Technology in KCC Briefing: In Partnership with our Business Strategic direction and current status. Date: Update September 2007

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1 Technology in KCC Briefing: In Partnership with our Business Strategic direction and current status Date: Update September 2007 Version 1.3 Page 1 of 42

2 1 Executive summary 1. Introduction 2. Technology offers the potential to significantly enhance public value and democracy, support the formation and function of neighbourhoods, enable new, flexible ways of working and accessing services, to enable KCC to contribute to the green agenda and to revolutionise education and learning. 3. As we move forward maximising the opportunities offered by effective innovative technology, whilst reducing the associated cost and risk, will become increasingly important. 4. The Strategy 5. There are four layers to our IT Strategy, these layers address our responsibilities to the different elements of the councils responsibilities as a public authority, and are supported by the new structures now in place to govern our ICT. Development of ICT strategy is directly informed by the objectives of the Council and the approach to ICT is an integral part of the Council s strategy for the delivery of the Vision for Kent and Towards The use of technology to directly benefit and enhance the communities served by the council is now reflected in the medium term planning process and has been embedded as part of the ICT strategy and targets. Examples include the broadband partnership which has focussed on SME enablement, and the continuing development of e-enabled services, including web jams and web casts, which seek to further democratic engagement. 7. The second of the layers within the implementation strategy considers the how ICT might best be aggregated across public services to the benefit of all. Opportunities for shared services, and particularly partnerships, form an important part of our IS strategy. This approach can support Kent s recent agreement to work together to use enhanced two tier working. It is already agreed that the most effective solution for IS in these circumstances is likely to be the implementation of shared support services across elements, or all, of Kent Public Service including the NHS, discrete from the political or service structures. 8. The third layer of implementation responds directly to KCC s requirement to support the agenda for service transformation within KCC, ensuring that our ICT infrastructure and strategy supports the strategies of our various businesses. Examples of this might be the technical development support required for mobile working or to build collaborative partnerships. 9. The final layer addresses the objective of Business Development to deliver economically viable ICT services to public sector organisations. This is underpinned by our determination to deliver transparency of the total cost of ownership of IT systems, and the means to measure these costs against industry benchmarks. 10. The Outcomes 11. Consolidated ICT and IS strategies developed and reported over the last 3 years have gained wide support throughout the organisation. These have enabled us to progress towards outcomes which support our business colleagues and our Version 1.3 Page 2 of 42

3 communities, whilst remaining agile enough to benefit from many of the latest technological advances. The principles behind our strategy remain valid; enable business flexibility and drive up the benefits derived from investment in ICT while reducing cost and risk. 12. Much progress has been made over the past year to support this position. Our Enterprise Architecture is being constantly developed to reflect the changing needs of our business and communities, and will be underpinned over the next year with practical and grounded processes to ensure that day to day decisions at all levels within ISG are aligned with the strategy. 13. The broadband infrastructure across Kent is now complete. This provides significant economic development potential and may help to lessen the East Kent West Kent divide. 14. The ICT governance framework is now embedded and working well to provide the opportunity for IS experts to disseminate knowledge about how technology can add value and provide new ways for the business to deliver their objectives, whilst leaving the direction of ICT firmly in the hands of the business. 15. Towards 2010 (ICT Strategy published in 2005) first stressed that the principal challenges that KCC and Kent face in respect of technology may not be purely technical in nature. Our governance structure is very much part of the evolution of the organisation required to closely link the IS and business elements of the transformation agenda. 16. Consideration of how ICT within KCC can directly benefit the community that we serve is now embedded in our medium term planning. Facilities have been purchased to make many of our back office capabilities such as web casting, and collaborative web based technologies, accessible by community groups, and the opportunities to use these solutions continues to be exploited by our business. 17. Opportunities for shared services, and particularly partnerships, form an important part of our IS strategy. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which ICT might be aggregated across public service to the benefit of all. This approach can underpin Kent s agreement to work together to use enhanced two tier working as the option for implementing shared services. 18. In addition partnerships based on common technologies are being advanced, with a group of 11 leading authorities who share an investment in Microsoft technologies working to identify mutually beneficial projects which take our develop once, use many strategy to a new level. 19. It is important that this principle of re-use is reflected within and across KCC. This will be supported by the governance process and will deliver reduced IS, business and staff costs, whilst delivering better support, both within the businesses and from ISG. 20. Attention is also paid to opportunities for shared services, and income generation through business development. 21. Joined up working both within KCC and across the local government in Kent and beyond to the wider Public Sector is agreed to be the most cost effective and lowest risk option for our local government structure in the future. This will require the alignment of ICT strategies, in the first instance to meet the data and information requirement of the new Children s and Adult s directorates, and to meet our obligations within the Whole systems demonstrator programme for Version 1.3 Page 3 of 42

4 Telecare and Telehealth, but as the transformation programme continues it is reasonable to expect that there will be many more examples of this way of working in the future. 22. The need to support our business in those areas that they identify as most critical is the main thrust of the governance process. With Swift phase 1 complete, and TRP continuing to roll out, attention has turned to the benefits that can be derived from mobile and home working in its various forms, and the new business processes and technologies that will be needed to support this. 23. To this end several pilots of mobile working technology, including document management, are underway, and supporting technologies such as document and content management systems and various collaboration tools are being considered. This will represent a major change to the way we work and engage with our citizens, enabling our front line officers to spend more time with our clients, and will also make a big contribution to the green agenda. 24. Throughout the implementation of these and the other major projects and programmes it is important to remember the need to break technology projects down into small, manageable chunks. The large, multi-million pound, three-year projects that often fail to fully deliver (and have been a notable feature of much central government activity) need to be replaced with very much more focussed, short projects that continuously provide new capability. There are a number of benefits to this approach but the most obvious is that systems can continuously evolve businesses can build a system once, use it and then make it better. 25. ISG is evolving to help KCC address the challenge. Through support of innovation activity, partnership with leading ICT suppliers such as Microsoft and IBM as well as participation in acknowledged public sector best practice partnerships. 26. There is significant activity in ICT underway, both in support services and in the service delivery directorates. 27. Anite Swift was implemented in late 2006, and phase 2 has been scoped to include some finance elements not delivered in phase 1. Analysis is underway to identify how the combination of Swift, Microsoft software and hardware from IBM can be combined to provide a platform for transformation. 28. Work to procure a single Public Service Network for Kent is now well advanced. Work is also underway to expand the capacities of the existing environments. SHQ LAN refresh is now largely complete, bringing increased performance to the desktop and the ability to service additional users. Increased network capacity and speed has also been provided to many of our smaller sites to support TRP and Swift rollouts. This provides the opportunity to introduce technologies such as WiFi and other wireless solutions. Meeting rooms across SHQ are now wireless enabled and other major sites will be addressed in the coming months. Access to Kent (A2K) provides an opportunity for staff to access their desktop via the internet from home, or from public hot spots, and this has proved very popular. These changes provide better support for remote working, as well as facilitating more media rich services such as video conferencing. 29. These and other activities are defined in detail in section 6, and define a programme which will see KCC and the wider public sector within Kent embrace technology and innovate new services, provide better access and more local, personal engagement with citizens. Version 1.3 Page 4 of 42

5 30. The level of change will be significant, requiring business and technology managers to work closely together within the new governance structures. Shared understanding of the opportunities presented by new technologies must be a matter of course, and this must be included in the business planning process 31. The business must lead but technology must not be an afterthought. Working together the benefits can be harnessed whilst the costs and risk are minimised. 32. Increased public value will result. Version 1.3 Page 5 of 42

