environment, then once operational the service should be checked regularly to make sure it is operating as planned and within those constraints.

The above paragraph does make it sound like this process should be quick and simple, which of course is not the case. This is a very simplified view but does outline at a very high level the steps that need to be taken.

GETTING IT RIGHT If we now consider a service, which is already operational and has not had the constraints detailed in this way, the service probably runs well day to day, as over time tweaks have been made to it to fix any recurring incidents or any difficulties caused by an unclear design.

If something goes wrong with the service in this instance it is not always clear where the support staff should begin looking for the root cause. In part this will be because the tweaks made over the years have not been documented in detail and so have not formed part of the design. While there is probably little point in re-engineering the service to retro fit it through the stages of Strategy, Design and Transition, certain things should be put in place. So for example, a major release of an update to the service should be designed and transitioned within the strategic goals of the business.

Taking the example of a newly elected party taking over the government, the entire governance of the public sector changes literally overnight. If you consider the service that was

Taking the example of a newly elected party taking over the government, the entire governance of the public sector changes literally overnight THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY

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SERVICE MANAGEMENT

designed based on some clear constraints, this can be managed in an efficient and controlled manner. Firstly, the new constraints should be mapped against the old ones and then you can understand whether your design still fits within those constraints or not. If it does not then you can work out what that gap is which will need to be bridged to fit with the new and updated strategy. If your design still fits within the new constraints then the service is still fit for purpose and no major change needs to be made.

STRATEGY CONSTRAINTS When you are providing a service or a number of services that can have such wholesale changes made that need to take immediate effect, then realistically that would be one of your constraints within your strategising – you need to have a service that can easily be changed. For example, it should be designed in a way that means you only need to make a change to one area for it to update the entire system, rather than having the information hard coded into many areas which all have to be manually updated – this leads to time delays as well as more potential for errors being introduced to the system.

To follow this example through the service that was not built using this lifecycle model so does not have the constraints detailed is much more difficult to deal with at a time of major strategic change. There is no clear way of easily detailing what needs to be changed in the system to meet the new requirements. In some instances this may lead to a replacement system as there is no way of understanding if small changes could be made to meet these requirements. If the system is not being completely replaced several changes being made to it can add even more confusion to a system or service which can make it more difficult to

manage both for fixing incidents and problems, and for having the required control to transition any changes into the live environment.

Many IT organisations fall into this trap and become caught in a downward spiral, everyone has been involved in the conversation of “we cannot replace the system as we have spent so much money and time on developing it to fit to our exact requirements”. The over-engineered, bespoke system may seem to be the right fit but it becomes more and more difficult to apply changes to it. So many areas in the code need to be changed and also it can lead to a service that you are unable to change, with the processes being workflows within the system it would cost too much to change and there would be a knock on effect to everyone else’s work. At some stage someone needs to take a step back from the system and understand what constraints are only in existence because of the system itself rather than those due to other factors that are truly important to the business. The more you try and further develop the bespoke system the harder it becomes to justify replacing it, more money is spent at every change so more is invested in it.

BEING IN THE KNOW The most extreme change to strategy would lead to a service being retired completely.

By using the transition processes to manage this, everyone is informed and knows what is happening and when. It also makes sure that no data is lost and that in the future that service could be re-introduced if it became appropriate.

None of this necessarily tells you how a major strategic change is to be done in terms of design and operational services. But it does demonstrate quite effectively that by implementing a lifecycle approach you can indeed have more control over your services.

ITSMF UK CONFERENCE If you are interested in the delivery and support of IT services and the essential concepts behind service management you should be attending this year’s itSMF UK Conference.

Now in its 19th year of providing presentations, workshops, training, vast networking opportunities, and the best collection of ITSM suppliers of toolsets, training and consultancy under one roof, the Conference is most definitely “the best value ITSM consultancy you can obtain”. Whether you are a beginner or highly experienced, itSMF UK guarantee you will gain insight, best practice, knowledge and contacts, which in turn will cut cost, improve performance and increase efficiencies throughout your IT infrastructure.

The itSMF UK Conference takes place 8-9 November at the Novotel London West. To find out more about the programme, delegate information etc. please visit www.itsmf.co.uk/conference2010.

Any gaps can be defined and managed clearly and everyone can be aware of what is going on, thus we end up with little or no surprises for either the IT staff or for the customer.

Naturally changes announced in Parliament will always come in within a short timeframe when we’re going through a change in government and this cannot ultimately be avoided.

But what Service Management can do in those instances is to have enough controls in place which mean there is no detriment to the existing services caused by a faster than normal implementation of something new.

Therefore using the lifecycle can lead to as little disruption, and headaches, as possible.

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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SERVICE MANAGEMENT

IMPROVING IT SERVICE QUALITY Education authorities prove pass masters in IT service management NORTHERN IRELAND’S EDUCATION authorities are giving lessons in improving IT service quality – with high class assistance from House-on-the-Hill.

Raising customer service standards has been one of the main achievements of its five Education and Library Boards (ELBs) whose IT help desks’ work include ensuring adherence to Freedom of Information and personal data protection legislation.

Education and library services in Northern Ireland are provided by five regional Education and Library Boards: North East, Western, Belfast, Southern and South Eastern. All five ELBs use House-on-the-Hill’s SupportDesk solution to support IT services to management and administrative staff.

Before moving to House-on-the-Hill, the North Eastern Education and Library Board (NEELB), used a product which management and staff found inflexible and difficult to manipulate.

“When staff dislike something they won’t use it properly,” remarked head of corporate services Pauline Martin. “We needed a statistical base, partly to show the volumes of work we were dealing with. We also need to know that calls are actually being dealt with and not falling through the net.”

She added: “At that point we felt the need to be accountable for the service we were running. We knew we had to demonstrate our worth to the organisation.”

FLEXIBILITY According to deputy ICT manager Pearse Kilpatrick, SupportDesk’s flexibility was the key factor in choosing it. Staff particularly liked the QuickCall feature for tasks such as changing passwords.

“Price was important too,” he went on.

“Because we had multiple sites, it was assumed you had to be a huge enterprise and needed a huge piece of expensive, rigid software. House-on-the-Hill was also a smaller company and we felt it would be more approachable.”

“I remember the guys (from House-onthe-Hill) coming over and they were just great,” Pauline Martin recalled. “They just sat down and seemed very comfortable with the product and the people.”

“The price was undoubtedly a big factor.

There are lots of help desk products out there. We have two major sites so needed something we could share. For its price House-on-the-Hill seemed very good value.”

The Department handles around 15,000 calls a year from some 700 education managers and administrative staff in the main sites and 20 out centres. One of NEELB’s ICT

When staff dislike something they won’t use it properly. We needed a statistical base, partly to show the volumes of work we were dealing with. We also need to know that calls are actually being dealt with and not falling through the net THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY

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SERVICE MANAGEMENT

I want people to value our IT, House-on-the-Hill helps me to do it. We can show top management that IT is not sitting still department’s major achievements has been to introduce customer service standards following consultation with customers. The help desk provides the information to report to users on adherence to those standards which were initially based on the department’s own internal Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

“We wouldn’t be able to implement these standards if we didn’t have Houseon-the-Hill to measure them because the administrative effort in doing it ourselves would just be too great,” she said.

SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION Managers believe the standards have made a significant contribution to the board winning a quality award based on the prestigious European Federation of Quality Management model. Using House-on-theHill’s SLA module, managers can compare month-by-month how well the department is performing on issues such as server uptime.

“It’s a very good performance monitoring and management system,” Pearse stated.

“They have the confidence that if they place a help desk call it can’t be forgotten whereas if it’s on a yellow post-it note it can end up in the bin,” Pauline answered.

“They also have the confidence that even if it’s a minor call it will eventually escalate and become a problem and get dealt with.”

“I want people to value our IT. Houseon-the-Hill helps me to do it,” she went on. “We can show top management

that IT is not sitting still.”

“When you call them up you deal with people who know the software and the problems,” Pearse responded. “You get direct answers. With most other suppliers you call up and it becomes immediately obvious that they’re just answering the phone.”

At the Southern Education and Library Board (SELB), which has its headquarters in Armagh, House-on-the-Hill replaced a manual call logging database. Its introduction coincided with a restructuring of the IT department which took over additional responsibility for information management.

The 16-strong department deals with some 850 users of more than 1,000 devices on the network. Around 300 staff work in the Armagh offices with up to 20 other centres on the network and further centres that communicate remotely. Calls into the Armagh office – mostly related to office support – are assigned to the appropriate section. As with their North Eastern counterparts.

The Office Support section also handles IT equipment purchasing, with orders logged on SupportDesk and treated as an open call prior to delivery to ensure documentation has been completed.

“From an administrative point of view ... we’re trying to educate the users,” said Corporate IS manager Mike Donaghy”. People will come in with their laptop and expect it to be fixed there and then. It’s hard to

eradicate that but House-on-the-Hill helps us to educate them by pointing out that there is a list of jobs with technicians allocated. It makes them aware they’re in a queue.”

“A benefit for me is being able to keep track of the work that the teams are doing.

It can be qualitative as well as quantitative. It helps me appreciate the issues they’re facing.”

Wendy Rowland, office support team leader, added: “We find SupportDesk useful because it’s an orderly way of dealing with calls. If a call becomes urgent or needs to be escalated you can see clearly what other jobs have been logged, organise work around it and prioritise. I also know which jobs are being done in future and by whom. If someone is going to a job in, say, Newry they can see there are maybe two or three jobs there and co-ordinate them. It helps manage resources.”

In Applications, whose responsibilities include payroll and human resources issues, team leader Maria McCarter finds the product “helps me manage what’s going on and keep an eye on what jobs are going through.” SupportDesk’s coloured coded ‘traffic lights’ flag up issues which are, or are about to become, critical.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION One of the more unusual uses of Houseon-the-Hill is to log and track requests from the public, journalists, parliamentarians and staff under Freedom of Information and data protection legislation, providing an accurate at-a-glance reference. The department has 40 working days to respond to data protection requests and 20 working days to answer Freedom of Information inquiries.

“When we started out with Houseon-the-Hill we weren’t dealing with Freedom of Information,” Mike Donaghy said. “But we found it was an excellent application for that purpose because it gives you the time framework and status.

If we hadn’t had House-on-the-Hill we’d have needed to get something else.”

“They get a response when they make a call,” Mike answered. “They know it’s being dealt with and who’s dealing with it. They can monitor where it is. That provides a degree of reassurance they otherwise might not have. They know their problem has not disappeared down a big black hole.”

Wendy added: “When a job is closed they know what the solution was. The next time round that can help solve a similar problem. They can learn from the whole experience. That can be a benefit to us too.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on how Houseon-the-Hill’s range of integrated service management solutions could help you, visit houseonthehill.com, e-mail info@ houseonthehill.com or call 0161 449 7057.

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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DATA CENTRES

ADVANCING ENERGY EFFICIENCY The Green Grid debuts new tools for data centre efficiency at third annual global technical forum THE GREEN GRID, THE IT INDUSTRY’S leading voice for advancing energy efficiency in data centres and business computing ecosystems, introduced new tools and announced new industry alliances at its Third Annual Green Grid Technical Forum and Members’ Meeting. The event was held earlier this year in San Jose, USA. Attendees of the Forum learned first-hand how these new tools and alliances are designed to address the global needs of data centre operators and foster greater collaboration among key stakeholders in industry and government. With the theme, ‘Get Connected: Drive Change with Global Strategies for Efficient IT’, the Forum also featured a keynote address by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. THE NEW TOOLS The Green Grid, which creates a unique opportunity for worldwide industry collaboration, is actively working on dozens of both strategic and tactical projects to improve data centre energy efficiency. As a result of these efforts, the organisation has announced new, free, online tools that extend the benefits of the widely used free cooling tools introduced in 2009.

The new Power Efficiency Estimator is designed to help data centre operators compare different scenarios of power topologies and technologies inside of their facility. It takes factors such as workload, availability, and space constraints into consideration

and generates a report that is designed to improve decision-making in a facility. The Power Efficiency Estimator became available at the end of the first quarter of 2010.

The new PUE Calculator allows data centre operators to easily input their facility’s specific data at regular intervals to determine their PUE. Power Usage Effectiveness

(PUE), a metric created by The Green Grid, determines the amount of energy used by the facility and the IT gear inside of it.

The PUE Calculator also became available at the end of the first quarter of 2010.

A new paper – ‘Impact of Virtualisation on Data Centre Physical Infrastructure’ – provides guidance on how data centre professionals

Data centre design and consultancy services HINK OF YOUR DATA centre as an ecosystem.

There’s a landscape (the building and its infrastructure), an ever-growing population (the IT equipment), and, thanks to the exponential power demands of the microchip, an increasingly warm climate with the population at its mercy. Sound familiar? Just like our global ecosystem, left unchecked this “local warming” can spell data centre disaster. Yet it needn’t be that way. Get the climate right, and the population not only survives, it thrives – long into the future.

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Yet it relies on a different kind of model – a holistic three-dimensional CFD simulation so powerful and sophisticated that it recreates

your unique data centre in every detail – enabling you to accurately predict every “what if” scenario you can imagine. We call it the Virtual Facility©. You’ll call it peace of mind.

Future Facilities is a leading provider of design, optimisation and management software for data centres. The company’s solutions ensure capacity, efficiency and reliability criteria are met throughout all phases of the facility’s lifecycle.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 020 7840 9540 Fax: 020 7091 7171 E-mail: info@futurefacilities.com Web: www.futurefacilities.com

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DATA CENTRES

can maximise power and cooling equipment electricity savings in a data centre environment that is using virtualisation to achieve its consolidation strategies. The paper is available to members and non-members in the Library & Tools section of The Green Grid’s website.

The Green Grid Academy has launched its latest self-directed online course, ‘Data Centre 101: Constrained Capacity’, to help data centre managers and operators get familiar with industry lexicon and solutions to everyday data centre challenges.

NEW GUIDES In addition to these tools, The Green Grid also announced significant progress with its previously announced Data Centre Design Guide. With an outline and draft chapters now posted for member comment, The Green Grid encourages all members to participate in this groundbreaking opportunity to define a new data centre architecture, specifically to define the capabilities to allow native optimisation and policy management for maximum energy efficiency.

The Green Grid and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) have

co-authored a book titled ‘Real Time Energy Consumption Measurements in Data Centres’ that focuses on energy consumption measurements for the determination of energy efficiency, along with exposure of key IT/Facilities interfaces in the data centre. The book is free to member companies of The Green Grid and is available for purchase or download through the ASHRAE bookstore for $54.00.

ALLIANCE AGREEMENT In addition to introducing new tools for the industry, The Green Grid has signed an alliance agreement with Data Centre Pulse, a global end user community of data centre owners and operators focused on influencing the industry through the eyes of the customer. The agreement is designed to ensure consistency in addressing the energy-specific needs of the IT community.

“The Green Grid’s annual Technical Forum has become a unique information exchange for data centre managers and technology providers,” said Dean Nelson, Chairman and Founder, Data Centre Pulse. “The data centre operators representing the Data Centre Pulse Community are encouraged by the progress

Giving public sector IT a helping hand HE PRESSURE on government IT departments is mounting daily, dealing with the escalating demands of the public, professionals and regulation. As the physical and virtual network becomes more complex, technical teams have to cope with implementation, training and support. This process will continue, whether the initiative in question is raising standards in data security, improving operational efficiency or any other element of digital services.

The good news is that help is at hand. RackSolutions offer advice and accessories to help install and integrate any server into any cabinet or rack mount – however old or unusual.

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same rack. When re-deploying servers there is often the need to install servers which no longer have their rails, to save U-space or to find the right fixing accessories for a specific rack mounting profile.

For all of these instances, RackSolutions can help.

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ABOUT THE GREEN GRID The Green Grid is a global consortium of companies, government agencies and educational institutions dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in data centres and business computing ecosystems. The Green Grid does not endorse vendor-specific products or solutions, and instead seeks to provide industry-wide recommendations on best practices, metrics and technologies that will improve overall data centre energy efficiencies.

