23 May 2013 | Last updated Wednesday 3 April 2013 at 16:38 | Subscribe to our feed

How good is your ICT service?

Does your ICT service deliver value for money? Does it enable and support change in the organisation? Is it efficiently run? Is it pro-active in seeking out the most appropriate technical solutions to meet business needs? And how can you tell?

IT service viability assessment

The financial crisis means many IT services have undergone – or are about to undergo – major cuts and restructurings. Is what remains a viable unit in terms of capacity and capability, and can it deliver on corporate objectives?

Reducing the IT costs

Client name: 
Action for Children

Socitm Consulting Expertise helps this national charity to save money on IT costs.

Action for Children is a national charity committed to helping the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK to break through injustice, deprivation and inequality, so they can achieve their full potential. Action for Children operates in locations from the north of Scotland to the south of England as well as throughout Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

Our web services

We have the skills and the tools to help you achieve a website that delivers for your council - that is a website that gives real value in terms of the services it delivers to your customers and the savings it makes for the council. We cover all that is needed, summarised below:

Auditing/critical friend

Because of our independence from suppliers of software and hardware, Socitm Consulting is often called upon to provide an independent view. This may range from reviewing the performance of an ICT service, to reviewing the contractual performance of a strategic partner or outsource supplier. Diplomacy and tact are often required, in addition to the absolute objectivity that we offer.

Related case studies (which have been endorsed by the client):

Willingness to change

"Understanding the implications of change, awareness of the risks and how to manage them, utter conviction that the outcome is worth the journey"

Social Services system implementation review

Client name: 
London Borough of Sutton
The London Borough of Sutton has a clear action plan for realising the full benefits of its Social Services system as a result of a Socitm Consulting review. By providing expertise in Social Services systems implementation and best practice, we were able to help the Council draw up a realistic timetable for completing the full system implementation and highlight actions for its most effective utilisation to improve quality of service and efficiency.

Audit of PC disposal procedures

Client name: 
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council now has a comprehensive strategy for securing information and securely disposing of ICT hardware in an environmentally sustainable way following a review by Socitm Consulting. With our expertise in integrating information and hardware lifecycle management, we were able to assist the Council in ensuring both data and equipment are managed securely and ethically across the organisation.

Guidance on ICT management review

Client name: 
Powys County Council

 

The project issues
Following a recent Council restructuring the Head of ICT wished to have some advice and guidance in preparation for an ICT management review. The specific requirement was some guidance regarding the preparation of a business case to support the management review. The advice required was generally around the areas of span of control, allocated responsibilities, customer service and technical services management.

Devolved-centralised review and BV critical friend

Client name: 
Portsmouth City Council

The project issues
Portsmouth City Council is in the process of implementing a new council-wide organisational structure, 'Moving Towards Excellence'. PCC is moving from a large number of individual departments to Strategic Directorates – four covering front line services, one covering all resources and one to address overall strategy and 'hot' cross-service strategic and change management priorities.