6 Technology in KCC Briefing: Strategic direction and current status Contents 1 Executive summary 2 2 Introduction Purpose and structure Document Scope and Readership References and Further Information 10 3 In Partnership with our Business - a framework for delivery The Route Map Strategic ICT Framework Governance Community Involvement Partnership and Shared Services Service Strategy Business Development 21 4 Towards 2010 How does all this support our primary objectives? Direction of travel Realise the opportunities core strategic requirements Innovation in services, service delivery and new ways of working Capability development Driving public value Partnership working, service delivery and accessibility Neighbourhood and Community development and engagement 26 5 A watershed in ICT the immediate, two year horizon Introduction Consolidate ICT around a resilient, integrated and adaptive infrastructure Enable service delivery to automate processes Make better use of 3 rd party providers to reduce risk Develop and securely deploy KCC capability as web services New Communication Channels WEBCASTING IPTV WEB JAMMING BLOGS Response to the Climate Change Challenge 29 Version 1.3 Page 6 of 42

7 6 Current Investment Activity Service Directorate Activity ENVIRONMENT & REGENERATION CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND EDUCATION ADULT SERVICES COMMUNITIES Chief Executive s Directorate FINANCE PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPMENT PROPERTY BUSINESS SOLUTION AND POLICY 33 7 Existing use of technology Overview NETWORKS INFRASTRUCTURE APPLICATIONS E-ENABLEMENT BENCHMARKS 37 Appendix A 39 SERVICES MODEL 39 Appendix B 41 Capability development model 41 Appendix C 41 Appendix C 42 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY MODEL 42 Version 1.3 Page 7 of 42

8 2 Introduction 33. The increasing importance of technology KCC are part way through the implementation of a challenging programme that will substantially change the way in which services are delivered, the nature of democratic engagement and the way our staff work. 34. Effective, agile and innovative use of technology and the reduction of cost and risk associated with that use are fundamental to the entire modernisation agenda and will become increasingly important. 35. Involving neighbourhoods and communities, for example, will give citizens and communities a voice that helps to ensure that services are meeting needs. Technology can open up new channels of involvement and help to make sense of, balance and respond to the many, conflicting priorities that will flow into KCC as community involvement develops. Examples of these technologies would include our many web enabled services as well as more innovative technologies like web casts, blogs and web jams 36. Making services personal and accessible is a priority. Technology cannot replace communication between two people who know and understand each other. But it can allow us to focus this valuable form of communication and service delivery where it is most needed. Using the most appropriate channel (face-to-face, telephone, web site) to deliver a specific service to a specific customer will reduce cost and improve citizen choice. 37. Mobile working can liberate staff, free up line managers and divert resources from back-office administration to front line service delivery. Technology will enable that mobile working and also help to build the partnerships with other service providers that will be increasingly important as we move forward, and forms an important strand of our strategy to support the businesses. 38. As the need for joined up services becomes more apparent, both internally to KCC and across the public sector, we must ensure that we engage with other public sector bodies to develop joint strategies for data sharing and to share best practise and expertise. 39. Recent concerns about climate change have reached the top of our agenda and it is important that ISG make their contribution to helping KCC improve its carbon footprint, and to adjust to the now inevitable consequences of global warming. 40. These are very significant changes which KCC and Kent public services as a whole will need to understand and embrace. 41. Meeting the strategic challenge The challenge is to find a way to work very flexibly with technology to deliver the modernisation agenda. Technology moves so fast that rigid structures and processes are soon left behind and yet ensure a level of coherence, cost control and risk management. The principles outlined in A Watershed in ICT and the annual status reports; Towards 2010 and Supporting Transformation which followed, provide the framework to address the challenge, and this document builds on their success. Version 1.3 Page 8 of 42

9 42. We are engaging with our strategic suppliers to ensure that we maximise the benefit of these relationships by utilising the specialist skills and experience that these large organisations can lend. 43. The sections that follow review the direction of travel offered by Towards 2010, highlight key issues relating to the application of technology and stress that these are not all purely technical in nature, the evolution of the organisation is also required. The document also reviews the near-term priorities necessary to reduce cost and risk and then consolidates the strategic principles and provides the route map for delivery. 44. Our transformational government challenge demands a level of change which will be significant, requiring business and technology managers to work more closely together than might currently be the case. The business must lead but technology should not be an afterthought understanding of opportunity must now feature much more strongly in the business planning process. 45. Current developments There is significant activity in ICT within KCC, both in support services and in the service delivery directorates and a number of initiatives are in progress to provide KCC with the technology platforms required. 46. The Technology Refresh Programme (TRP) is delivering a significant improvement in desktop technology, back-end server infrastructure and service levels while substantially reducing the refresh costs and risk to the authority (as compared with the current provisioning mechanism) and ensuring continuous evolution as well as improving our carbon footprint. 47. The other key element of infrastructure Network Capacity is also being updated as a priority. Work to consolidate networks through the development of replacement Public Service Network is now advanced, and we must continue with interim upgrades of the networks which we will continue to utilise until The service directorates are also pushing forward with technology. New systems are in place to support services for adults and children, new technology will transform the nature of learning, and new systems in Highways will build productive partnerships. In addition all of our Directorates are showing keen interest in how mobile working and content management can bring them advantages. 49. All these investments fall within a much broader programme which will see KCC and the wider public sector within Kent embrace technology and innovate new services, provide better access and more local, personal engagement with citizens. 50. Driving public value through innovation Our ability to innovate with technology to understand how to apply technology to drive up public value, enhance democratic engagement and make services more accessible and relevant - is the foundation on which the programme will be built. 51. Technical knowledge and understanding to feed into service innovation will spread throughout the organisation and be matched with an ability to implement technology quickly and flexibly but in a way that reduces costs and risks. 52. In delivering this vision for technology in KCC, the modernisation agenda will be fully supported and new opportunities presented. Version 1.3 Page 9 of 42

10 53. KCC and Kent as a whole will be better placed to deliver good quality services that improve the quality of life for citizens and help them to reach their full potential. 54. Increased public value will result. 2.1 Purpose and structure 55. The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of: The current strategic direction being followed to ensure that the business has the necessary ICT in place to achieve its business plans. The current status of a range of significant ICT and IS projects and programmes and their alignment with the strategic direction The current utilisation of technology within KCC. 56. This document will describe the broader programme: the 5 year big picture, as described in the Towards 2010 approach; and the more immediate horizon, as described the Watershed in ICT strategy. 57. As with any strategy document this is just a snapshot. Significant elements of the strategy will continue to evolve. Programmes within the business units in Highways and Children s Services will have a very major impact on systems requirements as will the development of our new network (KPSN) and our partnerships across the public sector. 2.2 Document Scope and Readership 58. This document is designed for the readership of Managing Directors, Directors and Cabinet members. This document does not explore the organisational, service delivery or political landscape. Readers do not require detailed technical knowledge to read or understand this document. Technical detail is available on request. 2.3 References and Further Information 59. This document refers out to: KCC Information and Communication Technology 3-Year strategic priorities and Plan: A Watershed in ICT: From silo applications to consolidated, on-demand services version /11/04. (KCC Strategy and Architecture team). KCC Strategic Direction and Current Status 2005 Towards 2010: Agile services that support innovation version /05/05. (KCC Strategy and Architecture team). KCC Strategic Direction and Current Status 2006 Supporting Transformation: Technology to underpin service improvement version /05/06. (KCC Strategy and Architecture team). Version 1.3 Page 10 of 42

