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Annual IT Pro Day survey highlights need to increase upskilling and tech pro confidence
SolarWinds (NYSE:SWI), a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software, today announced the findings from its IT Pro Day 2019 survey: Building Confidence for Tech Pros of Tomorrow. The survey results explore what tech pros need to build confidence in managing both today’s hybrid, distributed tech environments and the complex environments of tomorrow. The survey supports IT Professionals Day, which is observed on the third Tuesday of every September (September 17, 2019), and emphasises appreciation for IT professionals, the critical role they play in end users’ lives, and in operating successful, modern businesses. This year’s findings reveal how technology professionals can prepare for the future.
“Tech pros may know where they want to go, but the road to career confidence can be challenging,” said Joe Kim, executive vice president, engineering, and global chief technology officer, SolarWinds. “Mapping out the necessary skills and understanding how best to gain those competencies can be difficult, as proven by our annual IT Trends Report from earlier this year. For IT Pro Day 2019, we’ve taken it a step further by exploring how tech pros can skill up and become more confident, and how we can help them on their path for career confidence. We’re excited to celebrate the fifth annual IT Pro Day by shedding light on their needs and dedication to their field.”
Tech pros are feeling the impact of the skills gap. Sixty percent of survey respondents have not actively pursued a new skill or completed a certification in the last six months; nearly 50 percent of tech pros who did start a certification process did not complete it due to lack of time to commit.
The IT Pro Day 2019 survey reveals how business leaders and tech pros can work together to address the need to upskill. Survey results found increased support and budget from IT and business leaders are the top two requirements for tech pros to become confident managing current and future tech environments. At the same time, developing skills in interpersonal communications is critical for continued career growth.
“Now more than ever, technology professionals work alongside business leaders to meet organisational goals. At the same time, they must keep up with the tremendous amount of work and responsibility that comes with managing today’s complex tech environments,” added Kim. “For the past 20 years, SolarWinds has dedicated itself to helping tech pros solve problems the way they want them to be solved. To celebrate the fifth annual IT Pro Day, we want to address this skills gap and empower tech pros to take their careers into the future.”
“At SolarWinds, we focus on enabling the IT pro with training resources and a user community where they can connect with other tech pros like them. Whether through our customer Success Center, our MSP Institute, and SolarWinds Academy, our THWACK® community of over 150,000 registered members, our annual, virtual, online learning event THWACKcamp™, our SolarWinds Empower MSP, our bi-annual partner event, or in educational programming like SolarWinds Lab™ and TechPod™, we want to help make IT pros’ jobs easier, so they can drive even more success for the businesses they support,” Kim said.
Key Findings
The IT Pro Day 2019 survey: Building Confidence for Tech Pros of Tomorrow polled global technology professionals to gain insight into the skills gap and how it’s being addressed from their perspective and by the organisations they support.
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- Nearly 60% of survey respondents have not actively pursued a new skill or completed a certification in the last six months.
- Some tech pros attempted to pursue a new skill: 63% of survey respondents started a certification process (such as Microsoft®, Cisco®, AWS®, VMware®) but did not complete the course.
- Nearly half (47%) cited lack of time to commit to completing the course as the reason they stopped before completion.
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- Organisations are working to resolve the data centre labor shortage in ways that resonate with tech pros.
- In-company trainings ranked as a top-three tactic for addressing the labor shortage, with 35% of respondents selecting this option.
- Similarly, the majority of survey respondents (54%) cited full-day in-person workshops as providing the most value for the time spent when it comes to IT skills training materials.
- Organisations using automation to address this gap (31%) point to business investment in new ways to help their staff develop skills.
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- Developing soft skills is becoming increasingly important in driving career growth.
- Nearly half of survey respondents (46%) cited interpersonal communications skills as most critical for their continued career growth. Other top skills included:
- Project management: 56%
- Public speaking/presentations: 52%
- While most tech pros feel confident communicating with business leaders, they’re not always equipped with the support and tools necessary to do their jobs effectively.
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- The top two requirements for tech pros to become confident managing current and future environments are:
- Increased budget/additional resources: (64%)
- More support from IT or business leadership: (48%)
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- Most tech pros feel comfortable communicating with business leadership when it comes to requesting technology purchases and investing time/budget into team trainings:
- Forty-four percent are very comfortable and nearly 50% are somewhat comfortable
- Skills in application performance management (APM) are becoming increasingly necessary for tech pros across disciplines to possess. Tech pros have an appetite to develop APM skills further.
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- Respondents cited application support, troubleshooting, and monitoring as responsibilities they are tasked with falling outside their core job description.
- Specifically, 53% cited user experience monitoring of applications as an additional required skill to develop to confidently manage their environment, which points to the continued prioritisation of an exceptional end-user experience.
Fielded in August 2019, the survey was conducted by SolarWinds and yielded responses from 177 technology professionals from across the globe, including those from public and private sectors.
IT Professionals Day
IT Professionals Day annually recognises and celebrates all IT professionals, regardless of discipline. Whereas holidays such as System Administrator Appreciation Day recognise one category of the profession, IT Professionals Day honours not only system administrators, but network engineers, database administrators, information security professionals, developers, MSPs, IT support technicians, and all other professionals serving in IT-related roles. Please visit ITProDay.org to learn more.
Additional Resources
Connect with SolarWinds
 The Chartered Institute of Journalists (CIOJ) has persuaded the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office to consider reporting more detailed information about warrants seeking journalists’ digital data and information that could identify their sources.
The IPCO is the oversight body set up by the controversial Investigatory Powers Act 2016, which is also known as ‘The Snoopers’ Charter.’
Institute Vice-President, Professor Tim Crook, has been asking for more detail about when state investigation bodies have applied to Judicial Commissioners for access to journalistic data that could be confidential information, or breach the protection of journalist sources.
Up until the present time the IPCO has only reported that in 2017 public authorities made a total of 755 applications to acquire data which related to persons who held sensitive professions and these could have related to ‘lawyers, journalists, members of parliament, ministers of religion or doctors.’
Professor Crook complained to the IPCO that given the importance of Article 10, freedom of expression rights to protect journalists’ confidential information and sources, this level of reporting was inadequate.
He said: “The 2017 report only stated that IPCO inspectors found no instances of the legislation being used ‘improperly to identify journalistic sources’. We need to know about those ‘proper’ instances when it has actually been used to reveal sources.”
He has asked for the exact figure of the times interception and use of journalistic data has been approved of by the judicial commissioners who evaluate the applications in secret.
The Institute believes the IPA 2016 legislation is a very poor substitute for the scrutiny of the courts under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984, when production orders against journalists have to be decided by judges with the parties represented by counsel.
The IPCO Legal and Policy Team told Professor Crook: “we will consider whether to include the information you have requested in the IPCO’s next annual report.”
The IPCO have defended their decision not to release any interim figures and information on the basis that they are “required to ensure that we do not cause national security or law enforcement concerns through the information we publish.”
Air quality research in Manchester has received a significant boost with the announcement of funding from two programmes, totalling nearly £2m.
The funding was announced at the launch of two Manchester-based research projects to help tackle air pollution; the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) air quality supersite, and the Manchester Urban Observatory.
