Council’s ICT Services performance praised.

Members of The Highland Council’s Resources Committee have praised key achievements made by the Council’s ICT Services Team and providers Fujitsu and Vodafone in the delivery of new information and communications technology requirements for the Council.

Chair of the Council’s Resources Committee, Councillor Maxine Smith welcomed the achievements, she said: “I would like to commend our ICT staff and contractors for the budget savings and great achievements that are being made as the Council’s ICT systems are being modernised.”

During the six month period from September 2013 to February 2014, some of the key achievements of the Counci’ls ICT Services included:

• Establishing an ICT-re-provision team of dedicated finance, legal and human resources staff; and
• completion of an ICT Communications and Consultation Plan and Learning Action Plan; training workshops for council staff and a survey of teachers to establish their views and needs on ICT.

Members were also informed that the Council was awarded a security compliance certificate for connection to the Public Services Network (PSN) in December 2013. Works are progressing on the second phase of the PSN security project to have the council’s compliance re-assessed on 30 April 2015. Remote working – out of office locations – is now possible for around 1,000 council computer users in a secure PSN compliant way.

A unified communications project integrating real-time communication services with non-real-time communication services1 is working well in a shared service agreement project with Argyll and Bute Council. The Highland Council plans to install  unified communications into County Buildings, Ross House and Fodderty Way offices in Dingwall by summer 2014 with a roll-out to other council office rationalisation project locations in late Autumn 2014.

As part of the Fujitsu Services contract with the Council a Community Benefits Programme details 42 projects that will benefit communities through direct and indirect support such as finance and sponsorship, apprenticeships, training and workshops among other support from Fujitsu. Thirty nine of the projects are either completed or on target for completion.

Commenting on some of the ICT achievements Leader of The Highland Council, Councillor Drew Hendry said: “I am delighted to hear that the Fujitsu Services Community Benefits projects are all on track. The Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) project roll out has also been very smooth. The Highland Council is at the leading edge in Scottish local authorities with this project, and along with superfast broadband our ICT developments it will radically change the way in which the Council progresses its business.”

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