11 Documents available on KNet; For further information, please contact: Peter Bole Head of ICT - Commissioning, KCC [email protected] In Partnership with our Business - a framework for delivery 3.1 The Route Map 60. The key principles required to underpin transformation and so empower our business to achieve their business plans, are identified within the ICT strategies that have been articulated in previous documents. Consolidation of these principles will guide and provide a framework for technology, systems and infrastructure implementation that will help realise the Vision for Kent. 61. It is important that these principles are allowed to grow and develop, whilst avoiding the sudden changes in direction that derail the resilience and stability of the existing products and systems. 62. The ICT strategy, policy and framework must all align with the policies that guide our business toward achieving the vision set out in KCC s Towards It is important that our framework remains flexible enough to accommodate changes in these emerging policies as they are developed to support and deliver to KCC and Government direction. 63. In Partnership with our Business underlines a change in emphasis which enables and facilitates the business s understanding of the technologies available and encourages them to integrate ICT solutions into their business plans. We also aim to embed the route map further into our ICT activity by developing the ways in which strategy directs our day to day decisions at the grass roots of the department. 64. The impact of this is reflected in 6 key areas: Strategic ICT Framework - a business wide understanding of the advantages that technology can bring to the delivery of services to KCC, it s staff, partners and citizens. Governance a process to ensure that ICT strategies are applied consistently whilst enabling the business to drive innovation and quality. Community Involvement the element of the ICT strategy that enables technology to directly benefit and enhance communication and democratic engagement with the community. Partnership and Shared Service the part of the ICT strategy which considers how the best ICT might be aggregated across public services to the benefit of all. Service Strategy relates to the infrastructure changes necessary to support KCC s requirements in both the immediate future and the longer term. Version 1.3 Page 11 of 42

12 Business Development looks at the wider issues of delivering economically viable ICT services to public sector organisations, through aggregation of demand. 65. The sections below outline these areas in more detail. The initial two areas concentrate on the inter-relationships between ICT and KCC s Business Plans. The remaining four identify the main areas of implementation strategy and outline key projects, many of which were raised as key technologies within the earlier strategy documents referenced in this report. 3.2 Strategic ICT Framework 66. Description 67. Deriving benefit from technology is dependent on a basic knowledge and understanding of the advantages that those technologies can bring to the delivery of services to KCC, its staff and the citizens that we serve. It is therefore vital that those within IS who understand the benefits are able to pass this knowledge to those within the business who continually look for ways to deliver their business objectives. 68. However getting value from investments in IS remains dependent on managing the balance between that freedom to innovate and the subsequent exploitation of that innovation. Multiple initiatives all aimed at resolving the same issue will not deliver the required outcome. 69. By IS and business managers jointly defining and owning a strategy for IS, a plan is provided for the agreed direction of travel. This will ensure that the efficiencies and savings are banked, whilst the opportunities for shortcuts (innovations) are not missed, and the ability to refine the plan in transit is retained. This is dealt with in section 3.3 Governance. 70. Strategic Principles for the ICT Framework 71. The following principles have already been endorsed and form our baseline. 72. Resilient, adaptive and integrated architecture. Keep simple, stick with core technologies. ICT solutions developed in support of business requirements and based on reusable common services. Develop once use many. Implement automated and integrated processes across unit, directorate and organisational boundaries. Develop secure web based services. Improve relationships and outcomes through partnership with third party providers. Develop our enterprise architecture to enhance the links between business requirements to ICT initiatives. Version 1.3 Page 12 of 42

13 Innovate to deliver both efficiency and service development. Invest in sustainable technologies with future potential. Agile ICT infrastructures to support new technologies and the innovation agenda. Continuous evolution of KCC to re-orientate the way in which the organisation approaches the technology. Scalable solutions across public service. Harness public sector purchasing power to support private sector investment in community infrastructure. Disburse best practice, identified from both internal and external sources, across the enterprise to support new business practices. Continue to embed and empower the governance framework Collaborate with other public and private bodies and organisations to ensure that our best practise remains in sync with others. This will facilitate joint working and enable us to draw from others knowledge and experience, as well as contributing our own. 73. For benefits to be maximised everyone within the council should be following the same plan. The plan itself can be altered; in fact it is essential that it should reflect changing objectives. It is important that this is agreed and communicated to ensure that the entire organisation can benefit from proven best practice and innovation. 74. A key aspect of maintaining the principles is the Enterprise Architecture which has been developed to maintain the ICT strategy in line with KCC s vision, objectives and business strategies and to ensure that these are reflected in ICT deliverables. 75. On a practical note, the enterprise architecture will this year be underpinned with a product strategy to define the product used and reused in similar sets of circumstances. To keep pace with changing technologies there must be a robust change control process. To prevent the structure becoming an overhead, all elements of the strategy should be owned and informed by those with the most knowledge of the area, both within ISG and across the business, and reviewed only when business need, or significant market change dictates. The KCC Enterprise architecture model is defined in the following diagram: Version 1.3 Page 13 of 42

14 Architecture Target Future State Business Information Applications Infrastructure New Services System Renewal Innovation Enterprise Architecture Framework For Continuous Improvement Develop Common Requirements Vision Environmental and Technical Trend Analysis Strategic Objectives Enterprise Architecture Principles Business Drivers Business Strategies Business Information Requirements Produce Enterprise Wide Technical Architecture Conceptual Architecture Domain Architectures Requirements For Technical Architecture Business Information Applications Evaluate and Apply Architecture Infrastructure Implementation Projects Alignment of Business Strategy and Technology Architecture Current State Version 1.3 Page 14 of 42

15 3.3 Governance 76. Applied consistently the ICT strategies developed over the past two years will provide the building blocks for transformation. For the vision to be realised, the ICT infrastructure must be sufficiently agile to support the innovation that will drive business change but sufficiently rigid in using the design once, apply many application of proven technologies and best practice to ensure that benefits are realised. 77. The strategies outlined will continue to evolve to reflect change in both business objectives and technology. However key principles must be designed to support service activity over the medium to long term and to incorporate a framework for sustainable funding. 78. Structures for governance and control are vital. These are focussed on the responsibility of the ICT Board, chaired by the Chief Executive Officer, for the direction and delivery of ICT services. 79. The relationship between corporate and service strategy as applied to ICT remains a critical consideration. Service directorates must remain the drivers for innovation and quality through the application of technology. Corporately, leadership and vision are required to set the direction and ensure that the entire enterprise can benefit from service innovation and re-use. 80. The relationships are defined in the diagram below. Version 1.3 Page 15 of 42

16 Collective Business Opportunity Strategy Governance Technology Availability Information Technology Strategy INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY BOARD Service Opportunity Business Strategy Enterprise Architecture Approvals Compliance Approvals Compliance Delivery DIRECTORATE BOARD s Information Information Architecture Architecture Technical Architecture Architecture Infrastructure Architecture Unit Structure Structure Proposals Approvals Service Development Specific Requirements Operating Model/Structure SERVICE PROVISION Resources Governance Design Design Common: Technical Common Requirements Infrastructure Architecture Standards Unit Planning Design Services Processes Applications Infrastructure Resources Project focus Service focus Enterprise wide focus Version 1.3 Page 16 of 42