The NERC supersite – one of three being established in the UK – will make continuous measurements of air quality at a higher level of detail than is provided by existing monitoring stations. Dr James Allan, a researcher at The University of Manchester said: “The measurements will help us to better understand air pollution in UK cities, in terms of the sources of pollution and the processes by which it evolves in the atmosphere.”
The Manchester Urban Observatory will consist of a network of mobile devices that can be deployed around the city to develop and monitor solutions to urban challenges in real world settings. It builds on the successes of smart city projects including Triangulum and CityVerve that have developed data-driven approaches to smart and sustainable urban development in Manchester. 
Data from the two sites is generated in real time, and is open source, something Dr Allan says; “Will be of use to policymakers, allowing them to make the best-informed decisions. The data can also be utilised by the medical research community, helping them to understand the effects of air pollution on people living in the cities.”
Together, the two projects will combine expertise from the Manchester Environmental Research Institute, the Manchester Urban Institute, the Data Science Institute and Digital Futures. A key aim of the projects is to promote internal and external researchers to come and use the equipment and collaborate with The University of Manchester.
The funding is being provided by the UKRI Clean Air Strategic Priorities Fund, alongside the EPSRC UKCRIC. Manchester is currently the only city in the UK to receive the combination of both of these capital investments.
The launch event was attended by city officials, including Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council and Eamonn Boylan, Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester, alongside Friends of the Earth and Public Health England. It is hoped that the plans will help Greater Manchester achieve its goal of becoming a green city region.
Eamonn Boylan said: “Greater Manchester has bold ambitions to become a world-leading green city-region – it’s at the heart of everything we do. It’s great to have Manchester as the home of this new air quality supersite, one of just three in the UK.
“The data and insight it will give us into air pollution and its local sources will be invaluable in helping us reach our goal for a cleaner, greener, climate-resilient city-region that is carbon neutral by 2038.”
Top Trust nationwide for A&E performance provides clinicians in emergency care with secure ‘tap and go’ access to NHS spine enabled applications
Imprivata®, the healthcare IT security company, has announced that North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has deployed Imprivata Spine Combined Workflow to deliver secure, No Click Access® to applications on the NHS Spine at the point of care. Using Imprivata OneSign®, clinicians in A&E, the Rapid Access Clinics and the Emergency Assessment Unit can now access NHS Spine applications and see the summary care records for each patient. NHS Spine allows information to be shared securely through national services such as the Electronic Prescription Service, Patient Summary Care Records and the e-Referral Service. As a result, the Trust has seen improved efficiency, security and data governance.
 Using Imprivata OneSign, staff only have to remember one password to access 21 applications and can focus on patient care and utilise essential clinical applications quickly, while workflows have been designed to complement daily activities. Users access the NHS systems with their own smart cards, providing accurate audit logs and ensuring that diagnostic tests and prescribed medications are attributed to the correct clinician.
Chris Bellerby, ICT Specialist, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust said: “Fast access to NHS spine enabled applications has been a game changer for us, the benefits from Imprivata have been immediate.
“We have eliminated unsecure practices such as leaving cards in workstations, sharing credentials and writing passwords down on notes stuck to monitors. This has not only improved security practices but also audit logs ensuring compliance with CQC guidelines. Implementing Imprivata has been a leap forward in achieving digital transformation, improving patient care and enabling staff to work without technological barriers.”
Mr R D Southward, Consultant Emergency Medicine, Consultant Sport & Exercise Medicine, North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust said: “Imprivata makes my life a lot easier managing multiple logins. It is a big step forward on Information Governance in a busy department with large throughput and multi-device working.”
Nick Roper, Consultant Physician, Clinical Lead, Responsive Care at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust added; “Imprivata speeds up the use of PCs saving valuable clinical time. It also reduces Information Governance risk as cards are not left in machines.”
 In addition to mobile desktop and laptop units, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust operates a virtual desktop environment using Citrix XenApp. Imprivata Virtual Desktop Access® extends the single sign-on capabilities to virtual desktops, allowing several users to log in and out of the system, with a tap of their smart badge, without interrupting their session. The Trust also intends to roll Imprivata OneSign to the operating theatres, where time and access to essential patient information are critical factors in care.
Daniel Johnston MRes, RN, and Clinical Workflow Specialist at Imprivata, said; “In all NHS Trusts, A&E, the Rapid Access Clinics and the Emergency Assessment Unit are fast-paced environments where timely decision making is absolutely vital. As a top performing NHS Trust, North Tees has received recognition in its A &E department for its focus on delivering the best possible patient care. Imprivata’s solutions help to support healthcare providers like North Tees by providing fast, secure and compliant access and management for the systems, applications, and data that the clinicians need at the point of care.”
 Reporter: Seymour Roach
Data encryption is nothing new as a need or requirement for an organisation, but since the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force last May, it allows anyone in the Government or public sector a simple and effective way to comply with the legislation.
Article 32 requires “the pseudonymisation and encryption of personal data” and while it is by no means a get out of jail free card, it is a defence. That is because Article 34 suggests that should a breach take place, when data is encrypted, there is no requirement to contact each of the subjects affected by this data loss, something which could prove costly in time, effort and money.
Encryption procedures make achieving compliance a far more attainable goal. For the average employee and contractor working on a corporately-supplied device or through a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, it should be automatic and invisible, embedded within a holistic information security plan.
Organisations are not concerned whether primary numbers, multiple algorithms, symmetric and asymmetric keys or a plethora of three letter acronyms are used. They just want to know it works and can be trusted. If the bits and bytes at risk on their devices are impossible to read, any attack will fail.
Keeping data secure is imperative to any organisation handling sensitive information but it is especially prescient to Government. We have seen in the past newspaper headlines telling how devices – whether laptops, mobile phones or removable media such as USBs – were lost or stolen, and they contained hugely sensitive security plans, phone numbers or addresses.
One key point of an encryption approach is to have everything as locked down as possible and ensure all PII is encrypted in transit and at rest. This should include the mandating of a FIPS certified, hardware encrypted mobile storage device and the enforcement of its use.
Encryption must be correctly implemented with sufficiently strong encryption keys. Ideally these would be protected in hardware, meaning the only method of attack left is brute force which, if managed correctly within the device, can be limited to a defined number of attempts by policy. Additionally, policies focused on whitelisting and locking down USB ports so they can accept only approved devices, are also vital.
Encryption is especially crucial for work carried out off-site, at home, or on the move. For example, research by Apricorn found half of respondents (44%) agreed their organisation expects their mobile workers to expose them to the risk of a breach. A third (32%) also said their organisation has already experienced a data loss or breach as a direct result of mobile working.
This is why organisations must take time to research, identify and mandate corporate-standard, hardware encrypted devices. They must also educate employees on the best practice in using them to mitigate the risk of a breach and potential fines.
This will take some effort across government and public sector departments but in the digital age when data is taken, sorted and used in transit or the cloud or simply sits there at rest, the potential for it to be compromised is huge. It is important though that encryption is not focused solely on the storage layer as this leaves other unprotected points vulnerable to attacks.