Membership is open to organisations interested in data centre operational efficiency at the Contributor, General or Associate member level.

The Green Grid has made, and we’re looking forward to working together to expand the reach of metrics such as PUE and DCiE.” A full list of organisations that The Green Grid has formed alliances with, including government entities across the globe, can be found on the Alliances page at The Green Grid’s website.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.thegreengrid.org

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

DATA CENTRES

GREEN IS THE COLOUR OF MONEY Ian F Bitterlin, chief technical officer at Prism Power, discusses energy sustainability in data centres

Prism Power’s ‘green’ 6000A Naturally Ventilated Switchgear installed in a Tier 4 Data Centre

THE TERM ‘GREEN COMPUTING’ means different things to different people. To some it is about not regularly refreshing hardware so as to avoid hazardous waste reprocessing by children in the third-world – an argument put forward by Greenpeace. To others refreshing hardware enables the user to take advantage of better power efficiency and pays for itself within two years and they argue that the waste recycling laws are for the government to police and enforce, e.g. the redundant products should not get as far as the third-world and should be correctly reprocessed at source.

To a minority ‘green computing’ has become a software-hardware performance issue, i.e. does the application software use the processor power in the most efficient way? From the hardware point of view the computing performance (e.g. calculations per second) per watt consumed is just starting to become a viable metric with ‘standardised’ software routines for testing servers.

To most corporate end-users ‘green IT’ is simply related to saving operational energy costs and good PR in the annual report – although if it saves energy the most cynical of motives are perfectly acceptable. Green is the colour of money.

To M&E designers of data centres ‘green’ has become embodied in the difference between the power consumed by the IT hardware and the power consumed by the whole facility that supports the computing function – the, so called, Power Usage Efficiency (PUE) metric. This metric has been adopted from The Green Grid by the EU Code-of-Conduct and will, no doubt, eventually be at the nub of the performance

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measurement for the CRC for data facilities.

The PUE is the total incoming power divided by the IT power consumed, e.g. a facility that supports a 500kW IT load and draws 1000kW from the grid has a PUE of 2.0. The difference between a ‘good’ facility having a low PUE (e.g.

1.5) and a ‘bad’ facility with a high PUE (e.g. 3) is almost entirely a matter of the efficiency of the cooling system as long as it is fully loaded.

DATA CENTRE EFFICIENCY So, you may think that the whole spectrum of energy sustainability in data centres is covered by the present initiatives but, unfortunately, that is not strictly true. As its highest level in classic efficiency definition the data centre consumes energy (work in) but turns all of the energy into heat (no work out) and is, therefore, zero efficient – so how can we apply the rules of sustainability to such a mechanism?

The first rule of energy sustainability is to reduce consumption. However, data centre load power consumption, despite massive increases in processing capacity per watt, continues to climb. The growth in online data-storage is one culprit but very few people ever challenge ‘what’ the data centre actually ‘does’. It is easy to prove that large data centres are far more ‘efficient’ (consume less power) than many small data-rooms embedded in office facilities and it is easy to prove that some data centres enable low carbon solutions – internet grocery shopping for example has one delivery vehicle route compared to several tens of car journeys to the out-of-town hypermarket. At the bottom of the ‘useful’ list may be social websites but where would business be today

without e-mail and the internet? Without data centres there would be no internet.

The second rule of energy sustainability is to improve the efficiency of the process and reduce waste and you would think that improvement in PUE would cover this entirely – but you would be wrong. The measurement of PUE is based on the power consumed by the IT hardware (the ‘box’) compared to all the other consumers of power: cooling, ventilation, humidification, security, lighting, UPS losses and power distribution losses. The cooling system consumption (often between 30-40 per cent of the total facility power consumption) is by far the largest target for improvement and is driven by the room temperature and ability of the system to utilise the external ambient temperature, so called ‘free cooling’.

So M&E engineers are continually striving for customer acceptance of warmer rooms and a slightly higher investment in free-cooling plant. At present energy cost levels the short RoI is an overwhelming argument in favour of ‘green’ engineering solutions – and energy costs will only rise in the future.

MISSING ELEMENT However, there is one missing element in the chain; the IT hardware itself and its power consumption compared to its computing load.

Inside the ‘box’ is a power supply system that takes the incoming voltage (normally 230V AC but can be high voltage DC) and transforms and regulates it right down to the c1VDC that the microprocessor uses. The average examples of that power supply system have increased in efficiency over the past years from 40 per cent to 70 per cent and the heat losses have to be rejected by fans that also consume power and add to the inefficiency.

As we can see the IT ‘box’ should be getting the same pressure to improve as the M&E plant but that is rarely discussed and usually ignored (as a subject area of too much complexity and conflict?) by such instruments as the EU CoC. However, before we challenge the IT box power efficiency too much there is one further problem to face up to. The average IT Server is loaded (computing) to <10 per cent and, even with virtualisation, rarely >60 per cent. At these levels no one can expect the on-board power supply to run at peak efficiency so maybe we should start with increasing the machine utilisation?

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Legacy systems work fine for brute-force cooling the entire room, but skyrocketing energy costs make them fiscally irresponsible, and their fundamentally oversized design makes them incapable of meeting today’s high-density challenges. Even worse, power and cooling waste may actually prevent you from purchasing muchneeded new IT equipment. Simple problem, simple solution. Cut your power and cooling costs and use the savings to buy the IT equipment you need.

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The APC solution offers modular scalability so that you pay only for what you use; capacity management so that you know where to put your next server; and dedicated in-row and heat-containment systems that improve cooling and thermal predictability. An Efficient Enterprise earns you money through the pre-planned elimination of waste. For example, simply by switching from room- to row-oriented cooling, you will save, on average, 35 percent of your electrical costs.

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

DATA PROTECTION Integral AES 256 bit Encrypted USB Flash Drives have been selected by Enfield Council – the first borough council in London to roll out a secure USB solution ENFIELD COUNCIL SERVES A population of about 280,000 people and is London’s northernmost borough council, being about 12 miles from the centre of London. With more than 3,500 staff in Enfield Council, the information technology department have a large and challenging role to play to achieve a good balance between security and functionality in their workplace.

THE REQUIREMENT Enfield Council approached Insight UK for help with choosing a supplier of secure USB Flash Drives to be used in the council’s upgrade of their network security to comply with Government Connect legislation. Government Connect is a pan-government programme, providing an accredited and secure network between central government and every local authority in England and Wales. The network is known as GCS (Government Connect Secure Extranet). The Enfield Council network upgrade involved the installation of Sophos Endpoint Security and Control 9.0.

Enfield Council recognised that USB Flash Drives can be a very useful tool to transport large amounts of data between computers, whether internally or outside of council premises. However, Enfield Council were also acutely aware that there have been some small but widely reported incidents of large institutions including banks and councils having sensitive and private data compromised through the loss of unsecured USB Flash Drives.

The council required hundreds of encrypted USB Flash Drives and the ability to make the device the only USB compatible for use on the council’s secure network.

THE SOLUTION Integral have provided Courier AES 256-bit Security USB Flash Drives to Enfield Council, with a unique identifying tag coded at a hardware level on the USB. In addition, a four digit serial number has been etched onto the USB connector and this identifying number is allocated to all Enfield Council staff that are allocated a USB Flash Drive. All users have to sign a “Removable Media Policy” and agree to the terms of use of an Enfield Council USB Flash Drive which is to enforce responsible and secure use of the product at all times.

THE OUTCOME Enfield Council became the first London Borough Council to roll out an encrypted

INTEGRAL ENCRYPTED USB FLASH DRIVES WITH UNIQUE ID The Integral hardware encrypted USB Flash Drive range can be personalised with a designated company identifying name or number. This will allow a network administrator to block access to unrecognised USBs for security purposes, whilst allowing the Integral encrypted Flash Drive to function as the ‘official’ company drive. It is also USB Flash Drive with a Unique ID signature.

Enfield Council’s main security partner, IT security and data protection firm Sophos, was sent the Integral Courier AES 256bit Security Flash Drive for testing. The Integral Flash Drive was positively rated

by Sophos and was fully approved to use with the software’s management console, ensuring only Enfield Council issued Integral encrypted USB Flash Drives would be granted full access to the network.

“In response to the threat of data leakage faced by all organisations mainly regarding removable USB memory, Integral have been very proactive in assisting Enfield Council in procuring a customised encrypted USB Flash Drive,” said said Tee Patel, information security o fficer, London Borough of Enfield, Corporate IT Services.

“As a local authority, to find a solution

possible to program each Integral Flash Drive with an individual serial number, so this can be asset tagged to specific employees. This would allow a network administrator using an end point security system to also specify certain privileges depending on the user, such as allowing the USB Flash Drive to read and write data from certain network drives. in balancing security and convenience is of prime importance. I am pleased with the service received from Integral. Their understanding of our requirements and delivering a workable solution in a relatively short space of time has been very exemplary.

I highly recommend them,” Patel added.

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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GREEN IT

THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGE What areas should you consider when managing the reduction of carbon emissions, asks Ian Brooks, European head of innovation and sustainable computing at HP Enterprise Services IT HAS BEEN ALMOST UNIVERSALLY acknowledged that the risk to our planet from the effects of greenhouse gases is a real and present one. The scientific evidence is overwhelming and it demands an urgent global response.

In 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) set an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenges posed by climate change. Under the 2005 Kyoto Agreement, which is a protocol to the UNFCCC, 37 industrialised countries committed themselves to a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to between 20 and 24 billion tonnes by 2050 (about 50-60 per cent below 1990 global levels).

The Obama administration announced that clean energy and environmental protection were to be cornerstones of their manifesto from 2010. It forecast billions of dollars in revenues from reducing global warming emissions, requiring companies to pay for allowances to pollute, and committed to investing these revenues in clean energy industries.

As one of the 37 industrialised nations contributing approximately two per cent of the world’s GHG emissions, the UK government introduced a Climate Change Act of its own in 2008 that set the framework of legally binding carbon budgets for how the UK will manage and respond to the threat of climate change. As a nation, it was critical that the UK reduced its total GHG emissions by at least 34 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, and 80 per cent by 2050.

CARBON REDUCTION COMMITMENT From 1 April 2010, the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRCEES), which is the key implementation measure of the 2008 Climate Change Act, formally commenced. It is a new regulatory incentive set to improve energy efficiency in large public and private sector organisations consuming more than 6,000 MWh of electricity p.a.

Around 5,000 organisations are required to participate. This means they must not only record and monitor their energy consumption, but also purchase allowances equivalent to their consumption each year. The more energy an organisation consumes, the more allowances it has to purchase. The sites covered include all buildings and data centres in the UK. There is a direct incentive for these organisations to reduce their energy consumption, and by implication, their carbon emissions. By increasing energy efficiency, the scheme will help organisations save money by reducing their energy bills. The organisation’s

energy administrator, usually a member of senior management, is responsible for the collation and submission of relevant data and ensures that the organisation complies in all matters relating to the CRCEES. There are severe financial penalties for non-compliance.

The scheme is divided into set time periods known as phases – the introductory, qualification, registration and the compliance phases – that involve participants assessing their level of qualification for information disclosure through to actions to comply with the CRCEES and subsequent reporting.

Clear guidelines for organisations that are new to measuring and reporting energy consumption and GHG emissions are offered by the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (visit www.decc.gov.uk, CRC energy efficiency scheme user guide).

League tables, showing the comparative performance of all participants, will be

Ian Brooks

Around 5,000 organisations are required to participate. This means they must not only record and monitor their energy consumption, but also purchase allowances equivalent to their consumption each year.

The more energy an organisation consumes, the more allowances it has to purchase published annually and those organisations that are most effective at reducing their energy consumption will appear higher up the league table. All the revenue raised from selling allowances is ‘recycled’ back to participants, and the league table position affects how much of the revenue each organisation receives.

The first purchase of allowances is in April 2011 and the first “footprint report” league table will be published in October 2011.

Organisations can improve energy consumption performance and reduce GHG emissions by devising a carbon reduction strategy. How carbon reduction is implemented depends on the specific industry. For example, in retail and financial services, IT provides a greater proportion of the power consumed than in a manufacturing company.

Data centre technology is one of the main areas that can capture current power levels.

In 2008, the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centre Energy Efficiency was set up to reduce energy consumption without compromising the high availability requirements from data centres. As well as being one of the 5,000 targeted organisations, HP, who has been

accepted as both ‘participant’ and ‘endorser’ under the EU Code of Conduct, provides power auditing and carbon efficient management solutions to other organisations which can be reflected in the submitted results.

WHAT TO CONSIDER Areas to consider when managing the reduction of carbon emissions are detailed as follows: It is vital to perform a baseline assessment of ICT energy and carbon footprint and to monitor progress against this baseline in future years. Many government organisations are embracing “Green ICT” improvement actions without knowing either their baseline, the overall environmental impact outcome of their actions, or the relative financial and environmental benefits of competing investment options. HP provides a ‘Green ICT Planning Assessment’ service to help define the right strategy, and a ‘Carbon Emissions Management Service’ to account for ICTgenerated CO2 emissions before, during and after transformation programmes.

Data centres are responsible for three per cent of total UK electricity usage, according

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GREEN IT

to a recent report by DECC. Efficient system design, including proper floor layout and server software configuration, are all key to establishing best practice. ICT transformation and outsourcing should also be considered to achieve maximum return and minimum CO2 output. It is very important that when you outsource new work, third parties comply with all areas of legislation and guidance, including the European Data Centre Code of Conduct.

Data centre services are also essential for energy efficiency. Virtualisation software will let you run multiple applications on the same server and will significantly increase its utilisation, which is far better than the typical oneapplication-per-server strategy where utilisation can run as low as 16 per cent. A similar approach can be taken to storage; although data volumes are soaring, it’s still possible to simplify and consolidate storage infrastructure.

ADOPT LOW CARBON PROCESSES Application modernisation is another key process to reduce carbon emissions, substituting carbonintensive processes with low-carbon ones.

Simplify your infrastructure by upgrading and migrating your applications from legacy hardware, de-commissioning any unnecessary applications and retiring the systems on which they run.

Make sure PC power management is enforced and that PCs have an enforced shut down mode at night.

Remote Collaboration tools should be used to reduce travel, such as HP’s ‘Halo Meeting Rooms’, specifically designed for installation inside an existing conference room, enabling customers to keep site preparation time and costs to a minimum. It is a fully managed, end-to-end video collaboration solution that provides a virtual conference room environment. Another method of collaboration is “HP SkyRoom”, providing remote visual collaboration directly from your workstation or desktop – an ideal solution for a variety of industries that want to share complex graphics, such as CAD-CAM or video.

Centralise printing by configuring a multifunction printing device with duplex printing options, thereby reducing print volumes.

HP’s Carbon Footprint calculator can also estimate how applying power-saving technologies can help reduce the environmental impact of computing and printing.

Print on Demand means that there is no longer a price premium for small print batches. HP’s Indigo digital press is designed for the production of customised jobs with run lengths from one to 10,000 or more.

The CRC legislation provides a level playing field, with financial and moral implications for everyone. In central and local government, everyone knows this is the right thing to do. We all need to start moving from good intentions to measureable results. As the government’s Chief Information Officer John Suffolk said: “We know what works – we just need to do it.”

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HP ENTERPRISE SERVICES HP Enterprise Services provides applications, business process, and infrastructure technology outsourcing services, consulting, and support to more than 1,700 business and government clients in 90 countries.

As one of the largest segments of HP, we leverage the breadth of our extended portfolio to offer the most comprehensive end-to-end ICT services.

HP Enterprise Services believes that better business outcomes equal better environmental outcomes and back this ideal with customised, comprehensive ICT services that improve clients’ energy and cost efficiencies, reduce carbon emissions, conserve natural resources and achieve competitive advantage. We help clients make business and ecological sense by reducing ICT complexity, boosting efficiency and improving business processes. We reduce clients’ carbon footprints, yielding a more sustainable bottom line, through environmentally responsible service-oriented architecture and aggressive virtualisation strategies. To be a global leader, we have to be the best in service quality and also in environmental sustainability. In the world we operate in today, the two have become intertwined.