17 3.4 Community Involvement 81. Description 82. The use of technology to directly benefit and enhance the communities served by the council is now reflected in the medium term planning process and has been embedded as part of the ICT strategy and targets. 83. Key activities in support of this objective are highlighted in the remainder of this section. 84. Actions and Approach 85. Empowering the community by evolving from services available through electronic channels to full self service. Reuse of common software components introduced through e-government programme. Work to review the implementation of the egov components, ensuring that they are now fully embedded in business practise and facilitating any changes that the business may now request is underway. 86. KCC is taking a leading role in e-kent the new broadband partnership focussing on SME enablement (with KMEB, BT, SEEDA, FSB, Locate in Kent etc.). ISG providing technical support and availability data. 87. Parish Web Services delivered via EIS and to be expanded to voluntary agencies across Kent. This built on our principle of seeking to expand and make community use of what have previously been back office capabilities, like development of web casting, digi TV and IPTV facilities and collaborative web technologies, accessible by community groups 88. Broadband enablement focussing on not-spots, and increasing broadband capacity where already available. 89. Bringing competition to more exchanges. The market would ordinarily only target exchanges supporting more than 10,000 properties. By using the authority s purchasing power we can influence and establish markets that would otherwise be un-addressed. 90. Kent Public Sector Backbone planning to lever infrastructure investment for wider community benefit. This builds on the work undertaken to support broadband in Kent. The challenge moves from availability to capacity. If industrial and commercial regeneration are to be supported, ICT infrastructure will demand as much attention as the county s traditional infrastructure such as highways. 91. Investing in the development of public wireless hotspots. 92. Exploring opportunities with Microsoft and partner authorities to change the face of assistive technologies within the community, stimulating change in the construction and manufacturing sectors and working to ensure that the future of smart home technology embraces the requirements of social care. This initiative is derived entirely from the service based innovations of Telecare and Telehealth, and is the subject of a very active Shared Learning Group with other leading authorities and Microsoft. Version 1.3 Page 17 of 42

18 93. Trialling web based collaborative technologies such as blogs, chat rooms and web jams to enhance collaboration with our citizens. Version 1.3 Page 18 of 42

19 3.5 Partnership and Shared Services 94. Description 95. The increasing importance of technology The second of the layers within the implementation strategy considers the how ICT might best be aggregated across public services to the benefit of all. Opportunities for shared services, and particularly partnerships, form an important part of our IS strategy. This approach can support Kent s recent agreement to work together to use enhanced two tier working. It is already agreed that the most effective solution for IS in these circumstances is likely to be the implementation of shared support services across elements, or all, of Kent Public Service including the NHS, discrete from the political or service structures. 96. ISG has been proactive in the support of partnership working over many years. Renewed emphasis has been placed on this, and particularly on Kent Connects which already delivers a number of services to multiple authorities. 97. In addition partnerships based on common technology are also being progressed. A group of ten leading authorities are members of the Shared Learning Group, based on their shared investment in Microsoft products. The group has identified a number of workstreams of interest to all partners, and has nominated lead authorities from whom the others can identify best practice and replicate technical designs. Kent is an active member of four, and leads on one of the six, currently active workstreams. These partnerships have now moved on to identify exciting mutually beneficial projects which take our develop once, use many strategy to a new and exciting level. 98. Actions and Approach 99. The partnership strategy is reflected in the following projects and initiatives Kent Connects now shares our corporate internet pipe, and over half of the Kent District Councils have now been migrated onto the shared internet service. Other partners will be migrated as and when their existing contract end. This is a precursor to Kent Public Service Network A pilot scheme is operating in the Shepway area where Kent Police use the KCN network to transmit data from the new CCTV cameras. These are being implemented as part of the programme to introduce proactive monitoring of car registrations, making common use of network capacity and combined purchasing power The joint technical approach to 101 being developed with Kent Police has been put on hold whilst Central Government considers the future of phase 2 of the programme A common disaster recovery approach is making use of contracts put in place by the Kent Connects Partnership to provide an alternative ICT disaster recovery solution for mid range line of business systems Expanding Web Casting to provide a service to all Kent Public Sector Agencies. This is also seen as a potential commercial initiative. Version 1.3 Page 19 of 42

20 105. The Kent Public Service Network is being developed as common infrastructure resource for all public services. Procurement is now well advanced, and the project board includes a senior user representing Kent Connects. All partners have been included in the requirements capture. Canterbury City Council and Thanet District Council have indicated a desire to join the network immediately and other partners will decide shortly Technology refresh introduced a new and innovative approach to sustaining technology. The issues the programme was designed to address are common to many public services. The capabilities to extend the scope of the contract are being used to offer access to the solution to other public sector bodies Mandatory assessment of options for shared delivery at the point of renewal of systems across all Kent Connects Partners has been implemented The implementation of Microsoft Sharepoint 2007 is underway to provide an ongoing strategic solution for collaborative working both within KCC and across the Kent Partnership. 3.6 Service Strategy 109. Description 110. The third layer of implementation responds directly to KCC s requirements both in the immediate future and to support the agenda for transformation moving forward. The following items are all key projects or initiatives for the current year Actions and Approach 112. Moves to integrate networks Highways are now using KCN2 (school network) to backhaul traffic monitoring data from new West Malling bypass rather than retrofit fibre / use expensive leased lines; Adult Education are also using the network from Canterbury. We are now looking at further opportunities to re use this facility SHQ LAN refresh a major upgrade programme is almost complete providing greater resilience within the SHQ campus for the contact centre and the ISG service desk; improved performance at desktops; and the ability to grow the number of supported devices by up to 50%. The new LAN is also capable of supporting the mobile working initiative, including video conferencing and web casting The Technology Refresh Programme (TRP) is delivering a significant improvement in desktop technology, back-end server infrastructure and service levels while substantially reducing the refresh costs and risk to the authority (as compared with the current provisioning mechanism). The strategy is to link technology renewal to the business planning cycle to achieve continuous business development Introduction of collaborative environments. Current versions of software in use within the council are aimed at individual productivity. The next stage is to look at the deployment of tools that target efficiencies at team and unit level. To this end it is intended to introduce Microsoft s Sharepoint 7 for team collaboration, and to consider the implementation of the new operating system Vista and MS Office 2007 within the financial year 2007/8. Version 1.3 Page 20 of 42

21 116. Proposal of ICT strategies to support each directorate in the implementation of its business plans, whilst leaving control of investment and strategic direction in the hands of the cross directorate ICT Operations group Delivery of phase 2 of the Systems Renewals Project. The scope includes reporting functionality excluded from Phase Pilot the replacement of current printing infrastructure with on demand service. The target is to update, rationalise and reduce cost Facilitate remote and home working capability to reduce property pressures, reduce costs and increase productivity by establishing secure remote access to networks and systems Review the priorities for infrastructure renewal to support the transformation agenda, in partnership with our strategic suppliers Consolidate and build on strategic partnerships: o o o o o o Oracle Back Office Software IMB Hardware BT Networks Siemens Voice Microsoft Middleware, Desktop and Exchange Software. Anite, Arete, Capita etc. Line of business solutions Continuous improvement of the Intranet to meet the requirements of the business. 3.7 Business Development 123. Description 124. The objective of Business Development is to deliver economically viable ICT services to public sector organisations The aim is to create efficiency through aggregation of public sector demand, establishing a capability for continuous improvement in ICT services delivered through ISG, by the application of best practise models and standards Actions and Approach 127. Improve transparency of the total cost of ownership of ICT services to enable improved business decision making Improve operational efficiency by using: The Governance model to set overall direction Version 1.3 Page 21 of 42