Without the right encryption, data can be taken as easily from internal servers as it can during external wireless transfers. This can be down to sophisticated hacking techniques or simply due to complacency or human error. So it is vital to remember that you can encrypt your data at many levels and ultimately it must be a top level decision and action. The end user should never be left with a decision to encrypt or not.
SPINR, the data and API integration company, announced they are working with SYFR to facilitate data sharing between public sector organisations and the fire and rescue service. Only by working together in this way is it possible to identify those in need, so that targeted home visits can be carried out to the elderly and most vulnerable members of the community, ensuring they receive a full fire risk assessment.
The scheme embraces all partners and local organisations working together to effectively identify people from high risk and excluded groups. Some of the people considered most at risk are:
- Over 65
- Live alone
- Have a physical or learning disability
- Have a sensory or cognitive impairment, including dementia or memory loss
- Take any medication that may affect their ability to react to or escape from fire
- Are unable to protect themselves from harm in any way
SYFR store their own data internally in their IT systems, as do the other local partners involved in the scheme. However, only by sharing information is it possible to effectively identify and target resources at people most at risk of fire injury. SYFR has been on a digital transformation journey for some time, marking them out as one of the most ambitious and forward-thinking fire and rescue services in the UK. Assisting them to fulfil this transformation is SPINR’s sister company Shaping Cloud, from which the SPINR licence was purchased through G-Cloud 10.
The data sharing capability provided by SPINR signals the beginning of what is possible when public services organisations work together to protect vulnerable citizens. SYFR intend to continue to introduce these working arrangements with other partners, including local police forces and NHS trusts. The purpose is to enhance the accuracy of the information held by SYFR regarding people living throughout the region that fall into any of the high-risk categories. Enriching their own in-house data with information held by partners means the fire service could be notified immediately to changes. Working in partnership to keep information as relevant and up-to-date as possible, allows fire crews to act in a highly efficient and targeted way.
 Steven Locking, IT Manager for SYFR said: “There is increasing evidence that people at greatest risk of fire-related death or serious injury are from vulnerable or hard to reach groups and are already known to statutory, private and voluntary sector organisations. It is therefore vital that local public services focus on partnership, working to improve identification and access to those most at risk in our communities.
We feel it is our duty to help promote this scheme by bringing our local partners together in the spirit of protecting the most vulnerable members of society. Only by enriching our information systems with readily available partner information, can we be highly responsive and targeted in order to get to the most vulnerable in time.”
Carlos Oliveira, CEO of SPINR and Shaping Cloud added: “We are proud to partner with SYFR and be involved in such an important life-saving initiative. This demonstrates how data can be used for the public good, something we are passionate about and is exactly why we developed SPINR.
The multi-year agreement with SYFR, is the ideal platform for us to work collaboratively to facilitate vital information sharing across the public sector throughout South Yorkshire. If we are to take the evidence related to high-risk groups seriously, then schemes like this are critical to the prevention of harm and avoidable loss of life.”
Reporter: Selena Darke
 L-R Robert Longley-Cook, William and Gavin Bashar A new report was launched in Parliament last month setting out the case for a deal for the learning disability sector, focusing on realising the potential of technology to boost investment and transform the way care is delivered.
National learning disabilities charity, Hft, supported by Tunstall Healthcare, produced the paper outlining the key arguments for an economic partnership with the government as part of the UK Industrial Strategy – a long term plan for the future aimed at backing businesses to drive productivity through investment in skills, industries and infrastructure.
The report, which was officially launched at the House of Lords, highlights the challenges faced by a social care sector in financial crisis at a time when demand is growing. Hft and Tunstall believe the successful negotiation of a learning disability sector deal would enable effective investment that could unlock the potential of assistive technologies. In turn, this would stimulate innovation and investment in future services, bring financial sustainability to providers within the sector, and ultimately deliver enhanced outcomes for people with learning disabilities.
To mark the launch of the paper, more than 100 guests, including MPs, Peers and civil servants, as well as social care providers and telecare organisations, attended a reception on Monday 15th July in the Cholmondeley Room, hosted by Hft Chair of Trustees and Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Baroness Jolly. Hft Chief Executive, Robert Longley-Cook, presented the need for a sector deal, and Managing Director of Tunstall, Gavin Bashar, highlighted the benefits of including technology in services. William, a person supported by Hft, also spoke about the positive difference that assistive technologies have made to the support that he receives.
 Technology has allowed William to live independently William, 22, from Bedfordshire shared his personal experience of how technology helped him to achieve his dream of living independently in the community. He uses a key fob to enter his home, which can be deactivated and replaced if lost, and has a lifeline phone and pendant alarm to use to call for help in the event of an emergency.
William, who has autism, said: “I feel safe and secure knowing I am only one button away from calling anyone at any time.”
The event also marked the official launch of Hft’s new Virtual Smarthouse. The online house showcases examples of assistive technology which different vulnerable groups can use around their home to improve their independence and quality of life, and increase their safety.
On the day, attendees were invited to pledge their support for the sector deal and had the opportunity to be involved in shaping what that would look like.
Robert Longley-Cook, Hft’s Chief Executive, said investment in the sector is desperately needed.
“As it stands, the learning disability sector accounts for around a third of adult social care spend in England and demand is growing rapidly as life expectancy increases. Despite increased demand, local authority expenditure has not kept up, leading to an anticipated funding gap of £5 billion by 2020.
“With the funding crisis affecting the sustainability of adult social care, the sector and the government must come together to successfully negotiate a learning disability Sector Deal.
“Assistive technology has a key part to play in bridging that gap. Effective investment could transform the way support is delivered to people with learning disabilities and increase their independence, ultimately freeing up staff to focus on more meaningful support.
“We believe a Sector Deal will stimulate investment and innovation and ultimately deliver improved outcomes for the people supported by the sector.”
Gavin Bashar, UK & Ireland Managing Director of Tunstall Healthcare commented: “We support millions of people around the world, using technology as part of person-centred services to enable independence and freedom. However, not enough people with learning disabilities are currently benefitting from the advantages that assistive technology (also known as telecare) can bring.
“Assistive technology can make a positive difference to people with all kinds of disabilities, and in a variety of living environments. As well as managing risks, technology can aid communication, deliver greater privacy and dignity, and give people more control over the way they live their lives.
“Tunstall is proud to support the Sector Deal proposal, and its aim of delivering wide-ranging economic benefits and progressing towards a better future for people with learning disabilities in the UK.”
 David Hancock Reporter: Stuart Littleford
The healthcare executive advisor at founder-member InterSystems wants the standards organisation to persist with collaboration and focus on adoption
David Hancock has been elected to the new role of vendor co-chair at INTEROPen, the collaborative set up to accelerate the development of open standards to enable health and care systems to interoperate with each other.
The election of Hancock, healthcare executive advisor at InterSystems, comes at a critical time for INTEROPen, which has grown rapidly from eight founders three years ago to around 350 members today.
The organisation has played an important role in shifting the attention of policy makers and informaticians from developing programmes and deploying systems to making sure that they can share information with each other.