To credibly advocate for a lowcarbon economy, we must lead by example and reduce the carbon footprint of our own operations. In 2010, HP’s personal environmental goal is to reduce the combined energy consumption and associated GHG emissions of HP operations and products by 25 per cent below 2005 levels.

To do this, HP Enterprise Services are employing many of the same features

internally that we offer our customers data centre consolidation, energy efficient servers and smart cooling, to name a few. We are consolidating our real estate, even as business has grown. In 2007, HP decommissioned 179 sites around the world, yielding a net reduction of nearly three million square feet. We are also reducing our environmental impact by expanding our use of renewable energy resources; HP increased its use of renewable energy more than fivefold between 2006 and 2007.

HP’s data centre, Wynyard, has even been referred to as “the world’s greenest data center” (www.greenbiz.com), setting a new standard for data centres around the world. Wynyard is BREEAM (the Environmental Assessment Method for Buildings Around the World) accredited and the 360,000 square-foot facility in North East England represents one of the largest and most environmentally friendly data centres in Europe. HP Enterprise Services expects it to use 40 per cent less energy than a more traditional data centre.

For more information on HP’s ‘Green ICT Planning Assessment’ service to help define the right strategy, and our ‘Carbon Emissions Management Service’ to account for ICT-generated CO2 emissions before, during and after transformation programmes, contact Mark Rumsby (mark.rumsby@hp.com), Transformation Consulting, Green Practice - Sustainable IT, HP Enterprise Services.

HP Enterprise Services delivers business outcomes as a service, providing the people, ideas, business processes, and technology to help you focus your investments on the results you need.

Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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GREEN IT

GREENING GOVERNMENT ICT Where do you stand today?

GREENWISE-IT IS A CONSULTANCY practice established to assist Chief Information Officers to affect a strategy that will align them to central government’s Green ICT Road Map. The following are the key objectives faced by government departments, government agencies and of course local government: • By 2012 energy consumption must be carbon neutral (in line with established SOGE targets).

• By 2020 must be ICT carbon neutral across its life cycle.

• By Jan 2009 to address and consider the impact on carbon emissions of all new ICT purchases.

• By 2020 to comply with global best practice for sustainability across the whole lifecycle. This will cover carbon neutrality and processes for use of materials, water, accommodation and transport in the manufacture, use and disposal of ICT. • Extend the lifecycle of all ICT purchases to their natural demise (either caused by failure, inability to support the business objectives of the organisation, excessive maintenance costs or excessive carbon footprint and energy consumption), as opposed to frequent automatic refresh and replacement programmes, where such extension will have environmental benefits across the product lifecycle.

• Implement a range of active device power management actions to significantly reduce power consumption.

• Reduce the overall number of printers used by the organisation and replace with multi-function devices with green

printing defaults wherever possible and where security issues allow.

• Increase average server capacity utilisation to achieve a minimum of 50 per cent where possible, as part of a commitment to comply with the European Code of Conduct for the operation of data centres.

Greenwise-IT are specialists in assisting SMEs and government to measure, manage and ultimately reduce their IT related environmental impact, leading to substantially reduced IT related energy and operational costs.

So where do we start? Virtualisation?

Print consolidation? Thin client? Home working? Actually none of those things.

We must start with a baseline.

Greenwise-IT undertakes two primary types of Green IT baseline assessment. These are: • The IT Related Carbon Footprint • The Green IT Maturity Assessment THE IT RELATED CARBON FOOTPRINT The IT Carbon Footprint is a measurement of the energy consumed: • Directly by the operation of the IT equipment in your organisation • By the activities associated with providing IT services (and support) to the business users of IT • Potentially by the energy consumed in the manufacturing, shipping, de-commissioning, etc, of the IT equipment.

It is important to note that to be truly meaningful the IT Carbon Footprint assessment must include more than simply Tier 2 emissions (energy consumed directly by IT equipment).

Uniquely the Greenwise-IT Carbon Footprint measurement includes the often overlooked Tier 1 (emissions related to IT support activities), and Tier 3 (emissions relating to energy consumed in the hardware life cycle) emissions. Only by including the Tier 1 and Tier 3 emissions can you develop an IT carbon footprint that is truly reflective of all IT related energy consumption.

Having measured the IT related carbon footprint comparisons can be made with similar organisations and opportunities for reduction can be identified and prioritised, focussing on the areas of greatest commercial and environmental benefit.

The Green IT Maturity Assessment This is an assessment framework specifically developed by Greenwise-IT to determine the maturity level of an organisation’s response to meeting the challenges of green IT. There are six defined levels of maturity, and each level has a number of qualifying criteria.

There assessment covers 11 elements of Green IT core competency. These are: • The data centre • The desktop and distributed environment • Printing solutions • The server estate • Planning and implementing green IT • IT attitude and behaviours • IT as an enabler • Supplier engagement and management • IT support operation and working practices • Environmental impact analysis • Effective measurement and improvement.

For each element of core competency a large number of individual criteria are investigated and assessed. The end results show the overall green IT maturity rating for the IT organisation as a whole and the comparative maturity ratings for each of the core competency elements.

FOR MORE INFORMATION So, if you need assistance in aligning yourself with the central government’s Green ICT Road Map, and achieving the associated targets, please contact us at enquiries@Greenwise-IT.com Also, if you want to know about Greenwise-IT and the services we can provide, including IT Carbon Footprint and Green IT Maturity assessments please visit us at www.Greenwise-IT.com, or simply contact us at enquiries@Greenwise-IT.com

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

OUTSOURCING

THE ROAD TO SUCCESSFUL OUTSOURCING When gearing up to outsource, it is vital to get the preparation and planning right, says Martyn Hart, Chairman of the National Outsourcing Association THE NATIONAL OUTSOURCING Association is the UK’s only not-for-profit trade association that promotes best practice in both IT Outsourcing and Business Process Outsourcing.

Our mission for 2010 is to improve the reputation of outsourcing as an industry and profession. The first quarterly results from our Outsourcing Reputation Index predict a surge in both public sector outsourcing and offshoring.

The research which monitored and measured over 1,600 unique communications pertaining to outsourcing in the first quarter of 2010 revealed that nearly half (43 per cent) of all commentary on outsourcing was focused on the public sector. More significantly, nearly three quarters (70 per cent) of all commentary on offshoring was centred on the public sector.

The research also unveiled that cost savings were the clear driver, with this being cited as the reason for outsourcing in more than half of cases (55 per cent). This was followed by a focus on improving customer service (with 17 per cent share of voice).

Concerns relating to public sector outsourcing were also cited, with quality being the main concern taking 39 per cent of overall commentary, followed by job losses (29 per cent) and security (12 per cent).

The NOA’s Outsourcing Reputation Index offers clear indication that the UK is expecting a significant uptake in public sector outsourcing and offshoring in order to cut the public sector deficit. We know government is committed to cuts, and a sizeable portion of these will inevitably have to come through public-private contracts, partnerships and shared service arrangements. So, how does the public sector outsource and even offshore to best effect?

A LIFECYCLE APPROACH The NOA has a published Outsourcing LifeCycle Model which its members embrace (if they don’t have their own). The outsourcing lifecycle is central to an understanding of outsourcing and how to ensure the success of an outsourcing strategy. To succeed it is critical that the outsourcing parties manage the lifecycle process

as a continuum, rather than as discrete projects.

It is for this reason that the NOA LifeCycle has ‘Strategic Leadership’ at its core, reflecting the need for strategic leadership to link and drive forward the other key stages of the lifecycle model: Relationship Engagement; Transition and Change; and Relationship Management.

The good news is there are plenty of excellent

suppliers out there ready to share their expertise and experience. All take a lifecycle approach to their outsourcing projects, seeing them as a partnership and a journey, more than a simple contract.

Take NHS Shared Businjess Services as an example. This is the 50:50 commercial joint venture between Steria and the Department of Health that has established a new business model for the delivery of public sector business processes. The partnership is moving in leaps and bounds with over 14 trusts signed up and impressive savings (over £40m to date) beginning to flow through.

Satisfaction ratings have been high, so enabling expansion across additional service lines.

Another excellent example is CapGemini’s project for the Ministry of Defence, which won the NOA’s Public Sector Outsourcing Project of the Year Award in 2009. The project set out to enable British Forces and civil servants worldwide to book business travel online – to save time and deliver value for money.

The results achieved exceeded expectations throughout the first 12 months, with the MOD achieving a 20 per cent saving against its annual travel expenditure of £300m – enabling the redirection of MOD budget to vital frontline activities.

STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL OUTSOURCING When gearing up to outsource it is impossible to overstate the need for getting preparation and planning right. However, gaining buy-in from all those involved before the procurement process can take place is the most important factor of all.

• A change of approach – thoroughly assess the situation and the end objectives. Outsourcing must be seen as central to success, not a barrier. This can be done by re-establishing priorities through not only setting targets but changing the operating business model.

• Safely manage out – evaluate what to keep in-house and what to outsource.

This allows public departments to remain focused on delivering core services.

• Communicate – outsourcing plans may well meet with stiff opposition. Form a strong action plan with robust communications with all stakeholders, internal and external, including unions, throughout. This will ensure planned efficiency savings do not end up becoming counter-productive through potential strike action.

• Get into the community early – talk to suppliers before you commence the procurement process and do so at an early stage before a ‘vision’ is put together.

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OUTSOURCING

• Realism is vital – don’t try to force suppliers into arrangements outside what they are supposed to be doing. Negotiate the contract including contract termination.

• Create shared incentives for partners – the public sector needs to be aware ROI is important for suppliers too.

Evaluate performance and manage relationships with this in mind.

• Learn from mistakes of past administrations – a number of high profile outsourcing projects have failed in the past few years. The new government must study and understand so as not to repeat costly mistakes.

There are also new methods of sharing services that will be more popular – the G-Cloud is a great example. And huge savings will be achieved just by changing the approach to outsourcing.

The government has a sizeable problem, and developments like the G-Cloud, enabling services to be easily shared though a “government apps store”, will enable significant savings. However, there is no broad-brush measure that is going to address the public sector deficit. Increased outsourcing and offshoring is just one weapon in an arsenal of possibilities along the road to recovery. The public sector will need to choose the right mix in the right measure to win the war.

Cutting_Costs_Govt_2.indd 1

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Alsbridge plc – meeting the OEP challenge

APITA IT SERVICES provides a wide range of IT services to both the public and private sectors throughout the UK. We design, implement, operate, and support IT Infrastructures, as well as providing consultancy, managed services and fully outsourced end-to-end solutions, using ITIL-driven best practice in service management. We hold gold partner accreditations with market leading organisations including Microsoft and Cisco.

Capita IT Service is part of The Capita Group plc, the UK’s leading business process outsourcing (BPO) and professional services company, delivering back office administration and front office customer contact services.

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LSBRIDGE PLC is the multiaward winning advisory firm, focused exclusively on outsourcing, shared services and transformation. Since 2004 our public sector practice has been at the forefront of government transformation and closely connected with Cabinet Office and OGC programmes. We are actively working with central departments, local authorities, executive agencies, police and NHS to exploit the opportunities for collaborative service delivery and outsourcing by offering: Shared services – delivering real financial and service benefits to government through shared services strategy, business case, detailed design, ‘build’ activities, implementation and continuous improvement.

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When is outsourcing not the answer?

HE NEED TO ACHIEVE outcomes for the public with less resource is now greater than ever, thanks to a major fiscal deficit; new challenges (such as demographic shifts and climate change); and simply from rising public expectations in a world of rapidly advancing technology.

So the answer is outsourcing, right? Well, possibly – but not necessarily.

The key is a well-evidenced sourcing strategy; that is, an assessment of the most effective delivery model for achieving your desired strategic outcomes, with no presumption of which model is right. So that could be through in-house transformation, shared services or outsourcing (or a mix of some or all of these).

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So when is outsourcing not the answer? When your sourcing strategy demonstrates a more cost effective way to achieve your strategic outcomes.

At EightyTwenty Insight we help you navigate the complexities of today’s sourcing market to find the right service delivery model for your organisation.

Rather than field large expensive teams we aim to be the expert ‘local pilot’ – the critical few that can help you navigate a difficult course successfully – reaching your destination faster and with lower risk.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 07799322312 E-mail: jim.scopes@8020i.co.uk Web: www.8020i.co.uk

within the EU procurement rules to ensure a better deal for government more quickly. With insights from a wide range of private sector and government contracts, we help clients define their needs, establish market pricing, select suppliers, negotiate deals, and fully transition to the new ways of working.

Functional transformation – we coach and mentor IT, finance, HR and procurement functions to transform the retained organisation, so that those parts of a function that do not move to shared services or outsourcing are optimised to their fullest.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact William Benn, head of Public Sector Practice on 020 7242 0666.

E-mail: william.benn@alsbridge.eu

Danish municipalities outperform privatesector in IT cost reduction SURVEY OF 15 Danish municipalities shows their total IT costs, including hidden user costs, to be half those of comparable private sector organisations. Yet the municipalities provide a similar or better service. How? A key factor is that their business and IT managers use ITOptima’s comparative measures and benchmarks – linking costs, user perception, and technical and business complexity – to maximise value to the tax-payer. “ITOptima’s measurements provide very useful data for top management to identify strengths and weaknesses and solve and prioritise day-today challenges,” said Flemming Engstrøm, Frederiksberg Municipality (KIT Magazine).

Coached workshops with peer organisations identify best practices. Specialist topic experts support the rapid realisation of improvements.

ITOptima’s practical approaches and insights into cutting

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costs while maintaining user satisfaction levels are valued by organisations across Scandinavia.

ITOptima in partnership with SMS are now offering the same opportunity to the UK public and private sector.

SMS is a thought-leader in the application of lean approaches to software-intensive business systems, with many years of experience in the UK public sector.

ITOptima specialise in maximising the business value of IT. Together, we provide unrivalled definitionto-deployment value expertise.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0843 289 5174 E-mail: itoptima@ smsexemplar.com Web: www.smsexemplar.com www.itoptima.co.uk

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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OUTSOURCING

TO OUTSOURCE OR NOT TO OUTSOURCE? Can you achieve efficiency savings through business process outsourcing?

Dave Morton, head of public sector at Ventura investigates THE EVER INCREASING PRESSURE to deliver significant savings throughout the public sector was crystallised by the former prime minister Gordon Brown’s commitment to deliver £4bn of new savings across Whitehall by 2013. Meanwhile the Centre for Economics and Business Research believe that fiscal tightening of over £35bn is required to get the country back on track.

Given that efficiency savings will take absolute pre-eminence and that initiatives will become more radical, can the UK public sector afford to ignore outsourcing with potential savings of £10bn and significant productivity gains?

Local government leaders include enhancing service delivery, increasing efficiency and improving citizen contact as main pain points on their agendas, so the option to outsource not only makes economical sense, but also delivers against these core objectives.

Making use of a mature and experienced business process outsourcing market will help to deliver the reform and efficiencies needed throughout the growing public sector. This highly effective strategy offers a lower cost model, increased flexibility and a commercially attractive mechanism.

BPO organisations deliver the “third sector” to government and will prove to play an increasingly significant role as a trusted partner. Public Sector and Private Partnerships (PPP) are now common place and evidence of this significant shift change from a previous in-house mentality.

We must however be cognisant that benefits of any new outsourcing partnership must deliver against the strategic plan and creating efficiency savings against a challenging backdrop of improving citizen centric services.

IS OUTSOURCING REALLY TRANSFORMATIONAL? Government has long been an advocate of BPO, from humble beginnings to significant partnerships.

For over a decade government has driven service transformation and efficiency savings by outsourcing non-core activities, from customer management, debt collection, document management and print & fulfillment to name but a few of the low hanging fruit through which local government has achieved efficiencies.