22 Industry benchmarks to measure Service Delivery functions. More partnership working with commercial and public sector partners The further development of commercial capability, including using EIS (Education Information Services) as a commercial arm of ISG Service targets and costs to be aimed at best performance, as measured by upper quartile benchmarks Improved supplier management through partnership agreements and strong management controls. Version 1.3 Page 22 of 42

23 4 Towards 2010 How does all this support our primary objectives? 4.1 Direction of travel 132. The core aim and ambition of KCC is to ensure that there are good quality public services in Kent which improve the quality of life for citizens and help them to reach their full potential. These objectives are clearly defined in the Vision for Kent published in April An organisational environment that is agile, adaptive and responsive to individual needs is essential if that ambition is to be fully realised The role of technology is to support these organisational goals to open up new ways of delivering services, new ways of interacting with citizens and new ways of working so that the right environment can be developed, maintained and evolved. 4.2 Realise the opportunities core strategic requirements 135. New technologies are likely to continue to emerge at an ever-increasing rate. Any strategy that simply defined key technologies and their application would be out of date before it was printed. There is also significant change in the political and service delivery landscape Our strategy must recognise that level of change and build the capability to innovate and cope with change. The backdrop should be an understanding of the core areas where technology will have a substantial impact, and to promote innovation in those areas. This approach is being developed within the Towards 2010 strategic thinking There are currently strong pockets of innovation in all directorates, as witnessed by the telehealth and telecare projects. Our challenge is to promote that level of technical innovation throughout the organisation and provide the infrastructure and services to support it The Towards 2010 strategy defines 6 basic areas on which ISG must focus: Innovation in services, service delivery and new ways of working Capability development Driving Public value Democratic engagement Partnership working and service delivery and accessibility Neighbourhood and Community development and engagement 139. The first two areas define an approach to improving our ability to innovate. The remainder relate to areas where technology will have a substantial impact. Version 1.3 Page 23 of 42

24 4.3 Innovation in services, service delivery and new ways of working 140. ISG has developed an approach to technology that is centred on innovation and on smarter ways of implementing and providing technology The objective is to encourage innovation by addressing education, cost and risk barriers to innovation in services, service delivery and new ways of working Appendix A shows the service model that we are working to. In simple terms we will ensure: business knowledge and involvement through our governance structures and account management function, innovation through our innovations team and ICT strategies, intelligent provision through specialist and informed ICT procurement and appropriate charging policies. 4.4 Capability development 143. This service model will enable and encourage innovation One key function described within that model is Intelligent provision. Intelligent provision centres on the provision of commodity services such as connectivity (networks) or processing power from the most appropriate source, be it internal, provided by a public service partner, or a third party provider on an on-demand basis, cutting costs and risk Intelligent provision should also mean that KCC, wherever possible, implements capability once but uses it many times ISG is developing an enterprise architecture and product strategy that will deliver software re-use, and faster, more predictable implementation. The enterprise architecture will also enable systems to be implemented in small chunks, reducing risk and making it easier for the business to understand and shape requirements The Capability Service model is shown in Appendix B. The model describes how our enterprise architecture, supported by the new product strategy will facilitate the delivery of a service charging model. This will deliver predictable delivery and costs, supported by corporate investment in our infrastructure to meet our growing demands, sanctioned by our ICT Board. This model can lead directly to better more efficient service delivery, and must be shaped by service development. Version 1.3 Page 24 of 42

25 4.5 Driving public value 148. Public value defines the total, combined benefit of a service to a community, neighbourhood or individual and the efficiency with which the service is delivered Unlocking public value requires an understanding of not just immediate benefit but also additional, consequential benefit. There are many instances where services delivered by one public sector agency or authority can enable another to change what they do reducing cost or offering other, new services This goes beyond partnership working which is focused on service delivery. A focus on true public value requires that all public sector and other agencies in Kent interact to shape a portfolio of services and the supporting organisations. This would be challenging in a stable environment. The social and economic conditions in Kent are such that communities are dynamically evolving on a continuous basis, with overlapping and sometimes conflicting priorities These ambitions will be underpinned by our re-use strategies, our requirement for solutions to be scaleable across public service and of course our ambitions to use public sector purchasing power to encourage private sector investment in community infrastructure. 4.6 Partnership working, service delivery and accessibility 152. Enabling a citizen to access all relevant public services through common access channels is a general, public service objective that raises numerous political, business and technical challenges but is of significant public value. An initial focus on the technical problems may also be of value in overcoming political barriers A mobile officer should also expect to be able to interact with the access hub and this will form part of the developing mobile ICT strategy True partnership working means much more than sharing information. Each organisation and professional within each organisation must understand the role they play in the delivery of service. As we move towards increasingly electronic delivery of services, there is a risk that voluntary organisations could be excluded due to cost and skills. There is also a risk that dependencies are not being fully understood which would mean that service failures at any point in the chain may not be immediately visible to partner agencies Understanding the full picture of business processes both within KCC and across our partner organisations is a huge task, but one which must be addressed in order to meet this goal. To avoid a large investment in an unmanageable process map we will keep our map simple and high level, building detail only when required for business change projects or as requested by the business to improve efficiency. The value will be in the ability to store and retrieve the detail for re-use when the need arises and in the growing knowledge store which will be formed Duplication of core back office functions and infrastructure remains an issue in Kent. Reducing such duplication will reduce the cost of public services in Kent, and can also, in a subtle way, smooth some political challenges. Avoiding duplication also permits use of the resource by other agencies and partners. Version 1.3 Page 25 of 42

26 157. We will use our strategic partnerships with suppliers to help review and improve our position as the infrastructure needs to be renewed and we will implement policies and practises to avoid the unintentional introduction of new duplication We will use opportunities such as the Microsoft Shared Learning Group and the Kent Connects partnership, and we will ensure that we stay in touch with central and local government ICT initiatives via SOCITM (society for public sector IT managers) and SIAG (SOCITM s Information Age Government Group). 4.7 Neighbourhood and Community development and engagement 159. Strong communities are key to successful economic development and vital assets which too often remain hidden. Technology has a key role to play in identifying, building, understanding and responding to communities Communities are complex, dynamic entities. One individual can belong to many communities. Geography is but one of the dimensions around which communities form. Race, background, interests or need can trigger community formation Communities whose members do not identify themselves or connect with the geographic area in which they live are common and problematic in the context of economic development, community development and regeneration 162. Technology can make the many communities that form and evolve within Kent visible, enabling KCC to engage and respond in a form which can better meet the needs of many communities Our community engagement model is shown in Appendix C. Version 1.3 Page 26 of 42