INTEROpen is now looking at evolving its membership model to support a stronger focus on the take-up and use of standards to support patient care and service transformation. “It is not enough to be able to define standards,” Hancock says. “But to move to the next level, the organisation needs to become vendor-driven, because the best way to make standards stick is to get them incorporated into vendor products. That is why INTEROPen made the decision to create a vendor co-chair and, for me, the role is all about driving adoption.”
Don Woodlock, vice president of HealthShare for InterSystems said: “We are proud of our continued association with this important collaboration and we are delighted that David Hancock will be taking it forward for the benefit of the NHS, the health tech community, and everybody who believes in effective, integrated care as the foundation for a system fit for the 21st century.”
Hancock has more than twenty years’ experience of working in the health tech industry, having held senior roles at Oracle Corporation and Orion Health before moving to InterSystems in July 2015. He has been a member of the techUK health and social care council for two years and represented the trade body on the INTEROPen board until it decided to create the vendor co-chair position.
Reporter: Stuart Littleford
Wiltshire Council has taken a significant step forward by welcoming the first of a team of virtual assistants (VAs) to its workforce. The VA team will complete high volume, repetitive but critical tasks to free up staff time so they can focus on activities that really make a difference to residents and the council.
The council is using ground-breaking robotic process automation (RPA) technology; cost effective software that enables manual, rule-based activities across multiple systems to be completed at the most efficient time for our residents and services. The first processes have already been automated, enabling teams to deliver their services in the most efficient and effective way.
The payroll team was the first to benefit from this new technology. Automating a time critical and labour-intensive process has given staff the space to focus on where they can add the best value, and has given the council the capacity and confidence to take on more payrolls to support its commercial agenda. Another 10 processes are due to go live in the coming months, with many more in the pipeline.
Ian Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for IT and Digitalisation, told GPSJ: “This is a really exciting time and we have taken a huge step forward on our digital transformation journey.
“Leveraging technology is a key part of our strategy and will shape how we deliver our services in the future, in the most cost-effective and efficient way for Wiltshire residents.
“We are an innovative council, and we plan to capitalise on further technological advancements to deliver our business plan. Our staff have been enthusiastic in embracing these opportunities and are excited about the changes it will bring to the way they deliver services.’’
The council is working closely with Thoughtonomy and Microsoft to develop this automation and build in-house staff skills, so they can continue to automate further processes.
Phil Sheen, Head of Public Sector at Thoughtonomy, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Wiltshire Council, its members and staff to deliver the best services possible to residents, businesses and visitors to the county.
“Our strategic engagement with the Wiltshire team will see us continue to work closely with them over the coming year to develop their virtual assistant capability. This also provides a new range of digital skills which will be embedded in the council, and continues to demonstrate Wiltshire as a leading innovator in digital public services and citizen outcomes.”
This is a key part of Wiltshire Council’s digital programme, which will make it simpler, quicker and easier for residents to access and enable services, while delivering significant savings to the council.
For more information please visit: thoughtonomy.com
 Sergeant Kevin Milby A police officer who single-handedly tackled a man stood in the street covered in blood and armed with an axe has had his bravery commended with a prestigious award.
Sergeant Kevin Milby was last week named as the North West winner at the 24th national Police Bravery Awards, hosted by the Police Federation of England and Wales. The awards, sponsored by Police Mutual, honour and recognise police officers who perform outstanding acts of bravery.
Sergeant Milby received the award for his bravery after responding to reports from numerous members of the public of a man carrying an axe and covered in blood in Dalton in Furness.
He confronted the man, Timothy Nickson, urging him to put down the axe but he instead entered a nearby shop. The police officer followed Nickson inside before single-handedly physically restraining and handcuffing him.
Further investigation found that Nickson had, shortly before his arrest, forced his way inside an address and attacked a man with the axe, causing life-threatening injuries.
The incident took place in June 2017. Nickson was jailed for seven years in November after admitting wounding with intent.
Temporary Chief Superintendent Rob O’Connor told GPSJ today: “We are all incredibly proud of Kevin, his decisive actions clearly put the safety of the public above his own. I am so pleased that the Police Federation of England and Wales has recognised his actions with a Police Bravery Award, it is entirely well deserved.
“Everyday officers put their lives on the line to protect the public, but this incident went above and beyond on all levels, the man he faced was obviously dangerous, and was in possession of a weapon he clearly had already used. There was no room for error.
“During this incident Kevin’s displayed heroic courage and calm professionalism, his actions brought a very volatile and unpredictable incident to a conclusion with no injuries to the wider public.
“Kevin is a testament to the Force and I am honoured to serve with him.”
 L-R: Pictured at the Birmingham, Sandwell and Westside Jazz Festival are Cultural Leadership Board chair and Coventry City of Culture chief executive Martin Sutherland, Milda Stasaityte from jazz band The Schwings, Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street and Remigijus Rancys from The Schwings Local people from all backgrounds and representatives from cultural organisations across the region are being sought to help drive forward the West Midlands’ vibrant culture and creative economy.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has opened applications today to join its new Cultural Leadership Board. Residents and cultural organisations will lead the Board with support from topic experts and local authorities.
The aim is to link up organisations and residents across the West Midlands to maximise culture’s contribution to this young and diverse region and ensure all groups are empowered to lead, create and participate in cultural activities.
The newly appointed chair of the Board is Martin Sutherland, chief executive of Coventry City of Culture.
He said: “Culture has the power to bring communities together, stimulate economic growth, challenge accepted ideas and improve everyone’s quality of life.
“We are so lucky in the West Midlands to have a rich and diverse cultural sector that brims with talent, entrepreneurialism and creativity. But we also recognise that increased investment and support for the sector is vital to sustain the successes and create new opportunities across the region.
“With both the City of Culture and Commonwealth Games on the horizon, we seek to bring together residents and grass-roots organisations, and our region’s major institutions, funders and supporters to create a WMCA Cultural Leadership Board and we are now looking for board members who can help supercharge the cultural economy, to everyone’s benefit.
“All those who recognise the role that culture can play in enhancing all our lives – creatives, pioneers, innovators, activists, audiences and investors are encouraged to apply. We look forward to hearing from you.”
Cllr Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council and WMCA new portfolio lead for Culture and Digital, said: “Cultural activities have many economic and social benefits. These include increasing tourism, improving the perception of local areas, and enhancing community cohesion and wellbeing.
“Each year, more than three-quarters of adults in the West Midlands take part in cultural activities, including music, theatre and visual arts.
“However, some groups are under-represented, including young people. A key part of the Board’s work will be to identify more opportunities for these groups to get involved. I am delighted that organisations like Beatfreeks and the Positive Youth Foundation are committed to working with the Board and the new Young Combined Authority to achieve this aim.”
Amerah Saleh, general manager of Beatfreeks’ youth engagement agency, Young Giant said: “I am excited to know that young people are a priority in making sure that they are around the tables and have an influence on decisions. We are an incredible region because of our wide range of voices, it is a breath of fresh air to know young people are influencing more and more on aspects of life that affect them directly.”
Welcoming the launch of the Cultural Leadership Board, Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “The West Midlands is experiencing a renaissance and we need to make sure that economic development is partnered with diverse cultural offers for residents.
“In transport investment, housing developments and when reviving our high streets there is so much that can be done but it needs to be led by the experts and the local community.”