Ventura partnered the Department for Work and Pensions in 2003 to launch the new Pension Credit Application Line. A national shared management team delivered inbound and outbound call handling, application processing, arranging home visits and a knowledge transfer programme. Since its

launch, the Pension Credit Application Line has seen a 24 per cent increase in answered calls, a 15 per cent uplift in successful applications, a four per cent improvement in applications processed and average handling time reduced from 42 to eight minutes.

Using an outsourcer means you can turn over important but non-core functions, such as customer care or back office operations which may not be running efficiently to an expert. This allows you to concentrate on transforming government services, meeting customers’ needs and dealing with rising cost pressures. An often used and simple mantra is to “stick to your core competencies and seek lower cost alternatives to non-core activities”.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT STRATEGY So if we have established that outsourcing is a viable alternative then what is the right engagement process for government; co-source, in-source, out-source or right-source? And once we agree the engagement then where should we deliver the service; on-shore, offshore or multishore? Balancing the risk, reward and ultimately the outcome is a necessity for a successful outsourcing strategy.

The vision and appetite to test the market is now in place for the government sector.

Go no further until you have formulated an outsourcing strategy, paying particular attention to the desired outcomes, governance and the transition plan. Importantly measure your existing service to an outsourced service delivery to realise the associated cost benefits that can be delivered back in to the business.

Critically ensure that the project is aligned with your overall strategic plan. And finally choose your outsource partner carefully in relation to your end goal and subsequently your outsourcing model must follow.

Technology no longer constrains service delivery and effective solutions can be delivered with increased flexibility and reduced costs.

So challenge the outsourcer to deliver against the constantly growing communications market; they should be the expert when it comes to integrating IT systems and delivering class leading management information.

Traditional communications methods are being overtaken by social media which is re-defining the way in which people transact.

Given that we must respond to constantly deliver citizen centric services, “multi-channel” access to the authority could so very easily become another siloed approach. Stick to the plan and ensure that you work closely with your outsourcer to make sure they evolve as communication challenges present themselves

to ultimately deliver one unified solution, one touch point with integrated processes.

Well-planned outsourcing projects go largely unnoticed, whilst poorly executed projects gain national interest and local unrest.

Careful outsourcer selection however, means you can reduce the risk by working with a partner with proven transition expertise.

Dedicated project teams, due diligence, joint risk assessment and a clearly defined approach will deliver a successful transition.

There should be no reason to disrupt service delivery during the transition period. A calculated approach should be taken, gradually transferring simple to complex business processes.

An outsourcer often has years of experience, a readily available resource pool and existing infrastructure and technology which means quick set-up. Making the transition is business as usual for your chosen outsourcer so buy into their expertise to deliver a smooth transition process.

Management control can be maintained through regular interaction with your outsourcing partner. Onsite presence of your management team should be fully encouraged to integrate your practices and culture and build relationships.

Considerations need to me made regarding employment, and TUPE should not be seen as a barrier. This can represent an opportunity to modernise the workforce creating an advantageous position to create a flexible, cost effective relationship which is managed in a commercial model.

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP Finally and definitely not to be underestimated, you need to find the right partner. A partner is defined as someone who shares a common interest or works towards achieving a common goal. To find that partner begin the engagement early, define the process, share your strategic objectives and ensure that the outcomes are clearly defined. Ultimately the benefits realised when you settle on the right outsourcing strategy and the right partner can be dramatic. Outsourcers routinely improve efficiency and the output of customer processes, realise significant cost savings in the process as well as adding value to the relationship with the customer. Such significant savings and process improvements really can’t be ignored in the current climate.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0113 207 3820 E-mail: marketing@ventura-uk.com Web: www.ventura.co.uk THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY

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www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

RECRUITMENT

THE VALUE OF IT PROFESSIONALS IT has a significant role to play in delivering efficiency savings. With this in mind, it is essential that the value of IT professionals is carefully considered before any drastic job cuts are made in the public sector THE LATEST REPORT ON JOBS FROM the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and KPMG shows that the jobs market is in its seventh month of recovery. With both temporary and permanent job placements increasing at steady rates, it looks like we are well on the road to recovery. But there may be tough times ahead as the public sector faces an extensive cost-cutting exercise.

While the Report on Jobs in recent months has shown a clear increase in demand for workers across the board, the jobs market remains in a fragile state. What’s more, there are a number of factors which could jeopardise the jobs recovery, such as the outcome of the recent general election.

As the new government starts to take shape, a key area that must be addressed is the planned expenditure cuts in the public sector. While the public sector continued to add jobs during the recession, it is now public sector jobs that are most at risk. We are likely to see reductions in headcount across all departments and local authorities

as budgets are squeezed dramatically.

However, an ill-conceived dash for rapid cuts in public expenditure could cause irreparable damage to the delivery of frontline services. It would also setback the jobs recovery, but this needn’t be the case.

What’s needed is a new approach to public sector resourcing. New and workable methods need to be implemented across both frontline and back office roles such as IT delivery and support which provide the backbone of the public sector.

When looking at head-count as part of expenditure cuts it’s likely that government departments, local authorities and other government funded bodies will see agency workers as an easy target and they may be the first to face the chop. As temporary staff, agency workers may seem like an obvious cost to cut but rather than being a simple line on a balance sheet, flexible workers are an essential part of the public sector workforce. Due to their temporary, and often specialist, nature agency workers help the

public sector to ‘flex’ to demand and are part of the cost solution, not the problem.

Experience shows that if sustainable structure and long–term reform is not implemented, expenditure will increase as soon as the pressure on costs is removed. What’s more, improving current processes combined with new ways of working could deliver huge efficiency gains across the public sector. To make the most of this opportunity the new government presents, the public sector should make the most of this period of change to work with its recruitment partners to help it to do things differently and more effectively.

Unlike the private sector, the public sector managed to escape some of the worst effects of the recession as nurses, doctors, teachers and social care professionals continued to remain in strong demand. Not only did the public sector workforce remain largely intact, it continued to draw upon locum doctors, temporary nurses and supply teachers to cover sickness, training and unexpected peaks in demand.

While front line services are an obvious

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

RECRUITMENT

area where flexible staffing can take place, the public sector should also consider using temporary workers for back office roles such as IT. By using interim managers, part-time staff and agency workers the public sector would benefit from an expanded talent pool while only paying for workers when they are needed.

EFFICIENCY THROUGH IT IT staff in particular will have a key role to play in shaping the new public sector and establishing how and where IT can be used to drive efficiencies. Advances in shared services, virtualisation and best practice in IT service management could generate millions of pounds of savings across the public sector.

IT professionals will be central to transforming the public sector into a sustainable and cost efficient machine and this contribution must be recognised as costs are being cut.

The value of IT professionals in the general economic recovery is clear, with IT being one of the first sectors to recover. Over the last few months, the Recruitment & Employment Confederationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Report on Jobs has seen demand from employers for systems analysts and developers, M&E CAD technicians, Sharepoint professionals and various support staff as companies look to grow their business and deliver value and long-term efficiencies from their IT systems.

The same should be true for the public sector as efficiency savings from IT could be the secret to unlocking long-term value and sustainability for the public sector. With this is mind, it is essential that the value of IT and IT professionals is carefully considered before any drastic cuts are made to public sector headcount.

IT staff in particular will have a key role to play in shaping the new public sector and establishing how and where IT can be used to drive efficiencies. Advances in shared services, virtualisation and best practice in IT service management could generate millions of pounds of savings across the public sector

ICT recruitment with an interest in your success

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ERMILLION RECRUITMENT is an independent ICT recruitment specialist which has been established for over six years. We secured a recognised position in the market through a reputation of top quality service to both clients and candidates. Our continued success follows naturally from our passion for the recruitment dynamic and our attention to detail in all aspects of our range of services.

Originally launched as a specialist PeopleSoft intermediary for contract and permanent resources, we manage one of the largest databases of security cleared PeopleSoft resources in the country. ERP and CRM solutions, including PeopleSoft, continue to be an important focus for our business.

However, due to market demand from clients and candidates, Vermillion has now branched into other areas of ICT recruitment.

This includes providing resources for web and

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enterprise development, project management and generalist enterprise ICT skills in areas such as data and voice networking, database management and desktop and systems support.

We never compromise on professionalism and quality of service. We always treat clients and candidates as we would like to be treated ourselves. Believe it or not, but that

differentiates us in the marketplace! Contact us now for an introduction and feel the difference.

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Jumar – the intelligent resourcing option UMAR IS A FULLY integrated IT resource and development company. Our unique quality is the way these two complementary areas of our business work hand-in-hand.

Intelligent resources – we provide our clients with experienced, talented IT professionals, either from our own permanent team or from our extensive network of associates, to meet their short or long term requirements.

Intelligent development – we have our own team of IT consultants, project managers, business and systems analysts, testers and trainers. They not only support the technical screening of resource requirements, but work closely with our clients to develop new or modernise existing systems, adopt new methodologies and add value within projects internationally.

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T HAYS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, we believe that as experts in the provision of IT recruitment and workforce related solutions, we should also be experts in the sectors we recruit for.

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We place professional candidates into permanent and contract roles across the project, programme, development infrastructure, ERP, leadership, digital and telecoms channels.

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

IT TRAINING

YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND Spare a thought for your Learning & Development Group – they can’t achieve their goals without your whole-hearted cooperation, argues Alan Bellinger of the Institute of IT Training.

TO PARAPHRASE THE WORDS OF JFK: “Ask not what your Learning & Development (L&D) group can do for you; rather ask what you can do for L&D”! The drive for efficiency has some interesting consequences.

Fundamentally, there are three ways in which organisations within the public sector can generate efficiency savings – improve workflow, work smarter, and work harder. And each of them involves your L&D group; changes to work flow and working smarter involve new skills, whilst working harder involves morale.

Your L&D group should be at the centre of these initiatives, but they can’t make them a reality without the ICT department’s full cooperation. The core issue is this: “What is the best way to use ICT to transfer skills?”

The core issue that the L&D group has to address is that the old norms don’t work anymore. An example is this: it used to be a pavlovian reaction of “We need skills; we need a course”. But that is now seen as the infamous non-sequitur that it really is. “We need skills; we need a learning

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intervention” however, is a truism. That learning intervention could be classroombased course but it is much more likely to be an intervention that is supported by ICT. Conventional L&D has now embraced three critical mega-trends in its approach to skills transfer. The first is enterprise content management (or knowledge management in more conventional terminology), the second is social networking, and the third is performance management. And that highlights my key point – all three of these trends involve the application of ICT to develop skills.

ENTERPRISE CONTENT MANAGEMENT The Henley Business School has just held its 10th anniversary KM conference and in the last few of those 10 years, organisations have begun to exploit the synergy between Enterprise Content Management (ECM) and learning.

In part this has been driven by the fact that Microsoft blew the market wide open with SharePoint (good functionality at a fraction of the cost previously available). Even open

source has got into the act (e.g. Joomla).

The pressure for L&D to get involved in informal learning has been a driver for them to exploit these synergies. An effective ECM strategy requires comparable skills to L&D (needs analysis, competency management, scenario setting, domain management, Communities of Practice, assessment etc.) and therefore the fact that learning interventions can be structured to utilise both formal delivery and informal access makes the learning experience much richer. One of the consequences of this trend is that L&D is having a greater influence in the management of Communities of Practice and also in the implementation of cross-function initiatives.

SOCIAL NETWORKING Now please don’t switch off! Don’t think Twitter, Facebook and time wasting! Certainly they are part of the social networking world, but they’re not the issue here. The point is that, within the last 18 months, L&D Professionals have had substantial exposure to the social networking world and, indeed, most of

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www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

Government Technology | Volume 9.4

IT TRAINING

Fundamentally, there are three ways in which organisations within the public sector can generate efficiency savings – improve workflow, work smarter, and work harder. And each of them involves your L&D group; changes to work flow and working smarter involve new skills, whilst working harder involves morale

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them are now making active contributions to such sites. A discussion on one of the sites recently revolved around how many social networking sites can manage? The conclusion was that not all networking sites are equal; and it comes down to the definition of the community of practice that the sites address.

Social networking sites raise a number of issues regarding hosting and access; in the first instance, the ICT department needs to be attentive to the expectations of employees to participate in relevant communities. If you don’t allow access, they’ll simply access from home and complain of the inflexibility of the ICT department. In the second instance, there is the issue that, if the community of practice is defined as specific to the organisation, do you really want that IPR circulating in the cloud?

address the issue of just where is this leading.

The core issue is that, in conjunction with your L&D group, you need to create an environment in which your staff work smarter.

In the new world of learning interventions rather than courses there is a clear “endgame” – to ensure that learning was embedded in work. The sequence goes like this: • learning is a process, not an event • learning is contextualised • learning is integrated in work • learning is embedded within work.

There are three clear benefits to this approach that resonate perfectly with current operating conditions; firstly, it’s an environment that can start quickly and grow; secondly, it does not require a significant up-front investment; and thirdly, it shows a very rapid pay-back.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT For some time now there has been an “application sweet-spot”; it is the combination of Business Intelligence (in order to provide the core metrics), Performance Management (in order to generate the dashboards and scorecards) and Talent Management (the synthesis of performance and skills). But one of the problems with rolling out this combination has been one of program ownership. In many early cases, finance was tasked with ownership and the consequence was that the approach was based too much on fiscal measures.

A survey published earlier this year by Quocirca for Oracle highlighted the conclusion that the recession had uncovered many failings in early implementations, and that there was a significant need to ensure that the right processes and tools are in place to make it happen. At the end of the day, that comes down to the project owner – and L&D is best placed to take a leadership role on such a program.

Having identified the mega trends, let’s

MEASUREMENT & ASSESSMENT There is a downside, however; in a classroom setting it is very easy to measure and assess a learner’s skills gain but when the skills transfer is performed in a more informal learning intervention, it is very difficult to manage. This raises an interesting point – just what are we measuring?

For many years the L&D world has used a measurement framework based on the Kirkpatrick Model. This is a four level model – Reaction (what did the learner think of the course?), Learning (did they learn the skills?), Behaviour (can they apply those skills in practice) and Impact (did the skills gain result in increased performance?).

This is another L&D norm that needs to be questioned. The point is this: in the past that fourth level has been extremely difficult to establish and therefore L&D tended to focus on stages 1 and 2. But now, with Performance Management tools in place, it becomes highly visible. So, if we can get straight to Kirkpatrick level 4, do we really need to worry about the first three levels after all? It’s conundrums like that that make life interesting!

Government Technology | Volume 9.4

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

TRAINING FOR CHANGE IT skills consultancy Optimum helps the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement team to create customised training courses and materials

THE NHS INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATION and Improvement has recently undergone a major change programme, to enable it to pursue a more commercial business model. The IT skills consultancy Optimum, which specialises in user focused training, worked alongside the NHS Institute’s team and their implementation consultants, Logica, to understand the organisation and to create customised training courses and materials. The new system aimed to improve resource management and generate income by providing services to NHS England and by also selling products and services to non-NHS customers in the UK and overseas.

TIME FACTOR A central part of making the new business model work was moving away from outsourcing its finance function to implementing its own. This meant re-structuring the finance team, designing completely new business processes and building a system around them, then training all staff and project workers to use it, all within three months.

Tim Reardon, assistant director of finance, said: “We were facing a tight and immoveable timescale to get the new system up and running and we needed to make sure our technical and finance people were free to concentrate on the build. We realised that we needed professionals to project manage the user training on the system.”

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement recognised that the new finance system in itself wasn’t the solution to working more efficiently; it was how the staff used it that mattered. If getting users to ‘buy-in’ to the system was critical to success, then the training had to be focused around them. “We had trained our own

staff internally to use the previous system but their feedback was that accountants aren’t trainers and if we wanted to get the most out of the new system, they needed professional training on it,” said Reardon.

Optimum designed, developed and delivered role-based courses for all users of the new finance system across several locations, as well as creating a range of back-at-desk quick help cards and reference manuals. James Webb, Optimum’s project manager, noted: “This project involved new staff, new roles and completely new ways of working – NHS Institute had never had an accounts payable function before. So the training design and development really was an exercise in starting from scratch.”

