19 June 2006

Newcastle City Council has saved millions of pounds following an overhaul of its IT infrastructure.

Ray Ward, chief information officer at the council, told Silicon.com that the previous IT system was based on old mainframes and an infrastructure able to support more modern application was vital for development.

"The world had moved on but we'd stayed the same," he said.

"It was quite a cultural change for an organisation which three years ago didn't know how to use a mouse."

"It was more about transformation than technology," he added.

The four-year IT transformation programme involved automating business processes such as payroll, digitising document management, rationalising Oracle database licensing and setting up a call centre for contacting the council.

In total, Mr Ward said the process automation and headcount reduction which followed saved up to £37 million of tax-payers money.

Meanwhile, a new e-leadership council has been implemented in the north-east, which aims to help businesses follow the council's lead and make use of information communications technology to increase productivity.

© Adfero Ltd

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