The Cultural Leadership Board has been set up to:
- Maximise the contribution of culture to deliver clean and inclusive growth in the region
- Encourage an accessible, sustainable, entrepreneurial and diverse cultural sector
- Support collaboration to enhance effectiveness and efficiency
- Explore the potential for new approaches to funding.
Members will be recruited on an open basis from the following two groups:
- Local residents from across the region, particularly from less well served groups such as young people; and
- Representatives from cultural organisations specialising in strategy, delivery and funding.
They will be supported by:
- Experts who are delivering on the WMCA’s key priorities, including health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, inward investment, regeneration and transport; and
- Local authorities.
Anyone who would like to join the Cultural Leadership Board should fill in this expression of interest form. The deadline for applications is 30 August 2019.
A new free guide has been launched to help organisations that handle payment cardholder information. The jargon-free document explains the complexities of compliance to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and what can be done to protect customers, their data and an organisation’s reputation. Developed by contact centre and secure payment experts at Eckoh, and available to the public sector through payment specialist allpay, the guide aims to provide essential information to help minimise card-not-present crime which is currently at an all-time high in the UK.
Simon Cook, Head of Compliance, allpay explains: “Data breaches are becoming increasingly commonplace, and the fines for the loss of personal records can run into millions of pounds. Potentially any organisation taking card payments over the telephone, web or mobile app, including councils and housing associations, are at risk. That’s why we felt it was essential to help reduce these risks by working with industry experts Eckoh to promote this free e-guide.”
Tony Porter, Head of Global Marketing, Eckoh explains: “As companies lock down their point of sale transactions, increase security in data centres and on websites, criminals are increasingly turning to the next weakest link. Crime targeting ‘card not present’ (CNP) transactions in the UK last year, was over £506 million and represented 75% of all card fraud and is set to rise to £680 million by 2020[1]
“PCI DSS compliance is relevant for any merchant or service provider accepting or processing payment cards. In the guide, we have outlined how to achieve PCI DSS compliance, ‘bust some myths’ and look at potential solutions to managing cardholder data securely. It is clear that organisations need to take rapid and aggressive action to prioritise making payments secure, and this guide can help those responsible for compliance make informed decisions.”
For further information and to download the free guide, please visit: www.allpay.net/our-solutions/credit-debit-cards/call-centre/call-masking/
[1] National Audit Office
 Reporter: Stuart Littleford
Web accessibility and language software company Recite Me has created a guide to help public sector bodies including local authorities understand and comply with new public sector web accessibility regulations.
The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 came into force for UK public sector bodies in September 2018.
These regulations set new website and mobile app accessibility standards that public sector bodies including local authorities must follow, although some types of public sector organisations (and specific types of content) are exempt.
The regulations implement the EU directive on the accessibility of public sector bodies’ websites and mobile applications into UK law.
In order to comply new public sector websites (published on or after the regulations came into force in September 2018) must follow the principles of World Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 accessibility Level AA standards by 23 September 2019.
Existing websites must follow the principles of the WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards by 23 September 2020.
The guide is available now via Recite Me’s website and it gives a summary of the regulations, plus information about what public sector bodies need to do to comply and how Recite Me can help.
To make a website or mobile app accessible public sector bodies like local authorities must ensure as many people as possible, including people with disabilities, can use it to do what they need to do.
One in five people in the UK have a disability. This number is rising as the UK has an ageing population and most disabilities are acquired with age.
So the older we live, the more likely we are to become disabled.
But evidence shows that most public sector websites don’t meet accessibility standards. This means they are inaccessible for people with disabilities.
For example, a recent study found that only 60% of UK local authority websites’ home pages are accessible to people with disabilities
The new regulations are set to change this and the guide by Recite Me will be a useful tool for public sector bodies like local authorities to help them comply with the laws.
Recite Me Founder and CEO Ross Linnett said: “All local authorities must take action now to ensure their websites and apps comply with the requirements and deadlines set out in the new public sector accessibility regulations.
“The guide Recite Me has created will give local authorities a very clear idea of what the regulations cover and what needs to be done to comply with them, by when.
“Although complying with the new regulations may be challenging, having an accessible website that follows the principles of WCAG 2.1 global web accessibility guidelines is a great way for local authorities to reach a wider audience.”
 Ruth Smith, Chief Operations Officer, Christchurch Group Winner of Health Investor’s Best Complex Care Award 2018 Christchurch Group – the UK’s leading provider of award-winning clinically-led neurorehabilitation1 services designed to improve the function, reduce symptoms, and enhance the well-being of patients with acquired brain injury (ABI), spinal injury and other neurological conditions – has promoted Ruth Smith to Chief Operating Officer.
Ruth – who demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities in her former role as Director of Operations – will be responsible for further improving the company’s post-acute neurorehabilitation services at its 10 centres located across the UK, 100 % of which are rated ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. She will also lead her team to further improve the company’s already outstanding outcomes for patients, 86% of whom return home after a period of rehabilitation.
Other tasks that fall within her remit include overseeing marketing initiatives, implementing effective business practices, delegating responsibilities to ensure staff members grow as capable participants of the team and spearheading coaching initiatives to optimise employee capabilities. She will also be responsible for controlling company costs and preparing timely and accurate reports on financial performance.
Commenting on her promotion Richard McKenzie, CEO, said, “As Director of Operations Ruth delivered outstanding results and lasting improvements. Under her leadership Christchurch became the ‘only’ UK healthcare specialist to have achieved Headway Approved Provider status for ‘all’ its services. The value of accreditation goes beyond a competitive distinction from other service providers – it demonstrates commitment to continuous service improvement and ensuring a workforce trained and skilled in working with individuals with brain injury.
“Ruth is an individual of proven integrity, who employs role-models-values-based leadership to command the confidence and trust of all stakeholders. She has a clear understanding of our Group’s core values and culture, possesses significant business acumen and a sound understanding of our business strategies. Her promotion to the position of Chief Operating Officer is very well deserved.”
Concluding, Ruth Smith said, “Having spent 18 years in the NHS and independent healthcare sector as a qualified Nurse and Health Care Manager responsible for regulatory compliance and quality assurance, I am thrilled to have been promoted to Chief Operating Officer for Christchurch Group. In the future I plan to continue to grow and develop effective services for all our patients, to build further strategic partnerships with the NHS to provide effective solutions to meet the rehabilitation needs of the UK’s population and drive forward the vision of the Group and core values, building on its outstanding reputation.”
- Neurorehabilitation is a complex medical process which aims to aid recovery from a nervous system injury, and to minimise and/or compensate for any functional alterations resulting from it.
 Graham Jarvis By Graham Jarvis, Freelance Business and Technology Journalist
Early in 2019 Brian Chidester, Senior Industry Lead for Public Sector at OpenText, wrote about the trends that will affect the public sector this year. In his blog for the company, it stated that ‘2019 technology trends driving IT modernisation in the Public Sector’, he says that IT security is of paramount importance to the public sector, alongside the need to improve service delivery and achieving cost savings.
Referring to a Gartner report about understanding cloud adoption in government, he comments: “As governments continue to migrate to the cloud, organisations must ensure their shift to the cloud is both cost-effective and secure. This may mean reconsidering how to think about the cloud, improve security and leverage implementation options.”
