Insight has won a key contract on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales as the cash strapped council looks to save up to £5.6m
The council wanted to use mobile working as a solution to promote a more agile and modern workforce while at the same time reducing the council’s property assets.
The council’s ICT budget has been low over the last few years because of general low funding from the Welsh Government and this year it was told that it would have to make service cuts of up to £5.6m.
However the council worked out that a smart investment in ICT would enable “smarter working” and could result in gains from both a financial and non-financial perspective in other areas.
The council will save £140,000 following an engagement with reseller Insight to streamline the council’s software licensing estate.
The project with Insight, which used Snow as a software management tool, has since led to an ongoing contract with Insight to manage the council’s Microsoft licensing estate saving the council money through the redeployment of unused licences.
The Insight contract, worth £33,600 over the next three years, will provide complete visibility of the council’s deployed software licences, while assuming responsibility for ensuring that Anglesey maintains licensing compliance. Insight will also implement a three-year Licence Consulting Desk Service to build and adapt solid, cost effective licensing strategies for the council to help it meet its current, but most importantly, future technology needs.
Discussing the engagement and the council’s broader ICT strategy, Neil Summers, the council’s technical services manager, said he had engaged Insight because he realised that keeping on top of licensing compliance can be a headache for cash-strapped councils who are wrestling with the demands of austerity.
“Software licensing is an area which is full of complicated, fast-changing rules,” said Summers. “Insight had proved itself a valuable partner, and we realised that to ensure we were compliant and cost-effective we needed an expert to help us – which is where Insight came in. Our work with them ensures we are compliant to our software providers and efficient as a local authority.”