27 5 A watershed in ICT the immediate, two year horizon. 5.1 Introduction 164. Towards 2010 identifies major strategic areas of technology on which KCC may need to focus. This will clearly evolve as we gain clarity in service delivery requirements and organisational structure A Watershed in ICT is much more focused on immediate infrastructure and common service requirements and on the need to reduce costs and risks while providing an open and agile technical environment The Watershed in ICT strategy document, which was circulated throughout the organisation and gained general support, defines five, inter-related priorities Progress in each area is summarised below. 5.2 Consolidate ICT around a resilient, integrated and adaptive infrastructure 168. Procurement of a new desktop infrastructure has been completed and rollout is underway. The provider is IBM. The infrastructure has put in place the core capability to support mobile working and significantly improved levels of service. It is worth noting that the Telehealth collaborative portal which will enable health care professionals and technology providers to work together on-line was built using technologies made available through the technology refresh programme. We must continue to build on both this architecture and the principle of continuous improvement in technology to ensure that the server and storage bases are also robust and new enough to support the new technologies that we wish to embrace The SHQ local area network (LAN) is being refreshed replacing obsolete hardware, increasing resilience within and between the buildings, and providing additional port capacity Wireless sites within SHQ have now been established, and work is underway within ISG to extend the wireless capability both of the infrastructure and of mobile devices. This includes the push pilot project currently underway to support distribution of s to any appropriate hand held device using standard protocols. Several meeting rooms within SHQ have been wireless enabled to facilitate presentation capability. Full wireless access across the entire KCC office estate can only be delivered when the new WAN becomes available in The new WiMax standards were ratified at the end of last year, and manufacturers such as Motorola, Intel and Vodafone are planning to adopt WiMax. At this stage it is not clear how WiMax will develop as a commercial offering within Kent and hence it is not possible to forecast how we can fully exploit its potential. Given the inherent capabilities of the technology it appears it will be best suited to provide remote connectivity to mobile workers rather than replacing wired access A proposal is being developed for an ICT product strategy enforcing the use of existing ICT software wherever appropriate. This will ensure best value for licences, support costs and user knowledge. It is important that this is combined with an effective change control mechanism enabling us to evolve and where necessary transform to meet the transformational needs of the business, whilst maintaining an efficient and effective portfolio of ICT products. Version 1.3 Page 27 of 42

28 5.3 Enable service delivery to automate processes 173. Process automation is one of the more complex challenges facing KCC The businesses themselves need to be able to understand and define their processes in sufficient detail to configure integration engines. Workflow and process integration engines have been deployed as part of e-enablement and are available for reuse Understanding and awareness of ICT is now developing within the business. The e- Enablement programme has implemented initial middleware solutions to support the service delivery layer. The Finance Business Solutions programme is making significant investment into developing the KSSIP platform, with e-procurement now live, self service in progress and pay management due to start in November Make better use of 3 rd party providers to reduce risk 176. Much technology has now been commoditised and can be procured on an as needed basis. Shifting provision onto 3 rd party providers clearly makes sense for commodity technologies The agreement with IBM for infrastructure provision is structured so that significant amount of risk is shifted away from KCC. This has been achieved while reducing costs as compared with previous provisioning mechanisms On--demand capacity both from an infrastructure and application usage model is attractive, but as yet many vendor offerings are at a formative stage. A watching brief is in place to monitor new developments The benefit could be lower, predictable, per-user costs matched with an ability to immediately scale the environment if, for example, another organisation wished to make use of our application portfolio. The business owners will clearly be fully engaged in any decision. 5.5 Develop and securely deploy KCC capability as web services 179. There are two aspects to the web services area: development of the web services themselves and development of the web and other e-channels which will consume services The e-enablement programme has developed a number of web services. Work to review the implementation of the egov components, ensuring that they are now fully embedded in business practise and facilitating any changes that the business may now request is underway The web development programme has provided citizens with an integrated service when they engage with KCC online, which was recognised in 2006 for the National e-gov awards for team excellence The Web Team is now actively delivering an average of 50 requests for new work a day, mostly minor content changes supporting Directorates in delivering providing information requirements but also significant new site additions and projects. New technologies have been procured and are being implemented, including video streaming, SMS messaging and content management The new intranet site was introduced as the first step towards a complete overhaul of the existing content and services available to staff. Now the emphasis is on content, quality, Version 1.3 Page 28 of 42

29 pertinence and validity, and on ensuring that services are as joined up as possible. This in turn will make services accessible and desirable, and will drive up traffic The Web Subgroup of the ICT Operations Board is now controlling the development programme within a strategy designed to take the channel to the next level Introduction of collaborative environments. Current versions of software in use within the council are aimed at individual productivity. The next stage is to look at the deployment of tools that target efficiencies at team and unit level. To this end it is intended to introduce Microsoft s Sharepoint 7 for team collaboration, and to consider the implementation of the new operating system Vista and MS Office 2007 within the financial year 2007/ Access to Kent (A2K) provides an opportunity for staff to access their desktop via the internet from home, or from public hot spots, and this has proved very popular. These changes provide better support for remote working, as well as facilitating more media rich services such as video conferencing. 5.6 New Communication Channels Webcasting 187. Webcasting has become a feature of the way the Council shows democracy in action, in that anyone can watch Council and Cabinet meeting at a time and place of their choosing. It is envisaged that this service will be extended to a wider range of meetings and rooms within the Council Buildings and into the community IPTV 188. IPTV has been trialled by some London based Authorities to promote community cohesion. It has had a number of spin-offs in reduced crime rates, enhanced community involvement etc. KCC will explore how this technology can be used in Kent to drive forward the social inclusion and care in the home agendas Web Jamming 189. A successful Web Jam for senior managers has stimulated a requirement for a number of possible applications for both this and other internet based technologies. These are currently being evaluated and various options considered. We expect to run a larger scale Web Jam in the coming months Blogs 190. This year has seen the provision of this technology to enable Peter Gilroy to run a blog for KCC staff. There are many other open and restricted applications for this and other web based technologies, particularly to enable Kent Citizens to engage more easily with the democratic process, and these are being evaluated for presentation to the business. 5.7 Response to the Climate Change Challenge 191. It is important that ISG plays its part in ensuring that Kent s businesses, communities and individuals understand and prepare for the impact of climate change on IS infrastructure, as well as playing it s part in reducing those impacts. Version 1.3 Page 29 of 42

30 192. All directorate business plans include the introduction or expansion of support mobile, flexible and home working where appropriate. The introduction of IS facilities underpin and facilitate these business plans will have an obvious impact on emissions: Reducing or eliminating visits to KCC premises simply to pass information to colleagues or enter it to a computer. Giving the opportunity to move necessary travel outside the rush hour. Enabling home working where this is appropriate, therefore avoiding travel altogether. Reducing the need for office premises with their attendant carbon footprint, especially in the case of small offices (although this is obviously offset to a point by the increase in home heating and lighting) Supporting the new broadband partnership e-kent, that focuses on bringing the same benefits of mobile and home working, to SMEs across Kent Working with BT to reduce not-spots across Kent and increasing broadband wherever possible 195. Providing public access wi-fi hot spots for public access to broadband on KCC public premises Using pool cars whenever possible to eliminate the need for staff visiting other KCC offices inaccessible by public transport during the day, to bring their own cars to work Reflecting the likely impacts of climate change in our DR and BCP for ISG to ensure that we understand the likely risks and have appropriate mitigation within our plans Including within the process for our IS projects an analysis and consideration of the impact of the project on the environment, and also a consideration of the project s impact on the DR and BCP plans for ISG. Version 1.3 Page 30 of 42