In the United States, this all amounts to a change in strategy from being Cloud First, to becoming Cloud Smart. “In 2019, shifting from a Cloud First to a Cloud Smart focus will help public sector organisations make sound decisions that will drive modernisation. While ‘Cloud Smart’ is a U.S. government initiative, it focuses on the integration of cloud security, procurement and workforce strategies — it’s a logical next step for governments around the globe. Thinking through the details will help agencies create better and more flexible strategies for implementation, security and acquisition.”
Think strategically
 David Trossell, CEO and CTO of Bridgeworks David Trossell, CEO and CTO of Bridgeworks, agrees that it’s important to think strategically about what’s required because the push towards digital government, through digital transformation, can still lead to mistakes being made. They can also be quite costly: the larger the project, the greater the cost and potential reputational damage. However, by being smarter and more flexible, it should be possible to avoid these consequences.
Cloud computing is, therefore, the backbone of this digital agenda because it’s seen as a way to reduce capital expenditure in favour of operational expenditure. Government and public sector organisations have also learnt to accept cloud computing, despite past concerns over security. While bodies, such as the DVLA and even the NHS, are still prone to hacking attacks and data breaches, the fears of cloud computing have largely gone away as the fears of the unknown have dissipated. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that the threat has gone away whatsoever.
He adds: “Security is not the responsibility of the cloud provider because that still resides with the user. Seeding data is a big problem for large data sets. Many are still using the cloud as another storage level; or using it to provide that back-up and an offsite disaster recovery facility.” There’s also the problem that may mean government and public sector organisations could find themselves locked in by some of their cloud service providers – despite the need for flexibility.
Broader perspectives
Deloitte also comments in its article, ‘Tech Trends 2019: UK Government and Public Services Perspective’, that the government and public sector IT perspectives are growing broader and more complex to the point that IT leaders in the sector are under pressure to use the latest technological advances, while also learning from the past decades. It says cloud, analytics and the creation of a digital experience have become the new normal with potential to still be leveraged with the sector.
The article comments: “The importance of technology to the business continues to increase. “Teams should evolve their capabilities and practices to take advantage of the mechanisms to improve delivery, transforming their core as well as the public-facing services, adopting agility across the enterprise.”
It also cites the role that artificial intelligence is playing in the public sector, referring to how it is being used in the UK’s National Health Service: “The NHS is using AI and robotics to help put doctors back on the front line, instead of performing back office administrative duties. Hospitals have begun by exploring how to automate parts of referral administration, speed up triage processes and to calculate reimbursement. Initial proofs of concept are already producing strong results, suggesting AI has a key role to play in the future of the NHS.”
Reflecting on the push for digital transformation, it adds: “To make the most of technology adoption, public bodies are finding useful lessons in the private sector — and vice versa. Cashierless stores could serve as models for care exchanges. The NHS can use AI-enabled verification of eligibility that is now becoming common in the insurance sector. Public bodies could use AI and other digital techniques to screen recruits like the private sector is increasingly doing.”
Increasing data ingestion
The Internet of Things will also play an increasing role, which the OpenText believes will inevitably lead to increasing data ingestion management requirements: “Governments embracing IoT isn’t just about making life better for citizens, it also opens new opportunities for cities. For example, London was recently listed as the top smart city government in the world by the Eden Strategy Institute for their ability to gather, process and act upon data and information. Once cities start ingesting data in a “smart” way, they can continually improve processes and further extend tax revenues — giving citizens more for their money.”
Yet, behind all of this is the need to have a fast, efficient and reliable wide area network. WAN optimization and SD-WANs are usually seen as the answer to mitigating the impact of latency, packet loss and jitter. However, they quite often don’t live up to the promises made by their vendors.
SD-WAN limitations
Trossell comments: “SD-WANs are the new kid on the block. They are a great tool, and in the right place they are a great asset, but they don’t fix all the network issues when working with the cloud and datacentres. SD-WAN has many advantages over traditional, dedicated network links, as it has the ability to combine low-cost broadband and non-MPLS WAN connections. This includes broadband links that many cities have of 100 Mb/s or greater broadband connectivity. SD-WAN can also segregate different traffic down the most economic connection path; or combine many to increase bandwidth.” MPLS is expensive in comparison. This is a key factor when, government and public sector IT departments are still expected to produce technology that’ll do more for less cost. He therefore comments:
He adds: “Nevertheless, SD-WAN does not fix the two biggest factors affecting WAN performance: Latency and packet loss (especially if SD-WAN utilises broadband connections). Many think WAN optimisation, which is often part of many SD-WAN products, will solve these issues.”
“However, this can only work with compressible data – any data that is already compressed, deduped, or encrypted-which should be the default for all public service, cannot be passed through WAN optimisation. So, for most organisations WAN optimisation will have no effect in reality because it masks the effect of latency and packet loss by caching the data locally. The only answer to poor WAN performance is to layer WAN data acceleration over the top of SD-WAN.”
New approach
“WAN data acceleration approaches the problem from a completely different angle”, claims Trossell, before commenting: “Rather than trying to squish the data down to give the illusion of faster WAN, it tackles the issue of latency and packet loss and leaves the data alone. Latency is governed by the speed of light, and nobody can change that; the way to improve performance, is to make the best use of your pipe.”
He then explains that if you fill a pipe, a network, with large amounts of data using parallelisation you still have the same latency, while gaining better data throughput of 98%. Packet loss is minimised and handled by using artificial intelligence to address the packet size and number of parallel connections. Government and public sector organisations should therefore support their digital transformation projects, particularly as data volumes are ever-increasing, with WAN data acceleration. This doesn’t mean that they have to buy new infrastructure because much can be achieved with what they already have – including with their SD-WANs by creating a WAN data acceleration overlay.
SME innovation
Yet there is still a tendency to go for the large trusted OEMs. Trossell cites the old adage that says nobody got fired for buying IBM solutions. He questions whether this still rings true these days because there are many smaller vendors that are creating the technology innovation that is required by private, government and public sector organisations.
The UK government is, to a degree, recognising the potential of the smaller IT vendors by pushing for 25% of government procurement to go to SMEs. “Much of the innovation around networks, WAN and other areas is coming from the smaller nimbler companies that can enter a market segment with innovative products that large OEMs would not see as cost effective to enter”, explains Trossell. Bridgeworks is one of those innovative companies, and it can help government and public sector organisations to become smarter with WAN data acceleration.
Disaster Recovery Tips
David Trossell, CEO and CTO of Bridgeworks, finds that the quicker you can move data, the more options you have: “Cloud back-up is a cost-effective method of providing that offsite data security. However, the SLA for cloud providers is not guaranteed and so you need to play the cost-game against them. It’s cheap to put data into the cloud so seed your initial data to at least 3 different cloud providers.”
He also advises that, while storage costs are relatively low, pulling data out of the cloud is expensive. So, this should be the exception. By using 3 different cloud providers you gain flexibility to the point that if one suffers an outage, it should be possible to restore from another provider that’s acting as a disaster recovery site. WAN data acceleration broadens the opportunity to place data in different disaster recovery locations that are situated miles apart. The traditional way to tackle latency is to place disaster recovery sites relatively near to each other – within the same circles of disruption.