INVESTMENT The investment in Optimum’s services was well rewarded. Reardon observed: “We’d set up a working group of non-finance users as part of the change project and one of them said that Optimum’s had been ‘the best training they’d ever been on’.”

Eleanor Dennehy, the lead Logica consultant working on the change programme, added: “NHS Institute set some very tough standards but Optimum tailored the training to mirror their processes and language, making it as user friendly as possible. The training delivery was very professional and the feedback during the courses extremely positive.”

Optimum held workshops for the project team, the implementation consultants and users to give specific training on additional elements of the system’s functionality that would bring efficiency benefits but which hadn’t been explored previously because of time pressures. As well as delivering rolebased training to enable managers, budget

holders and requisitioners to carry out their jobs, Optimum also dealt with many of the change management issues that surrounded the project. The training sessions became a forum where people felt able to raise their concerns about the new structure and roles.

“The scale of the changes, both culturally and practically, was huge and very emotive for staff,” Reardon commented. “Because Optimum was from outside the organisation, when people went ‘off-piste’ the consultants could handle these change issues and build confidence, so staff came away much more positive.”

Dennehy noted: “Optimum’s user-focused training was absolutely right to ensure the basic knowledge transfer to allow the system to function was done without inundating users. The ‘business-as-usual’ is a great basis for refresher training.”

Whilst implementing any new core business system is always a highly pressured and potentially risk-laden event, NHS Institute’s experience shows that the right level and right kind of training is a large part of the success.

SUPPORT “Timing and approach were both critical for us,” said Reardon. “Using professional trainers made sure we delivered the project on time and that our staff were well supported at a time of massive change. Using Optimum was a very positive experience.

They showed great professionalism and we had really good feedback.”

Optimum is an IT skills consultancy that specialises in highly effective user focused business systems training. Our mission is to bring people and technology together to make change happen. All of our trainers are accredited by The Institute of IT Trainers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Please call 020 7776 9876, e-mail info@optimum.co.uk, or visit www.optimum.co.uk

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Visit the website to view the categorised product finder

When citizen security depends on positive identification, Daon is the company to call.

Visit www.daon.com to learn why the world’s largest economies use Daon software products for identity assurance, border management, national ID, traveler facilitation, credentialing and securing critical infrastructure.

Daon’s identity platform is designed for flexiblity, scalability and security of both biometric and biographic data. We can help you find the balance between critical national security and important constituent privacy issues. The world’s largest system integrators, defence contractors and government agencies have chosen Daon for use around the globe.

With offices in London, Dublin, Canberra, Washington, New York and Singapore, Daon serves the world and we want to serve you, too.

Contact us at info@daon.com

Cogent Systems biometric identification solutions OGENT IS A GLOBAL provider of biometric identification solutions to governments, law enforcement agencies, and commercial enterprises.

Products include: Automated Palm and Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), featuring 100 per cent database searching.

Cogent’s AFIS has been proven to be one of the most accurate systems in the world.

Livescan and Handheld Devices for Biometric Data Entry: Criminal Livescan, BlueCheck®, MobileID and Fusion are used for creating and transmitting fingerprint, facial and iris biometric records to a central system for authentication or identification.

Civil Identity Management Solution: Full range of products

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Secure Storage Services

Complete Document Management Archive Storage Document Scanning Confidential Shredding High quality document management services for Liverpool and the North West

0151 293 4000 info@securestorageservices.co.uk www.securestorageservices.co.uk

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to address identity management challenges such as identity authentication and multibiometric enrolment stations.

BioGate Products: a range of biometric access control readers that search the biometric features of an individual against a local database.

Current contracts include many regional and national AFISs, visa issue and validation for the UKBA and the provision of front-end and back-end mobile identification facilities for the UK police service.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Cogent, Inc. Tel: +44 (0)20 7063 9770 Fax: +44 (0)20 7063 9789 E-mail: ukinfo@cogentsystems.com Web: www.cogentsystems.com

Government Technology | Volume 9.4

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SECURITY

KEEPING DATA OUT OF THE WRONG HANDS Last year standards surrounding the discarding of confidential information were enhanced.

Russell Harris, Chairman of the BSIA’s Information Destruction Section, explains further THE SECURE REMOVAL OF CONFIDENTIAL data is a key element of securing any public sector organisation. This extends to both paper documents and information held on computers and storage devices where simply deleting files is not an adequate solution.

The careless disposal of confidential data often allows criminals to steal identities and conduct fraudulent transactions without anyone knowing that the information has been compromised. Identify fraud is an issue that has become increasingly prevalent in recent years and can have a huge effect on businesses.

The volume of crime that occurs in this way is unknown, although by some estimates up to 99 per cent of fraud in the public sector goes undetected and the same may be true of offences resulting from the improper disposal of data. If confidential information is stolen from a business, the personal details of customers and suppliers can also be put at risk. Furthermore, businesses are running the risk of significant losses, not to mention the loss of reputation and client confidence if they are not taking preventative measures to protect their business’ confidential information during the disposal process.

INFORMATION IS VAULABLE Almost any kind of personal information is valuable to criminals whether it be residents’ records, financial reports, payroll information and personnel data. The unlawful use of such information contributes to an explosion of identity theft crimes, which allows criminals to obtain goods, credit or services in someone else’s name. Offenders target both public and private sector providers, including the use of stolen identities to fraudulently obtain prescription medicines and state benefits.

The consequences of identity fraud are potentially huge. In addition to the risks mentioned earlier, there is also the time and inconvenience involved in contacting the authorities and sorting out paperwork once a security breach has occurred.

Consequently, the law imposes legal obligations on any organisation that processes personal information, whether this relates to employees, customers or members of the public. The Data Protection Act essentially does two things. It tells organisations what types of information they may hold and how it must be safeguarded. It does this through key principles for data protection, including the need for data to be processed and kept securely. The data must be accurate, updated where necessary and kept no longer than needed. These principles also include the use of

effective means to prevent misuse by destroying personal information at the point of disposal.

PROPER DISPOSAL Many infringements of the Act relate to the way in which data is disposed. The problem can only be overcome by treating all personal information in the same way as sensitive financial or medical records, by employing a professional information destruction service.

Despite the stark realities behind identify theft and misuse of information, only a small fraction of the annual tonnage of paper waste and data processing products such as hard drives, CDs, memory sticks and DVDs, is destroyed by professional information destruction companies. By far the majority of such material continues to be disposed of via municipal refuse collection or waste paper reprocessing.

An example of this was when several banks and other financial institutions were reprimanded by the Office of the Information Commissioner for the disposing of customers’ personal information in bins outside their premises. An investigation found information such as details of a bank transfer for £500,000 outside a Nottingham bank and paying-in envelopes with customer names and phone numbers, sort codes and account numbers outside a bank in Manchester. Furthermore, an experiment carried out by IT consultancy Navigant Consulting revealed that secondhand PCs contain enough personal data to be a security threat to the previous owner. Data found on second-hand PCs included: names, addresses and photos; staff budgets and payroll schedules including names and salary details, bank account standing order payments and receipts.

Consequently, neither disposing of confidential information by refuse collection nor waste paper reprocessing generally involves any kind of secure handling, yet it is inevitable that much confidential data is included in this general waste and therefore a major cause of avoidable risk. With the law clear on this matter, public sector organisations are advised to use the services of properly qualified information destruction operators at professional companies that operate to industry standards in order to protect their confidential information. The secure distribution process can help to reduce losses through fraud of all types as well as ensuring that the reputation of a company or organisation remains untarnished.

AN INSIDE JOB It has been known for fraud to be committed as an inside job by staff or ex-employees so confidential waste must therefore be placed in a lockable bin with a paper slot or a tamper-proof coded sack. Leaving shredding to individuals can compromise security as the document is not always thoroughly destroyed and can often be pieced together. An information destruction supplier should be able to provide sacks that cannot be tampered with and bins to match your office furniture that can only be accessed by key. To provide further protection, each collection and sack should contain a unique code so that customers can access a full audit trail of their paper once it has left the building.

To enhance customer confidence when using professional information destruction companies, the standards and operating practices surrounding the disposal of confidential information were improved just last year. This included the publication of a

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SECURITY

new European Standard, EN 15713:2009, which was initially written as a code of practice for BSIA member companies and was then developed into a British standard before being made a European standard.

EN 15713:2009 describes the essential requirements and operating procedures for a professional information destruction company, including employment practices such as the security vetting of all staff members and details relating to the security of its premises by means of monitored intruder alarms and CCTV systems. Specific rules are set down for the actual destruction of data, incorporating material-specific shred sizes, and requirements for the security of vehicles used both for the collection and on-site destruction of confidential waste. As well as helping to ensure the highest standards, EN 15713:2009 provides a valuable new benchmark to assist users in choosing a provider. All BSIA information destruction section members are inspected to the new standard as part of the audit procedure for their obligatory ISO 9001:2008 accreditation.

NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS Another significant development in the sector has been the publication of new National Occupational Standards (NOS), which define the level of competence needed to work

in information destruction and increase professionalism. The BSIA worked closely with Skills for Security in developing the new standards, which all member companies are being urged to incorporate into their training practices. It is anticipated that in future the NOS could lead to a formal industry-recognised qualification in the field. The publication encompasses all key activities undertaken within the sector, as well as situations employees are likely to encounter in their day-to-day work. It covers a comprehensive range of topics, from customer service to risk assessment, the use of IT, vehicle load security, vehicle and equipment safety and even good driving techniques. As such, it is seen as an indispensable tool for creating and maintaining a highly skilled workforce and providing benchmarks for good practice across the UK. The NOS goes into considerable detail in specifying standards of occupational competence for the sector. It deals with all aspects of the operation, including collecting consignments of confidential material, complying with proof of collection requirements and maintaining security during the loading and transportation process. The use of documentation to meet audit trail requirements and comply with relevant legislation is covered in detail, encompassing the use of waste transfer, pre-treatment, collection

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information about the BSIA’s work in information destruction, visit www.bsia.co.uk/shredding.

For more information about the NOS, visit www.ukstandards.org.uk

High capacity hard drive destruction

traderswarehouse – we care about your security

RUCE RID RECYCLING has a market leading reputation in electrical and electronic equipment recycling, and offer a unique hard drive destruction service to customers throughout the UK, through a tried and tested high capacity and versatile granulator. Bruce RID Recycling can therefore give their customers the complete reassurance that the confidential data on their end-of-life electronic media will stay confidential once it has left their site.

Our services now include: • Capability to granulate all media including phones, PDAs, media tapes, USBs, DVDs/ CDs, external hard drives, etc.

• 1,000 drives an hour capacity • Software disk wiping/ de-gaussing • Granulation from 15mm down to 5mm • Pre-Employment Screened (PES) staff • Collection in un-marked

RADERSWAREHOUSE is the only supplier you’ll need for your security equipment requirements. We supply name brand equipment for CCTV surveillance, access control, door entry, intruder and fire detection as well as our own Silverline brand equipment. traderswarehouse began trading in 2002 and has since become one of the major security equipment suppliers in the UK. We have much experience in specifying solutions for all security installations from corner shops to multinational corporations.

Our team are excited about finding the right product for your installation, why not put us to the test next time you are specifying?

We will do our best to beat prices from anyone in the UK and we strive to give the best possible service to all our customers.

We are specialists in IP technology in the field of CCTV and we constantly look

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and delivery notes, vehicle check sheets and certificates of destruction. It goes on to describe performance criteria and essential knowledge for the destruction of data, incorporating the use and maintenance of mobile and on-site equipment.

A separate section is devoted to providing a quality service when carrying out information destruction operations, including communicating effectively with customers and colleagues, and identifying ways to improve performance.

The BSIA has encouraged all companies operating in secure waste disposal to embrace the NOS, which has clear benefits in terms of creating a highly qualified workforce and raising standards across the industry as a whole.

With these standards in place, the quality of information destruction will only be enhanced.

Using an information destruction company is a safe and effective method of disposing confidential data, which is compulsory for public sector organisations in order to protect their staff, customers and reputation.

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secure vans • Off-site destruction available • Witness destruction available including a webcam service • 24 hour CCTV manned secure site • ISO9001/ISO14001 Accredited • Detailed reporting/ certification as standard • Lockable containers and quarantine storage available • Dedicated account manager provided • Existing contractor to many leading financial institutes • One-stop-shop recycling solution

FOR MORE INFORMATION For further information and a non-obligated quote please contact us on 01484 530893 or by e-mail at info@weee-recycler.co.uk.

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to improve our product range and knowledge in all aspects of security in order to keep you ahead of the competition.

Visit our website for more details and to browse our online store for products from Sony, Samsung, Honeywell, Eneo, Axis and more. Use the promotional code GTM052010 for a five per cent discount.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 0844 8844 044 Fax: 0844 8844 045 E-mail: info@ traderswarehouse.co.uk Web: www. traderswarehouse.co.uk

A New Era in Security and Safety Management

Look to the Future - Engage with the Pink Fluffy Cloud Taking a close look at where the Public Sector can benefit from the direct convergence between what the Security and Safety Sector and the IT and IP infrastructure players are developing.

Paul Hennings IP UserGroup Director comment’s.

Applications across many Public Sector functions: · Surveillance & CCTV · Access Control, Time & Attendance · Intruder Detection & Alarms · Fire Detection & Evacuation · Integrated Safety Solutions · Audio, Intercom & Messaging · Transmission & Comms Systems · Building Management Systems

As a great advocate of hosted business services such as CRM (customer relationship management), Web building solutions, server-side storage and email marketing as a service. I am only too aware of the possibilities available to the Security and Safety function within the Public Sector should some of these fundamentals be employed.

The terms Cloud computing, Virtualisation and Saas (Software as a Service) are no longer exclusive to the IT arena, but increasingly crossing the divide into ALL areas of business life and within the service sector.

Recently Alastair Hayfield, Research Manager at IMS Research commented “In the year ahead there are a host of new trends that will keep the industry talking and drive market resurgence.” And in bringing together the top ten trends, placed the following at the top of the list:

“2010 will see Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) emerge from the shadows and take the limelight. 2010 will see a raft of companies announce VSaaS solutions.”

In truth Saas and Virtualisation in one form or another has been part of the Security, Surveillance and Safety world for several years, but now the Public Sector are seeing it as a major opportunity and using Security and Safety to further leverage investment in the network infrastructure.

That Pink Fluffy Cloud!

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20 SECT E N

International IP Solutions Exhibition & Conference

Earls Court 2, LONDON 20th - 21st October 2010

www.iipseconline.com co-located with

For far too long the Public Sector has been satisfied to treat anything the other side of the ADSL hub or router as a pink fluffy cloud, but are you missing a trick? The IT industry certainly believe that there is mileage in providing products within the cloud and are already providing many business services to both Public and Private Sector customers.

Engage before it’s too late!

IT and the network infrastructure are key elements in any 21st Century Security or Safety solution. An underlying knowledge of Information Technology and the way that the network operates is essential and without this the effectiveness or efficiency of any deployment could be severely effected.

There is a need to engage with specialists that have both the knowledge and influence to drive IP based solutions forward, and a greater understanding of the needs of both parties essential.

Forward thinking There are already several companies that have identified the need to engage and exploit this opportunity. To prove this, why not take the opportunity to join the IP UserGroup at one of the IP-in-Action Live events in a city near you, or plan a visit to the IIPSEC event in October where a whole range of solutions will be on show.

Visit www.ipusergroup.com/live or www.iipseconline.com for details.

NSR Management and our partnership with NHS Lothian

‘Our Business is your Property’

NHS Lothian decided they would like to implement the use of the NSR Schedules starting with Housing and the Building Schedule. They decided to use eNeStimator online and organised several in house training days for themselves and their contractors on the implementation of the Schedules and data. This has now been in place for some time and has proven to be a success from the contractor point of view when preparing estimates for work, plus the NHS Lothian Health have this system in place which stands up to audit proving that we making best use of public money.

Derek Gardner NHS Lothian Health After successfully completing a 1 year trial they are rolling it out for a further 3 years.