31 6 Current Investment Activity 6.1 Service Directorate Activity Environment & Regeneration Activity Description and status Alignment with strategy Highways Highways are seeking to transform their business processes to make them consistent with best practise. In support of this the main thrust of systems going forward will be to support the collaborative working between KCC and its partners, flexible and mobile working. A number of systems will be deployed in the short to medium term to assist highways staff. The technical architectures and approach to implementation aligns with the core strategy. The potential relocation of highways staff to two new offices and two new depots will provide the opportunity to deploy new techniques in support of improved working practises. Upgraded hardware appropriate to the individual needs for these specialist staff is also being investigated. MIDAS-KSSIP migration Document Management The MIDAS system is a bespoke application designed to manage the Highways revenue maintenance and capital program and Waste Disposal operations for the Directorate. The system is ageing and will require upgrade or migration to a new platform. Where possible KSSIP functionality will be utilised and any gaps will be addressed as functionality within specific vendor packages procured to support lines of business. An electronic document management system is required for use across all of E&R. Requirements and therefore costs are unclear. The requirement may be met by a collective solution probably Sharepoint. Consolidation of all back-office systems onto a single platform aligns with the core strategy. KCC document management requirements are varied. Broad initial requirements gathering is underway to inform a strategy for content management in its broadest sense which encompasses document management. It is expected that basic document functions can be met through the use of MS Sharepoint Children, Families and Education Activity Description and status Alignment with strategy ICS The ICS has been developed to improve outcomes for children, defined as being in need, under the children s act It provides a conceptual framework, a method of practice and a business process to support practitioners and managers in undertaking the key tasks of assessment, planning, intervention and review. ICS is designed to be supported by an electronic case record system. A key aim of ICS is to provide front line staff and their managers with the necessary help through ICT to record, collate, analyse and output the information required. The Capita product has been selected and implementation is on track for delivery in Dec e-caf (common assessment framework) SRP Building schools for the future (BSF) Following the children s act a number of project have arise that are closely related ICS (see above) ISI (see below) and e-caf. The common assessment framework is a business process that will be supported by an e-form (e-caf). It will support multi- agency working and will need to be accessible by other services such as health, police etc. The exact reqts are yet to be defined, See below in Adult Services BSF is a programme for the regeneration of Kent schools. A key element centres on the utilisation of advanced technology within and between schools. BSF is a major, transformational programme. Partners have been established and planning is in progress. This aligns with the integration strategy A number of suppliers are looking to develop solutions. These will be assessed at procurement for alignment with our strategies and those of the other related projects This supports the partnership working strategy. Children s Centres There are 100+ children s centres to be built in Kent, these will be multi-agency sites and will need administration information system to collect data in accordance with the DfES requirements. This supports the partnership working strategy Adult Services Activity Description and status Alignment with strategy SRP Phase 1 of SRP has delivered client systems to both Adult Anite Swift runs on an Oracle Services and Children, Families and Education that provide a platform and in that respect the user experience more in keeping with current technologies. project aligns with strategy. Phase 2 Has been scoped to include a finance element not delivered in phase 1. Version 1.3 Page 31 of 42

32 Assistive technology Including WSD Document Management Mobile Technology Assistive technology allows people to self-manage. Selfmanagement can significantly improve the quality of life of the client and reduce total cost of care. Recent success in our bid for the Whole System Demonstrator project (WSD), has funded a major increase in telehealth and telecare activity, to improve our partnership working with our health partners and to prove the validity of the assistive technology business case. An electronic document management system is required to address filing cost, space and management, information sharing and statutory requirements (ESCR). Investigations into the role of mobile technologies in increasing the efficiency of front line staff will continue over the next year and this is seen as a key enabler for ALFA. WSD will encourage integration of the Viterion technologies which rest on core web based standards and the Tunstall technologies are more distinct. Integration and data sharing with our Health partner systems will also be essential. See Comments in E&R ISG is engaged with AS to ensure convergence between AS and general mobile strategies Communities Activity Description and status Alignment with strategy Adult Education The existing Tribal software previously available through a contract with BT is now provided as a managed service through Tribal Technologies directly, at a substantial saving. Libraries Contract Renewal Resgistrars What s on in Kent? Website The contract with BT to support and run the Libraries systems expires in 2009 at the same time as the KCC WAN contract. Desktop provision within libraries has been included in the TRP contract. Phase 1 of a project to integrate the processes and system in this important part of the Communities business to improve accuracy and efficiency has been implemented and phase 2 is in progreess. This requirement has been included in the delivery of Kent TV. Aligns with the KCC best value strategy. Inclusion in the TRP rollout aligns with our develop once use many strategy Aligns with systems integration strategy 6.2 Chief Executive s Directorate Finance Activity Description and status Alignment with strategy Finance Business Solutions The Finance Business Solutions (FBS) programme will build on the KSSIP platform to deliver a raft of new capabilities and functions, with significant automation and efficiencies. Iproc has now been delivered, Development and exploitation of the KSSIP platform fully aligns with the strategy. Governance the KISSIP Board A senior Officers board has been established to prioritise activity in this area and to ensure the maximum utilisation of the asset. This will form part of the ICT governance strategy Personnel and development Activity Description and status Alignment with strategy Finance Business Solutions Within the Finance Business Solutions Programme, Personnel have commissioned a Self Service element which is currently underway and a Pay management element which commences in November Property Activity Description and status Alignment with strategy Enterprise The 'Enterprise' database has been introduced to allow structured analysis and availability of key property related information. Various development work has been progressing over recent years on this database, to a point of substantial milestone completion this financial year. The core technology and approach aligns with the strategy. Web-enablement to schools is in progress, alongside investment in modules to support Capital Programme delivery and the harvesting of management information regarding the estate. This will allow for key decisions regarding rationalisation and development opportunities. Version 1.3 Page 32 of 42

33 6.2.4 Business Solution and Policy Activity Description and status Alignment with strategy Technology Refresh Programme WAN replacement Telecommunicati ons The Technology Refresh Programme (TRP) has replaced the core server infrastructure and is currently rolling out desktops, laptops and other user devices. The nature of the contract will deliver a sustainable and improved infrastructure and better service levels, while significantly reducing costs to KCC. The existing KCC WAN contract expires in 2009, KCN2 has been extended to also expire in A specification for a new network that will be extensible beyond KCC for use by other public sector/voluntary organisations has been completed. Procurement for this contract is using the new competitive dialogue process and it is anticipated that a contract will be placed in Q A2K (Access to Kent) provides secure communications between KCC laptops and the Kent Network. This is currectly being deployed to a wider audience. This approach to continuous improvement is fully aligned with our strategic approach, and should allow the rapid deployment of new technology eg. Vista and MS Office 2007 Combined modern network fully aligns with strategy and is seen as a key component for delivering enhanced 2 tier working - The enhanced status quo Green solutions As part of ISGs response to the Chief Executive s request for a greener KCC, an investigation of automated turn-off of PCs is planned. This aligns with both the KCC green agenda and our mobile working strategy. Assistive Technology It should be noted that the monitors used for the TRP rollout use significantly less power than the old monitors that they replace. Full detail of this saving is being investigated. Many of our other key strategies such as the mobile agenda will also play a part in enabling Green policies to be established across KCC including reducing the need to come to offices to exchange information with online access and video conference facilities being investigated and piloted as well as home working. We now have 2 interactive Video conferencing suites in the ISG Commissioning area and a business case is being developed to roll these facilities out to major offices In addition to supporting the Whole System Demonstrator programme, exciting progress is being made in this field in conjunction with our private and public partner organisations. We are working with the Building Research Establishment, telecoms companies, manufacturers and suppliers of smart home technologies and the construction industry to strongly influence the future of smart home technology including assistive tech. In support of this the Microsoft SLG are proposing to build a tangible tool which will communicate the needs of all of the prospective markets to the key service providers and consumers, so that we can stimulate discussion, innovation and the creation of the technology to meet the demand, with the opportunities for suppliers spelt out. This aligns with our partnership working strategy Kent Film Office Activity Description and status Alignment with strategy Kent TV Kent TV is a website with short and informative videos about subjects which are relevant to people interested in the region. Its mission is to strengthen the way that the council, its officers and its members communicate with the residents of the county. This web based technology aligns with our core strategy Version 1.3 Page 33 of 42