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust to be self-made digital exemplar with UK-first Alcidion partnership.
New partnership between Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and Alcidion will help realise the trust’s ambition to be a self-made digital exemplar through industry-leading product suite and support.
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust is to enhance its digital maturity through a partnership that will see it implement a health technology platform to transform patient safety and clinical efficiency for its hospitals and its local healthcare system partners.
The trust, which serves a population of half a million people over three hospitals, has announced a five-year partnership with Alcidion, the parent company of well-regarded UK health technology provider Patientrack. The trust will deploy the technology provider’s full product suite as part of its mission to be a self-made digital exemplar, also supporting ambitions to embrace artificial intelligence. It is the first such installation of its kind outside Australia, where Alcidion is helping other healthcare providers pursue similar visions for digitally-enabled, paper-free healthcare.
The contract will see the trust deploy Alcidion’s Miya Precision platform, Smartpage healthcare messaging product, and Patientrack e-observation and early warning system in all wards across the trust.
Teams across the hospital will benefit, as will system-wide integrated care. Nursing staff will have more time to spend with patients, and the means to prompt more rapid interventions for deteriorating patients. Improvements to patient flow and discharge will help the whole trust cope with increasing demand, and the platform will provide healthcare system partners with access to appropriate data that will enable care closer to home.
Neil Perry, associate director of digital transformation at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust told GPSJ: “Following a competitive tender process, we are very pleased to be working with Alcidion to implement its leading product suite across our hospitals. Alcidion’s solutions are the right fit to help us meet our commitment to use digital technology to improve patient outcomes and share these improvements with other NHS trusts. Alcidion is a long term solution partner for the trust, and we believe its technology can empower our clinical staff to make informed decisions and focus on what they do best – deliver excellent patient care. We are very excited by the possibilities in the use of artificial intelligence and natural language processing offered by the Alcidion solution.”
Designed as a patient safety platform, the integrated technology deployment will support electronic patient observations, electronic paper charts, clinical assessments, clinical noting, patient flow, bed management and electronic discharge summaries for GPs. Clinical teams will have secure online access to patient information 24 hours a day, where and when required. Alcidion will provide simple, rapid access to data and digital processes for frontline staff, through a mobile platform that will support rapid escalation for deteriorating patients, reduce the burden of paper and help address its reliance on pagers – a national imperative for the NHS.
The partnership will help the trust to leapfrog the digital maturity of other trusts as part of its self-made digital exemplar programme, created by the trust in the spirit of the national Global Digital Exemplar programme being rolled out with digitally-advanced healthcare providers across the NHS. It will also help align the trust with technology visions of the NHS Long Term Plan and health secretary Matt Hancock, and ambitions of the review into digital health in the NHS undertaken by Dr Eric Topol.
The platform will harness data from multiple systems, and provide a single dashboard for events inside and outside the hospital. This will help to support an alliance with the trust’s partner Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GSTT) NHS Foundation Trust.
“We will have real time clinical information to share into the Alliance’s Shared Care Record for when we refer emergency or elective patients. This should strengthen the Alliance’s ability to keep patients nearer to home, with the GSTT specialists able to better advise and inform Dartford and Gravesham clinicians on the best course of action based on the real-time data insights. We hope this will see fewer emergency transfers and more patients cared for locally,” said Perry.
The new partnership has had strong clinical buy in from the outset, and nursing leads have been clear on the implications of the new platform. Phillipa Wakefield, Dartford’s lead nurse informatics officer, said: “We have seen the impressive results of Patientrack at other hospitals in helping to improve patient safety and clinical effectiveness. With the additional functionality of Alcidion, our nursing staff will have mobile technology that cuts the time they spend doing observations, escalations and assessments. It will also help us reduce unnecessary deterioration, through earlier interventions and improved alerting and communication”.
Other advances made possible with Alcidion include the ability to use Miya’s natural language processing (NLP) capability to take free text clinical narrative and code that into SNOMED.
“The NLP capability of the Miya platform is very impressive,” added Perry. “The digitalisation of doctors’ noting is uncommon across the NHS; with Alcidion, this technology is built-in and makes achieving this goal a real possibility from initial clerking through to discharge summaries. Our surgeons and anaesthetists are keen to explore developing the solution for pre-operative, inter-operative and post-operative surgery with tight coupling to our ePresccribing and Medicines Administration system. We are in early discussions on the need for anaesthetic monitors integrations.”
Alcidion’s UK General Manager, Donald Kennedy, said: “Dartford and Gravesham is incredibly impressive in its digital health ambitions, and will become an important reference site as one of the pioneers of using real-time data and mobile devices to improve patient safety. We look forward to supporting the trust on its digital health journey.”
Alcidion’s Managing Director, Kate Quirke, said: “This is a major win for Alcidion, and is the first integrated installation of the complete product platform – Miya Precision, Patientrack and Smartpage – outside of Australia. This contract is solid proof that we can introduce an innovative new technology solution to the UK market.”
 Bath Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES Council) is extending its Videalert CCTV enforcement platform with the installation of additional cameras for an approved class C clean air zone (CAZ) that is expected to commence operation at the end of2020. This scheme gives exemptions to private cars but charges higher polluting buses, coaches, HGVs, LGVs/vans, private hire vehicles and taxis.
Videalert was awarded the contract to ensure full and seamless integration with the council’s existing hosted digital video platform which is already being used to enforce a wide range of restrictions including bus lanes, bus gates and permit parking.
B&NES Council was one of 28 councils directed by the government to prepare an action plan to urgently reduce high levels of nitrogen dioxide (caused by vehicle emissions) to within EU and national limits by 2021 at the latest. The authority had originally proposed a Class D CAZ, charging all higher emission vehicles, including cars, to drive in the city centre. However, following further ongoing technical work and a public consultation in December – which garnered an unprecedented 8,421 responses – a class C option with additional traffic management, was agreed. 
According to Chris Major, group manager for Transport and Parking at B&NES Council: “The new charging class C CAZ will achieve compliance by 2021 apart from a single exceedance caused by localised traffic issues. We believe this will be resolved by installing traffic signals at two junctions.”
Videalert will be installing HD ANPR cameras to enforce the new CAZ scheme at key road junctions across the designated boundary. The hosted Videalert platform will automate the management and enforcement of this new zone, providing real-time identification including vehicle make, model, colour and euro standard rating for pre-filtering and updating the whitelist of compliant vehicles held at the edge to minimise transmission costs. Information on non-compliant vehicles will then interface with the UK government’s new national clean air zone database for vehicle validation and payment. The system will also provide detailed analytics and impact analysis highlighting the reduction in non-compliant vehicles entering the zone over time.
 Tim Daniels, Sales and Marketing Director at Videalert, added: “The award of this high profile contract confirms Videalert’s ability to handle the evolving requirements of clean air and low emission zones. It also demonstrates how a single video data platform can support multiple applications, enabling councils to address the challenges of improving traffic congestion and air quality simultaneously.”