If you think we could help you in a similar way to that of NHS Lothian please contact our offices on 01296 339966 or send an email to kym@nsrmanagement.co.uk.

NSR Management 3 Prebendal Court Oxford Road Aylesbury HP19 8EY tel: 01296 339966 fax: 01296 338514 nsr@nsrmanagement.co.uk

www.nsrm.co.uk ‘Our Business is your Property’

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ACCOUNTABILITY FOR MAINTENANCE EXPENDITURE Cut costs and ensure quality with the National Schedule of Rates IT WAS CHRISTMAS 2009 AND WATER was seeping through Tony’s ‘fashionable... in the 80’s’ Artex ceiling in the lounge again. Surely another costly roof repair was shortly to follow to remove the temporary water feature? Tony is the sort of guy who would peel an orange in his pocket, and always got three quotes for every job that needed doing before choosing the cheapest.

Last week’s drama was no different.

Sure enough Bob the Builder came in with the cheapest quotation. No detailed breakdown of roofing jargon was provided by Bob, just a simple one line quote. Tony liked this. It was a ‘no brainer’ to Tony, by choosing Bob he was going to save £1000 compared to the next cheapest quote. After the carousel of tea serving and constant delays due to Bob having to source materials, the roof eventually got ‘repaired’ and Tony could watch his favourite documentary about the Amazon Rain Forest in HD without the HD sound effects!

Or so Tony thought until last week, when the Chinese water torture recommenced.

Tony has a clear problem, a roof that is in a state of ill repair… it needs fixing primarily for safety reasons and for Tony’s enjoyment of the lounge. Fortunately, being a single man, Tony’s decision making only affects him and no one else. This lack of accountability is the reason for Tony’s clouded judgment when deciding upon the most effective and practical way of fixing the roof at the ‘right’ cost. Indeed Tony is ‘price sensitive’ and he needs to be sure that the price he pays is a fair reflection of the work, materials and plant involved in the correct type of repair.

Whether you are in charge of the maintenance expenditure for a local authority, a shopping centre, a NHS Trust, a housing association, a bank, an insurance company, a university or indeed any company who has a property portfolio getting the correct repair done and the right price is the key. Never has this been more prevalent for those of us in the public sector who need to reduce wastage to reduce the national public spending deficit. Accountability is the answer, and this accountability can be achieved by comparing expenditure with a National Benchmark… known as The National Schedule of Rates.

NATIONAL SCHEDULE OF RATES The National Schedule of Rates allows you to issue a series of works orders, showing the breakdown of materials, plant and labour, confident that the charges are based on predetermined and agreed basis of measurement and pricing. We research and update our schedules regularly and price over 16,000

items. Each rate is individually researched and updated annually and broken down into its elements of material, plant and labour.

The key to using the National Schedule of Rates is in the tendering process. All contractors will be asked to price in accordance with the National Schedule of Rates by applying a percentage adjustment to allow for overheads and profit, items that aren’t contained within the rates. This percentage adjustment can be a negative or a positive figure. The client who then places future orders to the winning tenderer/s will know exactly how much each maintenance job will cost, on the basis that each job is broken down into the elements of labour, plant and materials, maximising accountability and maximising time savings. Indeed this tendering and price mechanism system from the National Schedule of Rates optimises all areas of time, quality and cost equally.

AWARENESS AND TRAINING Maintenance and Measured Term Contracts are an area often neglected by cost consultancies and therefore being aware of all aspects involved in maintenance and MTCs is important to both the client and the contractor. The training provided by NSR Management shows the client and the contractor how to maximise the value of their Measured Term Contract, with an explanation of best practice in using the schedules as well as best practice in tendering and administering a Measured Term Contract.

For more information please contact NSR Management’s trainer, Dale Jones on 01296 339966 or email dale@nsrmanagement.co.uk.

clients and contractors often find our computer software version of the schedules easier to use especially for non-technical staff. eNeStimator is the well established software package from NSR Management for managing term contracts using the National Schedules of Rates: • Creates orders and invoices using the National Schedules and the National Housing Maintenance Schedule, together with unitary and composite and schedules created by users in NSR format, where these exist.

• Includes desktops for creating estimates of cost, orders and invoices.

• Incorporates comprehensive item search and find facility.

• Rates adjusted for the Tendered Percentage Adjustment and large order discounts, where required by the contract.

• Facilities for despatching orders and invoices in print format, saving to disk and transmission by e-mail.

• This software comes in either a CD version or web based version for more flexibility

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 01296 339966 Fax: 01296 338514 E-mail: nsr@nsrmanagement.co.uk Web: www.nsrm.co.uk

COMPUTER SOFTWARE As an alternative or in addition to using hard copies of the National Schedule of Rates,

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GOOD COMMUNICATION AWARDS

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THE BUSINESS END OF COMMUNICATIONS

GOOD COMMUNICATION AWARDS Now the election is over, local and central government communications departments will be getting down to business – and entering the 2010 Good Communication Awards, to be held on July 15th at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium THE 2010 GENERAL ELECTION IS further evidence of the power of communication, and the way that various communication methods have evolved to target ‘difficult to reach’ sectors of the population.

In some places, such as Warwick and Leamington, turnout was extraordinarily high at 84.5 per cent, and the night had voters complaining of being turned away from polling stations due to queues.

At both national and local level, Government communication embraces a broad range of techniques, technologies and professional skills in order to keep citizens informed.

Making sure these channels are accessible, easy to use and represent value for money requires a huge amount of dedication, professionalism and communications expertise.

The Good Communication Awards, now in its sixth year, aims to promote and encourage the public sector’s efforts towards effective communication with its citizens and its workforce. The four award categories – Print, Public Relations, IT and Telecoms – will recognise the individuals and organisations that have demonstrated effectiveness and innovation.

Last year, the awards attracted over 200 entrants from the UK public sector, with many entries standing out as examples of best practice.

The awards remain free to enter. Should your organisation be shortlisted, you will be invited to attend the spectacular awards ceremony at the Emirates, which will feature a four course dinner, champagne drinks reception, competitions and prizes along with the chance of picking up an award that recognises the hard work that goes into communicating with diverse audiences.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CATEGORY Local Authority Communications Team of the Year Recognising the local authority that has demonstrated outstanding communications skills with its citizens and with its workforce Internal Communications Award Recognising successful internal communications practices that assist in building a culture to support strategy execution and effective communication with other core functions within the authority.

Government to Citizen Communication Award Recognising a specific campaign that has

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successfully connected with its target audience at a local or national level. Evidence of the campaigns aims and objectives, target audience, execution and success measurement should be included in your entry statement. Open to local authorities and central government departments.

Mixed Media Campaign This award will recognise successful mixed media information campaigns, where print, television, radio and internet media have combined to achieve the campaigns objectives successfully and cost effectively.

TELECOMS CATEGORY Contact Centre Award Presented to the local authority call centre that can demonstrate an effective increase in call handling, complaints management, staff training and staff support over the entry period.

Contact Centre Training Award Presented to the local authority or central government department that can demonstrate improvements in call handling, customer complaints management, staff training and staff retention through a structured training programme.

Contact Centre Technology Award Presented to the local authority that can present the most innovative use of call centre technology in order to increase call handling levels and improve conditions for the workforce.

Mobile Technology Award sponsored by Vodafone Presented to the local authority or central government department that has implemented a mobile strategy that can demonstrate either: benefits to citizens through increased access to services, or; benefits to the organisation through increased efficiencies. Examples include text messaging services, teleworking projects, field data collection, wireless internet access projects, fleet telematics.

Telecoms Innovation Award sponsored by Vodafone Presented to the local authority or central government department that can demonstrate an effective use of a new or emerging communication technology (eg Voice over IP, RFID, SMS).

IT & E-GOVERNMENT CATEGORY Local Authority Website Awarded to the local authority site that has made outstanding progress in delivering legible and accessible information and online service to its citizens. Criteria include site design, navigation/ease of use, accessibility, takeup and cost effectiveness.

Central Government Website Awarded to the central government website project that can demonstrate a high degree of innovation and usability in providing its website service to citizens and/or local authorities and businesses.

Accessibility Award Presented to the local authority, central government department, community group or voluntary sector organisation that has made outstanding progress in using technologies to extend the delivery of information and services to include traditionally hard-toreach groups such as users who are disabled or who have particular access needs.

IT Partnership Award Awarded to the local authority that can demonstrate an effective partnership approach to delivering IT related services, and in turn better value to citizens. Partnerships between local authorities, private sector organisations or other public sector bodies are eligible for entry.

IT Project Innovation Awarded to the local authority or central government department that has delivered an IT project within budget and to specification that furthers the progress of e-government and improves communication channels between government and the citizen.

PRINT CATEGORY Council Publication of the Year This award will recognise what is judged to be the best council publication, produced either in magazine or newspaper format and distributed to residents on a regular basis.

Criteria include design, content, journalism, corporate ID, plain English, social inclusion, print accessibility, print quality and cost effectiveness.

Council Publication – Design Recognising the local authority that produces the most visually appealing publication.

Criteria include creative and journalistic use

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of photography, colour, typesetting, print quality, print accessibility, print quality.

Council Publication – Journalism Recognising the local authority publication that demonstrates a commitment to quality journalism and content that reflects the information needs of the target audience. Criteria include story/ information selection, journalistic integrity, plain English, social inclusion.

Print Innovation Award Recognising the local authority or central government department that has demonstrated the most innovative use of print in communicating with citizens or the workforce.

MAIN AWARDS Local Authority of the Year sponsored by Google Awarded to the local authority that is judged to have delivered the most successful all round communications strategy, incorporating Print, Public Relations, IT and Telecommunications.

Local Government Communicator of the Year Recognising an individual in local government who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in communications, both

HOW TO ENTER To enter the Good Communication Awards, you must submit a 500word entry statement on why the programme/project/department/ individual is exceptional. Organisations may enter in more than one category, but a separate entry statement must be submitted for each award category entered. Entry is open to local authorities, central government departments, charities, voluntary sector organisations and academia.

Entry statements should include details of the project/department’s aims and objectives, research, strategy, execution, evaluation of success and cost-effectiveness (if applicable).

If the department or authority has mentioned involvement of any

third party suppliers or partnering organisations, then please supply their contact details with your entry.

Supporting materials such as internal or external market research, surveys, media coverage, third-party statements etc. should be provided where necessary. Certain awards, such as Council Publication of the Year in the Print Category, will require you to post additional supporting evidence. The address to post these is PSI events, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. You can also save paper and enter the Good Communication Awards online.

Entry statements can be uploaded via the online form. See www.gcawards. co.uk for details. The closing date for entries is Friday 18th June.

internally and externally. Entries are accepted through nomination.

externally. Entries are accepted through nomination by local authority.

Central Government Communicator of the Year Recognising an individual in a central government department who has demonstrated outstanding achievements in communications, both internally and

Strategic Communications Campaign Presented to the local authority or government organisation that can demonstrate how its communications strategy has delivered measurable changes in public perception or customer behaviour and stands out as an example of best practice.

Vodafone to sponsor two award categories at the Good Communications Awards

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ODAFONE IS DELIGHTED to be sponsoring the Mobile Technology Award & the Telecoms Innovation Award at this year’s Good Communications Awards. Now is a crucial time in public sector – not only must organisations manage the increasing demand for public services; they must do this at the same time as transforming how those services are delivered, and embracing new ways of working to reduce cost. Better use of communications technology is pivotal in enabling this transformation and helping you to be more cost effective, more flexible and more responsive to the public.

Flexible working policies can help public sector organisations become more efficient by enabling property rationalisation and reducing travel budgets. By the end of 2010, 85 per cent of employees will work flexibly at West Berkshire Council, reducing the council’s office space by an estimated 40 per cent. But flexible working is not just about cost savings – an effective strategy of providing the right information and applications outside of the traditional office environment lets your people work more effectively with the public.

To be truly effective flexible workers need the same communications capabilities they have at their desk, with the same level of security for

company data. Our solutions make it possible to deliver a full set of communications features wherever you choose to work, that transform how you communicate with the community.

The introduction of Unified Communications provides cost savings, flexibility and new ways of interacting with the public. Many organisations are laying the groundwork, adopting Unified Communications on cost improvement grounds. But the possibilities from there for creating richer interactions with constituents and ensuring public safety are nearly endless. Exciting new developments such as Hosted Security, Web Services, Natural Language Self Service and Multi-Channel Contact Centre can now be provided at a cost that falls within your budget. Cambridgeshire County Council recently implemented a complete communications solution supporting mobile voice and data, while at the same time

realising cost savings of more than £1.2m.

Using secure remote access solutions delivers better service in the community by putting the right information in the hands of the people that need it, wherever they are, minimising their paperwork, increasing their time in the community and ultimately reducing cost. “If a member of the public asks a question at a community meeting, our officers will be able to locate the information they need to give a thorough, accurate answer on the spot,” said Stuart Fillingham, head of information and communications technology at Lancashire Constabulary.

As an established UK-based supplier of communication solutions, Vodafone has more than 20 years’ experience in delivering business critical services to nearly a million customers in the public services arena. Whether driving greater efficiency, delivering service transformation or securing mobile data, public sector organisations can turn to Vodafone to deliver a tailored communication solution.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 08450 840 157 E-mail: info@vodafone-business-services.com Web: www.vodafone.co.uk/business/ps

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LEADING EVENT FOR PUBLIC SECTOR ICT If you are responsible for sourcing new technology products and services, SmartGov Live is the event for you SMARTGOV LIVE IS THE FIRST MAJOR exhibition and conference aimed at public sector ICT professionals immediately after the General Election. This will provide you with the first chance to find out what challenges and opportunities will arise following the election, and what impact it will have on public sector ICT. SmartGov LiveSmartGov Live will provide you with access to the biggest names in public sector ICT. Do business with over 60 exhibitors showcasing the latest technology including mobile and remote working, knowledge management, security, Green IT and many more.

WHAT IS SMARTGOV? SmartGov Live is a free-to-attend event, bringing cutting-edge, market-leading solutions to public sector ICT professionals.

Taking place at ExCeL in London on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 June, the exhibition will be running alongside Smart Healthcare Live and The Public Procurement Show.

Some of the UK’s leading ICT suppliers to the public sector, including Orange, Vodafone, Geo Networks, LG, European Electronique, LA International and Tripwire, will be exhibiting the latest ICT solutions and best practice to encourage a culture of innovation within public sector ICT. Our aim is to bring new but practical, hands-on ideas that can be implemented immediately to change the way you work. By registering for free, you can meet suppliers face-to-face to better understand technologies that not only drive efficiency and reduce costs, but will shape the way government interacts with citizens for years to come.

Our exciting SmartGov Talks programme brings you the latest thinking, future trends and insights from leaders at the helm of public sector ICT. These include Carrie Longton, co-founder, Mumsnet; Rose Crozier, ex-president, Socitm and CIO, Belfast City Council; David Wilde, CIO, Westminster City Council; Ian Osborne, director, Digital Systems Knowledge Transfer Network, Intellect and Phillip Blond, founder of ResPublica.

Keynote talks, debates and supplier solutions will explore topics from G-cloud and barriers to efficiency through to Web 2.0 in citizen engagement and shared services.

To register for free and for further information please visit www.smartgovlive.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GuardianSmart.

SmartGov Live supplier Solutions – Discover

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the most innovative products and learn how other organisations have approached the selection and implementation process and what lessons they learned.

TUESDAY 15 JUNE 2010 10.30-10.50 Keeping your organisation safe and secure – Michael Lawrence, head of corporate business, Orange 11.10-11.30 – The reality of shared services: consolidate resources, improve efficiency and simplify citizen contact – Phil Doherty, Vodafone 11:50-12:10 – Physical to Virtual – the Data Centre of 2010 – Simon Withers, strategy & development, SunGard Availability Services 14.00-14.20 – Secure portable operating environments on USB – Simon Roe, country manager - UK & Ireland, MXI Security 14.40-15.20 – Are outsourced government IT applications slow?

