Devon County Council converges voice and data with Siemens

Productivity and shared services is the driver for deploying converged network

Devon County Council converges voice and data for shared services agenda

Devon County Council announced today that it has awarded a £2m contract to Siemens Enterprise Communications Group (SEN) to roll out a managed voice and data service for the authority.

The service will be delivered with SEN's OpenScape Unified Communications Server technology, which will replace 10-year-old analogue kit, according to Devon County Council ICT chief Rob Parkhouse.

Parkhouse said: "The new wide area network will give improved and quicker access to information for our users, and allow us to serve a more flexible and mobile workforce, it will also mean we can cut costs.

"The council ICT department can now deliver services from home or partner offices, which will reduce travel costs, and give us all the benefits of mobile flexible working," he added.

Devon County Council was also looking to meet other objectives. One of these was around a shared service agenda. Parkhouse said: "We had to ensure any solution we put in would be capable of supporting any other public sector organisation in Devon."

The council’s cabinet member for workforce, performance and communications, councillor Andrew Leadbetter, said: "The new system will support Devon's strategic business objectives of shared services, improved network resilience and business continuity."

The new WAN also benefits hard-to-reach communities, Leadbetter said. "It allows for the fair use of technology across Devon, opening up improved access to small businesses in rural areas, which previously had very poor links and service," he said.

The council hopes to complete its transition to the new system by the end of March 2010.

Devon County Council negotiated the contract using the Office of Government Commerce Catalyst framework.