Decision details

Decision:

1.         The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate and Traded Services to approve the adoption of the Kent County Council Technology Strategy 2020-2023, and its publication on an interim basis, whilst the Council reviews its technology strategy, considering the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Reason for the decision:

The strategy explains how Kent County Council will use technology to support the delivery of the Council’s Strategic Delivery Plan 2020-2023 and will guide and support Members and officers, in making decisions relating to technology use across the Council.

Background

The Council’s existing Technology Strategy 2016-2020 has provided a basis for enabling the use of new service models and the development of a platform, which has enabled Kent County Council to adapt successfully during the COVID-19 pandemic to changes in working locations and patterns.

This updated strategy was prepared at the beginning of 2020 and whilst the principles hold firm, it is proposed that the strategy is adopted on an interim basis, whilst it is reviewed considering the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Council’s emerging service and organisation objectives. The interim strategy provides the core framework for the Council to provide solutions which will enhance the Council’s ability to provide services anywhere, anytime.

The Technology Strategy is currently being updated to reflect the evolving ambitions of the Council, centred around the Strategic Reset Programme and the response to the pandemic and the data centre outage in 2021. It has been a challenging period, but by the end of this calendar year, progress will be made against the activity plan 2020 – 2023 which includes:

•           Implementation of Corporate One Drive to replace personal Drives.

•           Replacement of the ageing SAN and associated infrastructure in Sessions House data  

Centre.

•           Migration of our telephony from Skype to Microsoft Teams.

•           Deployment of video conferencing in office buildings across Kent.

•           Successfully integrated Child and Adult Care records into the Kent and Medway Care 

 Record (KMCR).

•           Creation of a cloud-based data infrastructure populated with Adults, Children’s, Finance 

 and Property data.

•           Undertaken pilots re the application of the Internet of Things (IOT), robotics and

   automation.

•           Implemented Microsoft defender across the Council’s estate to enhance anti-virus  

 Protection.

•           Implemented Microsoft Managed Desktop to improve our management of end user

   Devices.

•           Implemented Microsoft Intune to improve our management of mobile devices.

•           Improved our protection against Ransomware through advanced backup technology, and

   network segmentation.

•           Achieved Public Sector network Code of Compliance.

As Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate and Traded Services, I agree to approve the adoption of the Kent County Council Technology Strategy 2020-2023, and its publication on an interim basis, whilst the Council reviews the Technology Strategy, considering the COVID-19 pandemic.