Mark Gillett, public sector business development manager 15.20-15.40 – What you can’t see, can hurt you – Patrick Wood, Director of systems engineering, Exinda 16.00-16.20 – Transformation.

Transparency. Technology driving information – Mike Hobson, head of public sector UK, Mark Logic Corporation WEDNESDAY 16 JUNE 10.30-10.50 – The truth about pa$sw0rds Jason Hart CISSP CISM, senior vice president, CRYPTOCard 11.10-11.30 – Integrated customer service management – less is more – Tim Marren, head of customer first, Corby Borough Council and Brett Husbands, CEO, Firmstep 11.50-12.10 – Securing data and information systems: how to contain threats and demonstrate security policy frame compliance – Gavin Millard, Technical director, International 12.30-12.50 – The smarter network challenges in today’s government network Kelly Scott, Senior network consultant, Extreme Networks 14.00-14.20 – Driving efficiencies through shared service document management – Mark Iveson, sales director, Stortext For further information on the sessions above and to register free, please visit www.smartgovlive.com today.

SMARTGOV TALKS CONFERENCE PROGRAMME SmartGov Talks conference and Supplier

Solutions sessions are free to attend. No booking is required but we recommend you arrive 5-10 minutes early to avoid disappointment as some topics are very popular.

TUESDAY 15 JUNE 10.15-11.00 Keynote talk – Michael White, assistant editor, the Guardian. Assistant editor of the Guardian, Michael White and an invited panel of experts discuss the current political outlook and the repercussions for the future of public services 11.10-11.50 Leadership: What does it mean to be an IT leader in 2010 and beyond? – Rose Crozier, ex-president, Socitm and CIO, Belfast. The pressure is on for IT directors to deliver cost and efficiency savings across the public sector, so how has the role of an IT leader changed in the past 18 months, and how can you prepare for the future?

• Choosing the correct priorities and how to deliver on these • How can you measure success across the organisation?

• How can you harness innovation?

12.00-12.15 Open access fibre networks for the next generation, symmetrical broadband in Britain – Chris Smedley, chief executive, Geo Networks. One of the co-founders of Geo in 2002, Chris led the development of the company’s unique strategy, to use its network assets to provide dedicated fibre and infrastructure services throughout the UK. Customers include The Welsh Assembly Government, Manchester City Council, Lancaster University as well as

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Knowledge Transfer Network, Intellect, Facilitator: Stuart Lauchlan, head of editorial, PublicTechnology.net and BusinessCloud9.com Will the G-cloud be embraced by the public sector? Do central and local government want the same things from the apps store?

What challenges and concerns need to be overcome before mass adoption? Can it deliver everything we have been promised?

11.30-12.15 How can we use Web 2.0 to engage citizens, improve service and cut costs? – Carrie Longton, co-founder, mumsnet.com • Exploring the benefits of making information available to be consumed by citizens how and when they want it • How does this fit with the efficiency agenda?

• How can Web 2.0 be used to personalise service delivery?

12.30-13.30 Lunchtime keynote debate – Jim Savege, corporate director, organisational development, Cumbria County Council, Ruth Kennedy, Joe Simpson, director of politics and partnerships, Leadership Centre for Local Government, Chair: Alison Benjamin, editor, SocietyGuardian. This session will explore the findings of the Total Place pilots and ask what this means for public services in the future? What impact on accountability and localism? How can we better empower communities to support public services?

14.15-15.15 Shared services – Jeff Wallbank, interim strategic director, Kent Connects, Chair: Mark Say, editor, GC Magazine.

Shared services are rising back up the agenda as a key way to deliver efficiency savings but how can your organisation benefit?

• Where are we now and what are the next steps for shared services?

• How will Total Place re-focus thoughts and energy on shared services?

• Best practise case studies 15.30-16.15 Closing Keynote – Larry Elliott, economics editor, the Guardian. The Guardian’s economic editor looks at the economic outlook and discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the public sector. mobile operators, service providers, retailers and major banks.

12.25-13.05 Top 10: Efficiency wins – Glyn Evans, assistant to the chief executive on transformation, Birmingham City Council, Janet Grossman, chair, Intellect public sector council, Chair: Mark Say, editor, GC Magazine. This session will list the top 10 efficiency wins you need to be making now. We will share best practise and examples of innovation. Can you afford to miss out?

13.15-14.15 Lunchtime keynote debate – Phillip Blond, founder, ResPublica, Sonia Sodha, head of the public finance programme, Demos, David Halpern, director of research, Institute for Government, Chair: Jane Dudman, editor, Public. How are public services are changing and how do we need to adapt to deliver better services with less money? How can the public sector become more innovative and create new methods for delivering essential public services?

14.45-15.20 Exploring the barriers to efficiency and how to break them down – Kay Brown, head of IT, South Lanarkshire Council. Change will always be difficult, but when there is no choice but to change and innovate, how can you ensure you overcome all barriers to efficiency?

• Engaging across the organisation and beyond • Creating a culture that embraces innovation 15.45-16.15 Information security – Gerry O’Neill, chief executive officer, Institution of Information Security Professionals Any breach of public sector information results in headlines and a lack of public trust. With new technologies such as cloud computing, Web 2.0 and increased adoption of shared services and outsourcing, information security is more important than ever. But how can you keep apace with such changes and ensure your information is secure?

• What are the security risks of new technology and services such as cloud computing?

• Do citizens trust government bodies to handle their data?

• What is Government doing to build professional competence and trust?

WEDNESDAY 16 JUNE 10.00-11.00 Panel debate: G-cloud – is this the future for public sector IT? – David Wilde, CIO, Westminster Council, Dylan Roberts, CIO, Leeds City Council, Ian Osborne, director, Digital Systems

Adam Continuity: The flexible data continuity provider DAM CONTINUITY is one of the leading providers of data continuity solutions to the public sector in the UK. There are larger providers than us but none of them can match our commitment to flexibility, client management, speed of response, value for money and the experience of our recovery specialists. We are really proud of a relationship with clients such as Wiltshire County Council, Hampshire PCT, Chelmsford College and the Lincolnshire Procurement Framework. Please contact us if you are reviewing your disaster recovery, business continuity or data back up solutions; we will be happy to provide you with expert advice.

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THE ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR GOVERNMENT IT BUYERS Revolution Events, BCS and NCC team up to launch innovative new IT event, on 23rd and 24th June at the NEC, Birmingham WITH THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN placing significant pressure on budgets, most government IT departments are being asked to make shrewd decisions to ensure best value from their technology investments and leverage IT to reduce costs in the forthcoming budget squeeze. Training and travel budgets are also under intense scrutiny, making it culturally unacceptable for senior IT managers to visit numerous single-focus events every year just to keep up with the latest developments.

This is why one of the UK’s leading organisers, Revolution Events, has recently launched IT Decisions 2010, a brand new multi-focus event designed to help senior IT decision-makers to make important investment decisions. Held in partnership with BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT) and the National Computing Centre (NCC), IT Decisions takes place on 23rd and 24th June, in The Pavilion at the NEC Birmingham.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES Using rich educational content and a wide range of independent advisors, IT Decisions aims to provide an annual one-stop-shop for demystifying emerging technologies, understanding potential efficiency benefits and generating a direct return-on-investment from all IT projects – both now and in the near future.

Stephen Fox, director at National Computing Centre, says: “IT Decisions aims to directly address the issues that IT departments really want to know about in a way that is relevant, independent, practical and time-effective. The NCC promotes the effective use of IT in the UK through independent research, analysis and guidance from our members and the wider IT community – so it was clear that the interests of IT departments would benefit significantly from us sharing our collective knowledge together at this new event.”

Key Themes for 2010 include: • Unified communications and VOIP • Virtualisation, storage and data centre optimisation • Cloud computing and software-as-a-service • Collaboration, messaging, telepresence • Secure systems development • Green IT and corporate compliance The two-day event will also run a special stream of free FastForward seminars, showcasing emerging technologies for the next three to five years and assessing their likely chance of widescale adoption. Each theme will be supported by a comprehensive range of educational seminars, advice clinics,

supplier briefings and demonstrations, led by independent experts from a variety of industry organisations, government agencies, end-users and industry giants such as IBM, VMWare, CISCO, RSA, Microsoft and BT. The involvement of these market leaders and other service providers is a key component for ensuring the event covers the full spectrum of market developments and arrange of different perspectives. “A major drawback of tightly niched IT events is that they often exist solely to promote a very specific technology or a single school-of-thought,” explains Rich Tribe, ioint managing director of Revolution Events. “Usually, this is because they are riding a wave of anticipation behind the ‘next big thing’ and have even named their event after it. Hence, it is in the organisers’ interests to exclude any mention of other technologies that could offer viable alternatives – and the sponsors and exhibitors that fund these events feel duty-bound to focus only on the core theme of the event.”

MAJOR PLAYERS In reality, all of the major players in the IT industry (and most of the smaller ones) have a wide range of products and services that they can offer to clients and would prefer the freedom to explain the pros and cons of each approach, so that they can create ‘blended’ solutions to fulfil the specific requirements of specific projects. By uncoupling itself from the single-focus approach, IT Decisions will help users to understand how all the latest innovations overlap and complement

each other, so that they can arrive at an IT strategy that supports and integrates with their own business objectives.

To add even more value, the educational programme at IT Decisions also includes several briefings on the IT buying process itself, providing expert advice on best practice for IT, finance and purchasing departments. As technology has become increasingly commoditised over the past decade, effective procurement procedures have become an important consideration for reducing risk in major projects and controlling costs at all levels of expenditure. Building an accurate specification, sourcing and selecting the right partners, negotiating a fair price and putting a robust contract in place can sometimes be more important than the solution itself – yet many organisations feel ill-equipped to tackle these unfamiliar issues when planning IT projects. The recent court case between BSkyB and EDS (over a failed CRM system) has clearly illustrated the potential risks for both parties when a major project fails – so these practical sessions are designed to help you formulate a thorough approach to your own buying process, to protect your future IT investments.

IT Decisions is free to attend for senior IT decision makers, directors and managers working in the public and private sectors.

You can find out more at the show’s website, including information on how to register and the latest news on key participants.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Web: www.itdshow.com

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TRANSFORMING YOUR HR PROCESSES The HR Software Show is the best place to source new software and discover how your existing systems can work harder EXHIBITION OPENING TIMES Wednesday 16 June 09:30-17:00 Thursday 17 June 09:30-16:30 their level of experience or area of expertise, and whether their need is for a bespoke integrated HR information system or an offthe-shelf software tool or web-based resource.

THE CIPD’S FORTHCOMING HR Software Show 2010 will give people management and development professionals plenty of opportunities to explore how technology can be used to deliver and support their HR activities. Leading suppliers will be showing how technology can transform organisations, streamline processes and improve efficiency.

A well-integrated HR Information System can play a fundamental role in enabling HR professionals to help drive business performance. But people management practitioners need to work in partnership with their IT team to ensure they are making the right technologybased choices for their organisation.

The show will provide a one-stop shop where visitors can assess the wide span of resources and services in this sector and make informed decisions on the best solution for their own organisations.

LEADING EVENT Leading suppliers will be showcasing their latest innovations and offering practical tips and advice at the annual event, which takes place at Olympia in London on 16-17 June.

They will also be focusing their efforts on demonstrating cost-effective solutions, as organisations assess their buying decisions against a tough business climate.

HR information systems, payroll, workforce planning, employee benefits, online feedback, outsourcing and shared services are just some of the areas that are represented at the show. As well as demonstrations and on-stand activities, the exhibition features a free programme of

bite-sized showcase presentations on topical themes where visitors can learn about different technology-based approaches, hear client case studies and pick up on technology trends.

For example, visitors will be able to hear how emerging technology informs and shapes CIPD research programmes. Software specialists COA Solutions and Ceridian will both be discussing the issue of employee engagement and technology’s role in measuring and supporting engagement strategies. Cascade Human Resources will feature a case study on building the business case for your HR software project.

In a showcase session entitled ‘2020 Vision’, Northgate Arinso will give its predictions about future HR technology. Other topics include the use of software in the talent management process, managing payroll and employment law challenges.

With increasing pressures to improve performance and efficiency through costeffective solutions, technology plays a fundamental role. But organisations must also recognise that their success depends on the effective management and development of their people within this technological environment.

Exhibitors with new launches or updated software and systems will be demonstrating how they are responding to the changing needs of HR professionals and their organisations and will enable visitors to try out the latest software and web-enabled HR applications for themselves. The show aims to give people management and development professionals plenty of practical solutions and innovative ideas to take back to their organisations whatever

RECRUITMENT EXHIBITION The event is co-located with the CIPD Recruitment Exhibition, reflecting the growing use of web-based resources in the recruitment and talent management process. This exhibition also features free showcase presentations, including CIPD research, supplier case studies and topical recruitment and technology issues. The launch of the results of the CIPD’s Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey will be the focus of the first showcase presentation on Wednesday 16 June. Another research-based session from Milkround Online reveals what today’s graduates look for from their employers.

Candidate checking, job boards, and applicant tracking systems are among the other topics explored in these half-hour learning sessions.

A new development for 2010 is a Career Management Clinic, provided by outplacement and career consultants, Personal Career Management. Visitors can get advice on how to manage their careers and how to develop the people in their organisations.

As suppliers at this year’s show will demonstrate, HR technology is being used across the whole recruitment, retention and talent management cycle to balance cost-effectiveness with developing, retaining and motivating top talent.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is Europe’s largest HR and development professional body with over 135,000 members, supporting and developing those responsible for the management and development of people within organisations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on the HR Software Show, including fast-track pre-registration, showcase timetable and exhibitor details, visit www.cipd.co.uk/hrss For more information on the co-located Recruitment Exhibition, visit www.cipd.co.uk/recex

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SECURITY SHOW SUCCESS The 15th annual Infosecurity Europe show was held at London Earls Court in late April and saw large numbers of IT, as well as management professionals attend the event on all of its three days BUILDING ON THE AUDIENCE’S response to last year’s keynote address by David Blunkett, the former Home Secretary, this year’s show was addressed by David Smith, the deputy commissioner for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Smith’s keynote drew a lot of interest from all segments of the audience, mainly because of the ICO’s recent 100-fold increase in its penalties for serious data breaches.

The deputy information commissioner said that there are currently around 30 serious breaches reported to his office every month, although onlookers noted with interested that this figure has declined slightly in the last few months. But, he told his audience, the NHS are now responsible for around one third of the data breaches reported to his office, a percentile that pushes the public sector ahead of the private industry in the data breaches stakes.

However, what can be understood from these statistics, he explained, is that not all private sector organisations will declare their breaches.

“We’re still seeing loss of personal data on unencrypted laptops in both [private and public] sectors,” he said, adding that, despite the increase in penalties, his office is not trying to catch people out, but aims to help businesses – and help people trying to get it right.

But, he told his audience, the scale of data losses has significantly evolved and increased over the years: “We’ve gone from losing a few medical files on a few sheets of paper at a time, to losing millions of files on a single disk or USB stick,” he said.

Smith used the Ministry of Defence as an example of this evolution, noting that the MOD used to have a culture of secrecy, which has since been eroded by the Facebook generation. “Today, people are willing to share more – a culture of reducing costs and sharing has emerged,” he said.

THEFT & LOSS OF DATA According to the deputy information commissioner, data breaches are still happening, and are often due to insider wrongdoing, or theft and loss of data on portable devices. There are, he explained, too many organisations ticking the boxes, without investing in real measures to keep up staff training and awareness. “Contractors and processes must be checked,” he said.

Smith went on to say that, when and if a breach does occur, those affected should be notified as well as his office. “We don’t want

to know about every breach that happens, just the large-scale breaches where there is potential harm to individuals,” he said, noting that, in most cases, his office will record the loss of breach incident but not action it.

Out on the show floor, meanwhile, data security specialist Credant Technologies said that the public sector side of the IT security market remains quite buoyant. According to Sean Glynn, the firm’s vice president of marketing, frozen and reducing IT security budgets is a problem amongst IT security vendors who are looking to maintain, and even increase, sales but vertical markets are still quite buoyant in sales terms.

