Camden council cashes in on IT overhaul
Kable
Published: 04 Sep 2007 15:44 BST
The London Borough of Camden has claimed significant savings from an IT transformation programme
It has saved £600,000 in the first year and expects to recover over £1m per year from 2007-08, according to a statement released on 3 September, 2007.
The reorganisation, on which the council worked with Socitm Consulting, involved the merger of three service desks and the consolidation of six technology teams into a single service. A new commercial services function has been created to provide leadership on IT procurement across the council, and a strategic programme and change management office is undertaking the implementation of an IT infrastructure library (ITIL) and the dissemination of best practice for project management.
Other changes underway include server rationalisation, a migration to a storage area network, network improvement plans and the introduction of desktop management tools.
Camden is now aiming to take £8-10m out of IT operating costs over the next five years.
Socitm Consulting's consulting manager Doug Maclean commented: "Camden's re-engineering of its ICT service is a model for other local authorities. The programme has focused on delivering a timely, clear and workable remit for the services of the new corporate ICT function so staff could hit the ground running.
"Close co-ordination with finance ensured that costs were controlled without compromising the delivery of operational services. Longer term, the vision is for Camden's corporate ICT to be an enabling, transformative service."
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