Public Sector Roundup: Ethernet for Scottish council

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Scottish council gets £5 million network

East Renfrewshire Council has invested £5 million in a five-year contract with NTL Telewest Business, which includes a 100 Mb/s Ethernet network linking 60 offices and 30 schools.

The network is expected to help allow homeworking as well as a Voice over IP (VoIP) and IP CCTV. The savings created by the network will pay off the investment within about two and a half years, the council said.

Jim Love, project manager of eGovernment at the council said: "The Ethernet VPN is a vital part of realising our future vision and meeting government directives. It will support a host of exciting new applications, from home working to more CCTV in schools and public spaces, and providing better access for citizens. Not only that but we are saving money thanks to voice over IPT implementation."

Cabinet Office looking for top IT grads

The Cabinet Office is hoping to hire 20 top IT graduates this year, following a pilot scheme which last year saw the recruitment of six men and women. The Technology in Business Fast Stream will help train people to handle large-scale public sector IT projects - which are often criticised or called out as failures - or to become chief information officers by offering them mentors and placements in key departments.

Sarah Scott was recruited by the pilot scheme after studying business management. She now works with HM Revenue and Customs. "Right from the start I'll be working on a project to make IT operations more environmentally friendly - it's a really exciting area and is a long way from the stereotypical image of dull computer experts," she said.

The deadline for applications to the scheme is November 30.

Intellect IT award goes to London council

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham has won the Local Government IT Excellence Award for its Customer Access Strategy, given out by Intellect, the Society for IT Management (Socitm) and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace).

Charles Ward, chief operating officer of Intellect and chair of the judging panel said at the awards: "The Customer Access Strategy is a fantastic example of how IT can be used to help local authorities better understand their customers' needs and expectations. The solution has enabled the borough to develop a long-term strategy of personalising service provision, and is an excellent example of transformational government in action."

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