Tim Pollard, Credant’s EMEA vice president,

technical resources to secure and protect their web applications. Commenting on the findings, Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute, said that it confirms the overwhelming value of taking a strategic and prescriptive posture to the many challenges that organisations face when it comes to protecting their data.

The report, which took in responses from more than 600 IT professionals on both sides of the Atlantic, found that whilst only 18 per cent of IT security budgets is allocated to address the problem, a hefty 43 per cent of budgets is being allocated to network and host security, even though these areas are those that respondents felt are of least concern.

We’ve gone from losing a few medical files on a few sheets of paper at a time, to losing millions of files on a single disk or USB stick – David Smith, the deputy commissioner for the Information Commissioner’s Office meanwhile, said that whilst there is a recession on and sales of IT security software and systems are always going to be difficult in this type of market, there is still room in the market for smaller players who are offering innovative security products.

Agility is the key in this market. There is a big market in the NHS, which is watching what is happening on the compliance front in the US, where increasing regulation such as HIPAA, means that NHS IT departments need the best levels of security, he said.

PROTECTING WEBSITES Research published at the show, found that a large number of business websites are open to attack, mainly because they use insecure web applications. The study, which was carried out by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored

by Imperva and WhiteHat Security, found that despite the potential seriousness of the issue, firms are only allocating 18 per cent of their IT security budgets to protect their sites.

The study – The State of Application Security – noted that most businesses, despite having numerous mission-critical applications accessible via their websites, are failing to allocate sufficient financial and

Also at Infosecurity, Arbor Networks became the latest IT security vendor to embrace the cloud with its first network and security monitoring offering that runs under VMware. The software – Peakflow X Virtual – runs on VMware ESX and ESXi hyperviser environments and gives companies the same features as Arbor’s hardware appliances, but in a virtualised environment.

Arbor says that its research team has seen a lot of changes in attack profiles in the last 12 months or so. Attacks are not slowing down – they’re increasing. As a result, the company is now seeing cloud-based data centres becoming very attractive to hackers, which is why it has developed a VMware version of its security technology. According to the IT security firm, hackers are starting to target cloud-based resources owing to the fact that gaining access to them can generate the hackers a lot of money.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Infosecurity Europe 2011 will take place 19-21 April, at Earls Court, London. For further information please visit www.infosec.co.uk

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PUSHING THROUGH CHANGE AND INNOVATION ‘Doing things differently and doing different things – sharing experience of radical change’ was the theme of the Socitm National Conference, held last month in Birmingham SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS and subsequent discussion at the Socitm National Conference 2010 focused on the hard times for the public sector expected to follow hard on the heels of the General Election that was held a fortnight later. Outgoing Socitm President Steve Palmer opened proceedings by referring to ‘the worst public finances that anyone currently employed in the sector has ever experienced’ – but told delegates that for ICT professionals, the current crisis could also bring a significant set of opportunities.

ICT’s potential to save the public sector money through better use of information and reducing costs of technology was starting to be recognised, he said, while IT and information management, normally subjects far from the media’s interest, were enjoying unprecedented attention in the run up to the election.

Heads of ICT and CIOs should seize this one off chance to become leaders and shapers of their organisations, rather than mangers simply delivering a reliable ICT service to others’ specifications. To focus their efforts, he announced the seven point plan Socitm has been developing for delivering ‘Tomorrow’s (local) Public Services’.

REFORM, COLLABORATION & INNOVATION Point one is that Tomorrow’s (local) Public Services will require reform, collaboration and innovation, especially at a local level, to enable people to handle information more efficiently and effectively, and enable pervasive self-service both for citizens and for employees. Because citizens are only interested in the outcome of their interaction with government, all electronic interactions should be designed from their perspective, and not to suit the administrative convenience of the organisation that delivers them.

ICT governance must be realigned, and this should start with the appointment of a Minister and permanent-secretary-level CIO to develop the necessary frameworks and standards to support the new infrastructures such as G-Cloud and PSN. The trust and identity assurance implicit in these will be a key enabler of electronic service delivery, particularly in collaborative working between partners, for example in a ‘Total Place’ context.

In their new, CIO-leader role, ICT professionals’ biggest challenge would be rethinking process design, Steve Palmer suggested. Many would require cultural changes. For example, pervasive flexible

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working, which is top of the list for making dramatic reductions in cost, requires a shift in management thinking out of industrial age ‘line of sight’ control to a supportive, ‘team coach’ role. Changing practice around information assurance especially by people actually handling information on a day to day basis would be equally challenging, and have a major impact upon public confidence.

The CIO must ensure that ICT procurements are of manageable size and cost, with an outcomes-focused review process built-in from the earliest possible stage. The need for innovation and imagination means creating a market accessible to SMEs and small, innovative ICT companies.

Finally, ICT managers need to develop their skill sets to make a successful transition into the new CIO leadership role that their organisations need. Those organisations require rounded individuals whose social, communication, business and influencing skills complement their technical ability. Socitm is putting much more energy into its professional development activities, Steve told delegates, and from the near future, would be enabling members to win accreditation for their professional competence.

“At the heart of our Seven Point Plan,” he said “is a simple mantra – reform, collaborate, innovate – which sums up the changes required to address the astonishing shortfall that is evident in public sector finances. ICT lies at the heart of any approach to saving money, and that means a new role for technology managers in leading their organisation through these three steps. Our Plan will help define that role.”

APPROACHING COST SAVING Many of these themes were picked up by subsequent speakers, not least by keynote speaker Michael Frater CBE, the local government troubleshooter who (since the conference) has been appointed interim chief executive at the London Borough of Hounslow.

This appointment follows a similar stint last year at Surrey County Council, where he was appointed in January after the authority received a one-star rating, down from three, in its Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA).

Michael Frater’s presentation drew heavily on what he had observed at Surrey, where the consequences of a heavy-handed, private-sector inspired ‘macho’ approach to cost saving had been an exodus of the best staff, a massive loss of morale among those remaining, and a deterioration in service delivery to the point where, for example, the

Council’s children’s services had been judged to be on a par with the worst in the country.

Despite these negatives, there was one shining beacon of excellence at the council, he said, and this was its customer services function. As part of its re-organisation programme, Surrey had made the decision to co-locate, and bring together under the same management, its call centre and its web team. This was a wholly positive move that had enabled pursuit of a sophisticated and effective channel strategy that has led to the council saving money while also achieving very high levels of customer satisfaction.

Within the combined service, call operators use the website to answer all customer enquiries, so that the service to the public from phone and self-service channels is consistent. Whenever phone operators spot anything on the website that is inaccurate or hard to find, they are able to report this directly to the web team and have it put right

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immediately – an approach that benefits selfservice as well as phone-mediated customers.

Web and call teams collaborate on usertesting the website and working through customer scenarios, and when recently there was a major website re-design, it was they, and customer groups, who were consulted by the designers, rather than (as is often the case with council websites) those running services. This approach has resulted in a thoroughly customerfocused new website, leading to large financial savings because of increases in self-service.

These experiences supported Michael Frater’s contention that it would be a focus on people and information that held the potential to deliver local authorities from the impending budgetary crisis, rather than money and assets, the decision-makers’ usual pre-occupations.

Emphasising the magnitude of the financial crisis, which he said had been hugely underplayed by the politicians in the run up to the election, he said there was no question of this being resolved with a few efficiency savings. Guarantees by the political parties on maintenance of spending on health and education, meant cuts would fall more heavily elsewhere, and, combined with other, major challenges impacting local authority activity, like climate change, demographic shifts and raised citizen expectations, the pressures would be intense. It simply

would not be a case of a short period of difficulty followed by ‘business as usual’.

Echoing Steve Palmer, Michael Frater alluded to the opportunities from this crisis for ICT professionals, since almost all the opportunities for doing more with less, be they around Total Place, shared services, systems thinking, or whatever, depended on IT systems delivering people running services with the right access to the right information.

USING NEW TECHNOLOGY The next presentation was delivered over videolink by David Molchany, deputy county executive of Fairfax County in Virginia, USA. Also on the theme of delivering services in a tough financial climate, his presentation focussed on the use of new technologies to engage citizens with the budgetary dilemmas faced by their local authority. This became necessary when a sharp fall in house prices and consequent receipts from property taxes, left the county with a $650m shortfall in its $6bn budget for 2010.

Within a wide-ranging engagement programme, Twitter proved to be the most useful technique and became the predominant form of web 2.0 communication, which also included Facebook, YouTube, podcasts, text messages and moderated discussions, under the ‘Get Fairfax’ brand.

The county’s use of social media was part

of a campaign over 15 years to treat citizens as customers with close attention being paid to customer comments and feedback. The consultation around the budget was successful and there was no public outcry at all when a reduced figure was set. The same techniques are being used to consult on how to bridge a further $250m budget shortfall this year.

OTHER SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS The need to doing things differently when the external environment changes was also a message ICT professionals should bear in mind, said the next speaker, independent consultant Simon Norbury. Taking delegates on a memory trip back to the mainframe era when many delegates started their career, he waltzed through the PC revolution, the dawn of the internet, the age of National Projects and e-government, right up to the present day with its ‘ubiquitous Apps’, mobile and wireless working, Google everything, the Cloud (and G Cloud) and social media. Taking delegates through these features of the current landscape, he emphasised the need to grasp new skills, embrace new technologies, adapt and evolve, and take note of the Socitm Seven Point Plan referred to earlier.

The morning’s final speaker was Marie Snelling, assistant director – Customer Transformation at the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. She took delegates though the pioneering work the council – which by any standards is already a high-performing council – is doing to develop a truly customerfocused approach to service delivery that will also bring about significantly reduced cost.

She described the council’s journey, which started in 2007 with development of a sophisticated customer access strategy informed by a range of techniques then new to local government, including demographic analysis, customer segmentation and customer journey mapping. This led to significant changes to location and presentation of social care and housing services with benefits for customers and savings for the council.

This work is now being developed into a Customer Transformation Programme with an ambitious agenda to deliver over the next three years. The programme is corporately driven and is being managed through four key working groups covering engagement and consultation: lean thinking, channel migration and the corporate workforce.

In the afternoon delegates attended a series of facilitated interactive workshops covering the Government ICT Strategy and delivery management; the Council of the Future, a programme being delivered by Socitm Consulting; the third sector as a delivery agent for local authority services; and delivering better customer experience at lower cost.

Presentation slides from the conference may be seen on the Socitm website at www.socitm.net. Socitm 2010 will take place in Brighton 10-12 October.

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Government Technology | Volume 9.4

www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

COMMUNICATIONS

CONSULTING FOR COMMUNICATIONS John Taylor, leader of the CMA Consultancy Forum, offers guidance on how to work with a telecommunications consultancy WHY SHOULD YOU USE A TELECOMS consultant and how can you get the best value from the consultancy assignment? First, let’s be clear on who we are talking about.

My use of the term ‘consultancy’ means a person or firm that is consulted for their expert advice. They provide professional advice for a fee. They work to a specific brief, and their advice is independent. This is a very important requirement for any purchaser of consultancy services, not least in government procurement. The client must be confident that the consultant is able to give impartial advice, solely in the client’s best interest, and any potential conflict of interest should be declared.

“We supply best-of-breed kit right across the piece, so our consultants can advise you on your best choice.” “We will complete the consultancy assignment and then there will be a big discount if you buy the equipment from us.” These are not consultants by my definition, no more than the various forms of contractor offered by recruitment agencies: “Cisco IP Telephony Consultant required for 3 months.” “Mobile Communications Sales Consultant wanted.”

FOCUS OF SELECTION The local government manager who seeks consultancy advice in telecoms should look for an independent ICT management consultancy. This does not mean just large high-profile practices – there are plenty of small companies or individuals who can deliver a professional service. Regardless of the size of the company, it is individuals who will do the work, and the individual should be the main focus of your selection process.

Even using my narrow definition of a telecoms consultant there are still many varieties in the mix. There are consultants in every telecoms specialism that you can name – unified communications, billing, contact centres, regulation, procurement and so on. Although I am writing from the business user viewpoint there are also many consultancies whose clients are on the supply side of the telecoms industry, requiring different knowledge and skill sets.

Why not do it yourself? You need to answer this question before proceeding.

What are your reasons (there will probably be more than one) for using a consultant?

The answers will inform your brief, aid your search for the right consultant, and help you manage the assignment or consultancy project. The most likely reasons may include some of the following: • Independent Advice – As explained in my opening paragraph • Technical Knowledge – This may be

required in various specialist areas, such as network unified communications, design, cost control or security • Relevant experience – How the knowledge applies to your specific requirements or problems • Strategic view – To recognise the longer term implications of current decisions • Objectivity – Even where expertise resides within the client organisation, an external view can often provide a more balanced assessment • Resources – Maybe it could be done in-house, but not on the desired timetable.

Some other benefits of using a consultant are more obscure. For example, I have several clients for whom I have provided continuity services while the in-house team around me has completely changed.

SELECTION Public sector buyers might make their first port of call Buying Solutions’ website www. buyingsolutions.gov.uk. The ICT Consulting Services Framework contains eight categories, many of which cover different areas of communications. However, finding names in relevant framework agreements should be regarded as the first step in a process where the buyer needs to be just as aware as with any other transaction. The framework suppliers are mostly larger consultancies with higher than average fees, and are often supported by smaller companies operating in sub-contract mode. Again, make sure you meet the consultant(s) who would be doing the work, and that their references relate to their experience.

BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, works to raise awareness of Professionalism in IT – that is, having IT professionals respected alongside other mature professions such as lawyers and accountants, to ensure it is at the top of the industry’s agenda. It has also recently updated its Chartered status as a result of input from businesses, for which it actively canvassed. The Institute has invested heavily in developing a range of consultancy services to support organisations interested in progressing people and processes. CMA, as part of the BCS Group, maintains a register of consultants who subscribe to its Consultancy Code of Practice.

Wherever the search takes you, be sure to obtain evidence of recent satisfied customers and expertise and experience relevant to your requirements. For example, it is not sufficient for a supplier to claim “experience of the NHS” even with a long list of hospital Trust customers.

These might all be for Storage Area Networks in the community sector, while you are looking

at an IP telephony roll-out in an acute hospital.

At the selection stage you will need a written brief for the assignment; your understanding of what is required and by when, objectives and deliverables. This document may change in response to a dialogue with the chosen consultant but will provide a starting point to managing the assignment, sometimes as the basis for a Project Initiation Document. It is important to agree and record in writing any changes to the scope of the assignment or fees.

As the client you must be prepared to make an input to the work of the consultant. Don’t expect to hand over the brief and see it all happen by magic. Managing a consultancy assignment has some differences to managing a contract engineer or an interim manager, but is just as essential. Plan how this will be achieved, whether through a project management methodology or by agreement on a less formal process, and allow adequate time in your diary for the necessary meetings and reporting. Regular monitoring of progress and expenditure should help to avoid any nasty surprises and foil the over-running project.

If you have a good experience with the consultancy you may want to use them again.

The consultant is likely to have arrived at this thought before you! The cost of his or her gaining repeat business is much less than winning a new client and s/he will be well placed to see where you might need more assistance. So this can be mutually beneficial, so long as you agree what needs to be done and can afford to do it. If follow-on work is agreed, be sure to apply proper controls as for the original assignment.

THE TRUE COST The trend to outsourcing, the convergence of data and voice communications and the decline of the traditional telecoms manager role together result in there being less in-house telecoms expertise than ever before. But this is a time when more and more organisations put effective telecommunications at the centre of their strategy – not seen as just a utility, but as a key platform in their service delivery.

Professional ICT and telecoms consultants can bridge the gap and add value. Indeed, the question may not be can you afford to hire a consultant, but perhaps more, can you afford not to?

FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information about BCS Consultancy service, contact Giles Vernon on 01793 417732.

For details of CMA Registered Consultants, contact John Taylor on 0118 942 9099.

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www.governmenttechnology.co.uk

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