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35 7 Existing use of technology 7.1 Overview 199. Kent County Council makes significant use of technology to meet back office, service delivery and democratic engagement objectives. The authority is witnessing substantial change in every aspect of that usage This overview breaks KCC ICT and IS activity into five basic layers: Networks Core infrastructure User access devices Systems and applications Delivery Channels 201. A summary of the role, scale and initiatives in respect of each layer is summarised on the following pages. A very high level view is as below: Delivery Channels: 300 services over multiple face-to-face and electronic channels. Technology: Workflow, process automation, CRM, security, Web services. Core Providers to KCC: Viterion, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Anite. Customer Channel Systems (KSSIP, Swift ): 40,000 staff, 2.0 billion gross budget, 000 s social care Network records. Technology: Application servers, apps, enterprise database engines. Core Providers to KCC: Oracle, Anite. Desktop & Server Infrastructure: 1.8 million user computing hours and 1.5 million s per month. 40 terabytes of data storage. Technology: PC s, laptops, tablets, PDA s, servers, O/S and . Core Providers to KCC: IBM, and Microsoft. App Server Networks: 1,000 sites supporting advanced services, inc. voice and video, and mobile working Technology: Fibre, WiFi, 3G Core Providers to KCC: BT, Cisco, Unisys, Vodafone, and O2. Network User Access Devices 202. This is reflected in ISG core services which is made up of three layers Network Desktop Systems The activity of core infrastructure and channels are shared across all services Version 1.3 Page 35 of 42

36 203. Each layer is described in more detail below in the context of current requirements and initiatives Networks 204. Traffic The combined KCC networks now connect over 1,000 sites throughout Kent, enabling more than 250,000 users to communicate and work together. The network traffic that these users generate is expected to double every 12 months 1. Networks are being converged to drive out costs and new services are being considered, including voiceover-ip (VoIP) delivering more flexibility for users and lower costs for KCC. A video conferencing test facility has been commissioned, 205. Wireless Wireless technologies have been piloted to enable more flexible, location independent ways of working, and the range of services and locations is being expanded Partner agencies Network services are being offered to a range of partner agencies fully connecting together public services in Kent Development throughout Kent Broader initiatives such as Smart Homes will require better broadband connectivity throughout Kent. Current estimates are that the existing BT copper infrastructure will be unable to meet demand by KCC continues to engage with the private sector to drive the development of connectivity throughout Kent Infrastructure 208. Usage The desktop, laptop, tablet and core server infrastructure reliably delivers 1.8 million usercomputing hours every month, enabling 1 million s to flow in and out of KCC, whilst minimising spam and detecting and stopping around 700 viruses every month. The number of devices and the scale of computing activity are both expected to significantly increase over the next few years Data 17 terabytes of data (enough to hold 340 million scanned pages of text) are safely and securely stored on a central storage area network (SAN). Data storage requirements are growing by 40% per year and the rate of growth is increasing. Information life cycle products will be assessed to control the growth of data as the current rate is not sustainable Procurement Tunbridge Wells are now leveraging the TRP contract with IBM to renew their infrastructure Applications 211. KSSIP Core KCC Oracle systems (KSSIP) manage the personnel records of 40,000 staff, reliably pay 24 million to 14,000 staff every month and handle the successful processing of many thousands of invoices to manage a revenue budget of over 1.5 billion annually. The Finance Business Solutions is building on and enhancing the KSSIP platform; new E- 1 Gartner report into KCC WAN requirements Version 1.3 Page 36 of 42

37 Procurement capability, for example, has automated as much of the procurement process as possible, reducing costs Anite Swift New, substantial applications running on Oracle technologies have been implemented, notably Anite Swift, which will support social workers and other health professionals Services to partners KCC ERP systems are being considered in the context of partner agencies and are expected to grow over next few years. The takeup of KSSIP services by Kent districts, SPS,and the fire services is under consideration, but is as yet in the early stages e-enablement 214. New technologies Building on the earlier platform established during e-enablement we have widened and deepened the range of services available to the citizens of Kent, and seen consistent and sustained growth Democratic Engagement and Collaboration Opportunities for the use of new technologies in this area is increasing. Technology can be deployed to improve democratic engagement and to strengthen local communities and neighbourhoods, giving a voice to both Recent examples include webcasting of council and cabinet meetings. Facilities for mobile webcasting have been procured to bring the same benefits to community based meetings Web Jamming has been piloted amongst senior managers within KCC. This process could be used to engage both within KCC and with the community at large, furthering community engagement with the democratic process. Further pilots are expected over the next few months Benchmarks 218. KCC expenditure on technology has been benchmarked against a number of different organisations The figures are given below. ICT Budget as % of Total Revenue Budget by Authority Type Revenue budget as % of organisation budget Survey Year Shire Counties Shire Districts English KCC Unitaries Version 1.3 Page 37 of 42

38 Support costs per workstation Survey Year Shire Counties Shire Districts English KCC Unitaries Version 1.3 Page 38 of 42

39 Appendix A Services Model Function Technical Input Service owner Input Commercialisation? Innovation Public services Service knowledge Business Knowledge Agile, competitive culture Service innovation Account management Service delivery Technically Savvy Commercially Smart Sales drive Flexible processes Marketing drive Usage based charging/revenue Strategic Insight Service implementation Intelligent provision Cost and risk reduction Relationship with 3 rd party providers Version 1.3 Page 39 of 42

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41 Appendix B Capability development model 220. Development of the ICT and IS assets is a critical aspect of capability development which can directly lead to better, more efficient, lower risk service delivery. Capability development must be shaped by service development priorities. As is Service delivery function To be Service delivery function The time, cost, complexity and risk of implementing technical solutions can be a significant barrier to change. Enabling technologies Enterprise architecture Processes Service charging model Services Predictable delivery and costs Applications Infrastructure Corporate investment and governance model ICT Board Demand forecast Networks (connectivity) Version 1.3 Page 41 of 42

42 Appendix C Community development and engagement technology model 221. Strong communities are key to successful economic development and vital assets which too often remain hidden. Technology has a key role to play in identifying, building, understanding and responding to communities. Communities are complex, dynamic entities. One individual can belong to many communities. Geography is but one of the dimensions around which communities form. Race, background, interests or need can trigger community formation. Technology can make the many communities that form and evolve within Kent visible. Communities whose members do not identify themselves or connect with the geographic area in which they live are common and problematic in the context of economic development, community development and regeneration. When you understand a community in terms of why it has formed and the nature of it s needs, you can reach out and respond. Community types? Traditional De-industrialised towns Rural villages Bi-polar Travellers (?) Students with family/friends elsewhere Second-home owners Asylum seekers Lower migrant workers Cosmopolitan Commuters Higher migrant workers Technology makes it possible to reach out in ways that better meet the needs of many communities Version 1.3 Page 42 of 42