ICT Suffolk Coastal District Council and Waveney District Council s Strategy
2 Introduction and Aims The aim of the ICT strategy is to provide a strategic vision and framework for the direction of East Suffolk ICT and will ensure that delivery and development of ICT is fully aligned with business priorities. The strategy is designed to support the delivery of the East Suffolk Business Plan and reflects the role of ICT as a key enabler of corporate objectives. In particular, ICT supports the three pronged approach of the Business Plan around Enabling Communities, Economic Growth and Financial Self Sufficiency a more detailed analysis of this approach can be found at Appendix A. The emphasis and aims of this strategy are focussed on delivering an ICT environment which is: Resilient, secure and compliant Flexible to support changing needs and expectations Cost effective and fit for purpose Effectively governed Supports business and digital transformation Up to date with technology development A key part of the implementation of the strategy will be to collaborate with users, partners and suppliers to deliver solutions which enable service improvements, financial savings and support our digital transformation. It recognises that technology alone will not deliver all of the required change and therefore will effectively support the organisational, cultural and process changes necessary for success. Achievements 2010-2015 The following key points summarise the achievements leading up to the development of this Strategy: Design and implementation of a single East Suffolk network and solutions which have enabled increased joint working and flexibility across the partnership Build and deployment of ICT solutions that underpin a more mobile workforce and provided a platform for digital transformation and customer channel shift Deployment of standardised technology solutions based on industry best practice which have delivered improved connectivity, performance and availability Increased operational efficiencies and reduced environmental impact through removal of legacy systems and outdated infrastructure together with improved alignment of business applications Review and implementation of new ICT organisational structure and service management support processes together with refreshed hardware technology have delivered improved reliability and user productivity. Delivered improved security of Council assets and information through implementation of new infrastructure and support processes which ensure continued compliance with statutory and industry security requirements Enhanced resilience and disaster recovery capability through implementation of virtualisation and back up technologies Suffolk Coastal District Council and Waveney District Council s 2016-2019
ICT Strategic Themes There are five Strategic Themes to delivery of the : 1 Infrastructure and Business Systems ICT services are vital for the delivery of Council services. The provision of these critical services requires a solid, resilient and dependable technology infrastructure that is maintained and managed. It also requires the flexibility to quickly and effectively adapt to changing organisational needs and priorities. Comprehensive register and contract management of all applications with further consolidation to reduce the number of line of business systems across the partnership Improved mobile access to systems to deliver increased user productivity Successful management of desktop computing as evidenced by user satisfaction All systems and productivity software maintained at supportable versions The development of local-area and wide-area networks to provide cost effective capacity and connectivity required by accommodation programme The continued adoption of virtualised server technology to improve capacity, performance and availability The development and strengthening of the Councils ICT security framework to achieve annual approval and accreditation as well as mitigate known security threats Improved ICT business continuity plans and associated testing to provide appropriate levels of assurance Assessment and consideration of alternative technologies and delivery models where cost effective and beneficial. Commitment to green IT with energy efficiency a key consideration for selection and procurement of new technology. 3 2 ICT Resource Facilities and hardware are of little value unless we have a knowledgeable and motivated workforce. Specialist technical skills are key to the development and support of ICT facilities and therefore coordinated training and support, together with specialist support contracts, will be aligned with the objectives and needs of the organisation. Continue the development of single ICT workforce ensuring it has the correct skills and expertise to support the ongoing development of East Suffolk ICT Commitment to development of service management and support processes to deliver continuous improvement of operational support Continuous review of ICT levels of resourcing to meet changing needs and commitments of the partnership and inform annual ICT resource plans Suffolk Coastal District Council and Waveney District Council s 2016-2019
4 3 Information Management and Security Modern public services require greater access and sharing of information. This theme of the ICT strategy outlines the main information principles which will be used to guide future improvements to the Councils information management and reporting. Information Principles: Information is a valued asset information must be effectively managed as a valued resource which is essential to accurate, well informed decision making Information is managed all data and information must be appropriately managed so that it can be trusted and retrieved as and when required Information is fit for purpose information must be appropriate and applicable to the business requirement Information is secure appropriate policies, processes and technical controls must be in place to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information assets as well as demonstrate compliance with Data Protection Act, all information assets should have named information owners Information is available all open data will be published and made available via East Suffolk website and Suffolk Data Observatory; information structure & processes will support requirements of Freedom of Information Act 4 Business Transformation ICT has a key role in the success of business transformation. The past few years have seen the adoption of new ways of working and changes in the requirement for ways in which ICT services are delivered. These changes and demands will continue as further new and modern approaches to delivering services are adopted. Projects and operational service delivery support the principles of the Digital Strategy and Transformation programme All services promote mobile and flexible working Provision of technology and business solutions which suit all staff, work styles and locations The ongoing development of enterprise systems to optimise staff collaboration and productivity, to reduce travel and increase efficiency. Suffolk Coastal District Council and Waveney District Council s 2016-2019
5 ICT Governance 5 The is owned by the Head of ICT Services and is formally approved by the Senior Management Team (SMT) and Members. It is the responsibility of the Head of ICT to ensure it aligns with business priorities and industry / technological developments. Demonstrate compliance to agreed ICT standards and procedures ICT Roadmap (a supporting document to this strategy detailing the ICT technical portfolio current & future direction) maintained and reviewed regularly Corporate and service delivery programmes are informed by ICT advice and guidance Projects and organisational changes are delivered in line with corporate project and programme management methodology Implementation Implementation of the will be achieved through specific projects as well as development of operational services. Significant changes will be introduced on a phased basis taking account of business capacity, technical dependencies and impact on front line services. Suffolk Coastal District Council and Waveney District Council s 2016-2019
6 Appendix A supporting the East Suffolk Business Plan Enable service transformation and change Maximising information assets and supporting well informed business decisions Realising full benefits from investment in ICT Exploit emerging products and services that will enhance ability to deliver service improvements & efficiencies Economic growth Improved solutions for information sharing with partners application of technology to enable business transformation Technology to automate and drive business process efficiencies reduce printing through digital by default and managed print services Enabling communities Financial self sufficiency increasing resilience of ICT architecture technical collaboration and integration across public services to provide better outcomes for communities and individuals improvements to disaster recovery provision to reduce recovery timescales in event of major loss of service social digital tools to support collaboration & communication Mobile and flexible working technologies to improve productivity digital approaches to reduce demand customer centric/selfservice access to services & information (anytime, anywhere, any channel) improved tools for asset management and trading integrated solutions which deliver efficiencies Suffolk Coastal District Council and Waveney District Council s 2016-2019