ICT STRATEGY 2016-19

Vision: ICT services enable the council to provide high quality, improving, efficient and responsive front-line services based on cost effective, reliable technology and infrastructure.

Introduction

The aim of this ICT strategy is to ensure that cost effective reliable technology is in place to meet current and emerging service requirements in order to support the council to deliver efficient high quality services that will make a difference to the community of Moray.

Technology provides opportunities for service improvement and efficiency that support business transformation and pro-actively place the citizen at the core of responsive services. This plan focuses on leveraging the maximum benefits from our ICT investment and ensuring that we have a sound ICT infrastructure in place to support the Council’s strategic and service priorities.

In particular, this Strategy begins to put shapecontinues to develop the Council’s journey toward providing more services digitally. Digital services provide an opportunity to transform council services through online access designed around our customers’ needs with a view to delivering improved choice and availability of access more efficiently.

Priorities for 2016/19

The Council must continue to reform its services in order to meet the needs of Moray in an affordable and sustainable way. For 2016/19 this will mean continuing to deliver on the major projects that have been introduced through DBS; developing solutions to take advantage of rapid growth in technology and public expectations around digital services; preparing our schools for new ways to deliver education and ensuring our infrastructure is secure and fit for future developments. Five areas have been identified to focus on for the 2016/19 strategy:

Implementing and Maintaining DBS Developing Digital Services Technology for the Moray Classroom Delivering Systems and Infrastructure Partnership working

Elements and Objectives: Main Priorities

Priority 1: Implementing and Maintaining DBS

ICT has been central to the Council’s transformation programme, DBS. As the DBS technology becomes is now part of mainstream business, and ongoing support for roll out and maintenance will remain a significant commitment for the ICT service.

While the programme will wind down in December 2015, tThe implementation and development of the technology that supports services to deliver the new ways of working established by DBS will continue to be a focus for the ICT service, particularly in relation to information management and the deployment of Sharepoint across council services.

Mobile and flexible working: developing technologies to help employees work “anywhere, anytime”

Customer Services: development and implementation of customer relationship management technology

Information Management: deployment and development of sharepoint

Priority 2: Developing Digital Services

Rapid growth in technology and the increasing use of the internet in our everyday lives offers the opportunity to transform how council services are provided. Digital service delivery has become not only more acceptable to the public but increasingly, is an expectation. Services provided online offer ease of access, flexibility, enhancement and reduced costs as well as being customer focussed.

It is planned to harness this opportunity to develop digital services designed around customers’ needs to make services more accessible, customer centred and efficient. Online services will be core to the council’s ongoing service transformation and the aim will be to make digital the channel of choice for an increasing number of customers. Already, this has provided successful solutions in Housing that have generated both service improvement and positive feedback as a result of online services. This is a complex area of work and the Council will ensure it is aligned with national developments in this area and will work with partner organisations to make progress. Work is well advanced on the use of the national MyAccount registration to provide secure authentication for online services and we will continue to work with the Improvement Service to implement this, which is crucial to the next stage of development of digital solutions for Moray.As digital services is a developing area of work, tThe approach for Digital will continue to be to develop incrementally with a clear focus on customers and

strong input from services. Given the economic environment and the pressing requirement to consider the future of council services, careful consideration is being given to where digital solutions can have the greatest impact and to efficiencies that services could generate by using digital as a platform for change.and be reviewed based on experience. It is proposed to continue to develop a digital services framework based on 5 key themes:

Channel shift: expand and enhance council digital services, including the council website to support customer focussed delivery and encourage the use of online services

Citizen account: investigate technologies that provide a single trusted view of the customer that can link data with other systems and can be used to provide improved services to the public.

Better Use of Data: develop a pro-active approach to service delivery based on analysis of customer data.

Information Sharing: develop a corporate approach that supports partnership working within council services and with partners in the best interests of service users.

Digital Awareness: support council leadership and staff to be familiar

with the use of technology to encourage innovation and new thinking around service delivery.

Priority 3: Technology for the Moray Classroom

Technological advances and the willingness of young people to embrace technology raise possibilities of delivering education in different ways to complement traditional teaching methods. It is a priority to ensure that our ICT provision in schools is maximised to support teaching and learning and to provide flexibility in the delivery of education for our pupils.

The Council approved Schools ICT Strategy group has prepared a draftan ICT Strategy for Education and Social Care that provides a longer term vision for technology in schools. This progressive strategy has the potential to deliver a real shift for pupils and teachers in classrooms. Work is required to assess the options for and benefits of the early proposals and to prioritise actions so that resourcing can be determined. It is planned to further advance this work with a view to implementing early wins, making sure foundations for development are in place and planning for longer term investment and change.

Ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place to underpin future developments

Enable collaborative working and use of key packages

Work with schools ICT Strategy Group to deliver the ICT Strategy for Education and Social Care to enhance and support education delivery

Investigate options for providing 1:1 pupil devices ay key stages of education including Bring or Buy your own device

Priority 4: Delivering systems and Infrastructure

Council services are increasingly reliant on technology for service delivery and it is important that reliable ICT services are provided in a trusted and secure environment. Therefore, maintaining and developing existing systems, infrastructure and security will remain a priority in this challenging environment.

An Information Systems risk assessment and a Gateway Review process are used to assist in prioritising work. Work on servers, networks, data storage and the council’s desktop is planned to ensure that the infrastructure is sound, fit for the future and complies with the necessary security accreditation (PSN). Some of the actions below (marked *) are identified as long term projects to be addressed as resources allow. Where there is work being developed nationally, this will be used as a reference for local development.

These actions and projects will combine to inform the content of the corporate ICT Action Plan.

Data Storage: determine future provision to accommodate predicted usage

System management* – begin preparatory work to develop systems and architecture taking account of national work in this area

Information security - ensuring infrastructure and systems are secure and meet the required accreditation standards.

Infrastructure and device management* – review of devices for future standard provision

Business Improvement projects

Application maintenance and upgrades

Priority 5: Partnership working There are opportunities to harness benefits from partnership working by continuing to develop the strong track record of working in partnership with other councils in the delivery of broadband services; in relation to the integration of health and social care and in respect of national developments, both to contribute expertise and to benefit from shared working. The Pathfinder North partnership for broadband services allows councils to share expertise in a complex environment, generates efficiencies and provides a strong platform from which to influence at national level. It is

planned to build on this experience as the service is re-provisioned to Swan (Scotland Wide Area Network) to ensure the ongoing provision of a broadband service for the council.

The integration ofIntrgrated Joint Board for health and social care is a major project for the council which will progress over the coming monthsbecomes fuly functional in April 2016 and it is likely that a requirement for ICT support will emerge. Information sharing is a key challenge but worj is also required to assess system and other requirements. Where feasiblyand work will be shared across the Grampian partnerships is planned to develop a consistent robust approach.

The Council will also monitor and participate in national work to contribute to the sharing of expertise and ensure the council is well positioned to benefit from developments.

Swan – implementation of the new broadband service including early transition sites, developing the current PfN partnership and consideration of the value added elements of the service

Integration of Health and Social Care – develop work plan to support the integration as the requirements of the new Partnership emerge

Participate in the national My Account project making appropriate links to the local Digital Services work