The daily charge will be £9 for non-compliant taxis, private hire vehicles and light goods vehicles (the minimum standard being euro 6 for diesel and Euro 4 for petrol), and £100 for buses, coaches and HGVs (the minimum standard being euro 6).
For further information please visit www.videalert.com
By Chris Berry, Managing Director, Liquid Voice (UK) Limited
Today’s customers have much greater expectations and organisations are increasingly having to demonstrate that industry regulations are being met and appropriate systems are in place to manage and protect the way in which their personal information is stored. Local authorities have had to find practical and rapid ways to achieve these standards in this new regulatory era, whether they hold credit card data within historical recordings or need ways of dealing with subject access requests and the ‘right to be forgotten’ under GDPR.
 Redaction Screenshot In addition to implementing systems that allow sensitive personal information to be stored safely, this new regulatory environment, which includes GDPR and PCI DSS, gives customers the right to decide how their sensitive information is handled. Local authorities now have a legal obligation to be able to identify, access, provide and, if requested, delete any recordings or other interactions that contain captured personal information within a one month period. This can be a major challenge when having to search through historical records with only limited useful metadata, unstructured storage and disparate systems
Data Consolidation
The challenge of managing data is magnified for local authorities needing to maintain legacy call recording equipment or manage risk for systems that have reached end of life and are no longer supported by manufacturers and their solution providers. Historical recordings can be easily and effectively migrated from systems, including NICE, Verint, ASC, Red Box, Xarios, Oak and many others to a new and fully supported platform without the loss of any data.
Automated Speech Transcription
Automated Speech Transcription is an effective solution to helps manage these large volumes of unstructured data. Having transcribed the spoken word, it allows organisations to search stored recordings for names and other useful personal identifiers which are not normally stored within recording systems and displays the results in seconds as text summaries ranked by relevance. These searches can include customer name, address or reference number where that data would not ordinarily exist.
As well as rapidly locating specific recordings, Liquid Voice data consolidation solutions allow them to be easily deleted as required within the right to be forgotten. This process is fully audited with the relevant security to permit or deny this privilege.
Redaction
The same technology can be used to automatically find and redact PCI or other toxic and sensitive information, whether held in stored recordings or other technologies including email, SMS, web chat and video. Data redaction has become a key element of the ongoing compliance strategies of local authorities that want to meet their regulatory obligations and is particularly important for historical data that may not have been captured under the most recent compliance environments.
Importantly, this enables compliance processes to be implemented without having to suppress or delete entire recordings. After rapidly locating all predetermined personal identifiers in recorded interactions and datafiles using Automated Speech Transcription, the Liquid Voice solution isolates and overwrites it whilst white noise is inserted over recorded audio files. If required, compliance teams can access all data with advanced security controls protecting it against unauthorised users.
Contact:
Email: sales@liquidvoice.co.uk
Tel: 0113 200 2020
Web: www.liquidvoice.com
….£250,000 per annum saved as a rolling desktop PC replacement programme isn’t required…
IGEL, a world leader in software-defined endpoint optimization and control solutions for the secure enterprise, today announced that Falkirk Council has implemented virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to provide workplace flexibility and mobility for over 2,000 staff and to enable it to assess and rationalize its whole office estate to make better use of its building assets.
In addition, VDI is allowing the Council to meet its Public Service Network (PSN)[1] compliance obligations and shift away from a continuous desktop replacement programme which was costing around £250,000 every year.
Located in central Scotland within half an hour of Glasgow and Edinburgh, Falkirk Council provides a diverse and wide range of services to over 160,000 residents including bin collection, education, home care, planning application services, social housing, fostering and adoption services and roads maintenance. The council serves the largest towns in the area such as Falkirk, Bo’ness, Denny, Larbert, Stenhousemuir and Grangemouth – Scotland’s premier port and home to its only major oil refinery.
Falkirk Council has deployed Citrix Workspace as its VDI, mobile device and application management solution, along with 600 IGEL multimedia UD3 and 100 powerful quad core UD6 endpoints in addition to 1,000 IGEL Universal Desktop Convertor (UDC) software licences. Supplied by I-KONIC, an IT solutions provider and IGEL partner based in Glasgow, this has put in place a flexible, easy-to-manage and cost-effective solution to support the future development of the organization.
Tommy Evans, Falkirk Council’s project lead for mobile and flexible working, explains, “Although it might sound cliché, moving from traditional PCs to thin client technology has genuinely been a paradigm shift for us. Along with mobile devices and iPads, staff aren’t now tied to a particular desk. They just login from any IGEL device and are presented with Microsoft Office and applications tailored to their specific job role. We’re trying to change the mindset of employees to make work an activity, not just somewhere you go from 9-5. We’re empowering our staff to work anytime anywhere, even from home so they benefit from a good work-life balance.”
This is a huge cultural change for the Council and is allowing it to introduce flexible and remote
working whilst ensuring availability of services to residents. Evans adds, “Even if there’s a snowstorm and people can’t get to an office, they can still login in and work as normal. VDI is also allowing us to review the buildings we currently have and exit old properties to lower our operational expenditure – helping towards making savings, which we hope will contribute to the approximately £60 million worth of savings which have to be made by 2023.”
Re-using existing IT infrastructure ‘sweats’ assets longer and saves precious budget
After a series of proof of concept tests with all well-known thin client vendors, IGEL was selected. This was for a variety of reasons:
- IGEL was the only supplier offering a software approach to managing desktops as opposed to just selling hardware. IGEL’s UDC software was particularly attractive as it has allowed Falkirk Council to turn its existing Windows-based HP PC desktops into IGEL Linux endpoints to not only facilitate easy management of them, but to extend the life of the actual hardware as well. Clearly this saves a huge amount of money given the hundreds of PCs involved.
- IGEL’s Universal Management Suite (UMS) means that the whole UD3, UD6 and UDC environment can be centrally managed with IT staff able to shadow desktops to offer fast helpdesk support.
- Compared to PCs, the IGEL UD3 and UD6 endpoints are quiet, produce less heat and are energy efficient. They come with an auto shut down feature too and turn off when not in use.
- Security has been maximized. The IGEL terminals are controlled by the UMS with the IGEL Linux OS ‘read only’. This means staff themselves cannot make changes to the endpoints locally or introduce security vulnerabilities as the desktop environment is ‘locked down.’
VDI simplifies desktop management across multiple locations
The use of Citrix Workspace means that the challenges and overhead of managing thousands of PCs across various buildings has been removed. Software updates are easily made as data and applications are all held centrally such that IT staff don’t have to traipse around machines updating things individually. Changes made in the datacenter automatically populate the connected IGEL desktops. This is key as PSN compliance requires councils to carefully manage the release dates of all key applications in use such as Microsoft Office and only be two versions behind the latest.
In addition, startup is now super-fast and takes seconds rather than minutes as was the case when PCs were used. Clearly this boosts staff productivity and avoids people wasting time as they wait for their desktops to ‘boot up.’
Furthermore, hardware maintenance has been drastically simplified as IGEL terminals have no moving parts such as hard drives and fans.
The Citrix Workspace solution is powered by HPE server infrastructure. The Citrix control layer is hosted on two HiveIO hyperconverged clusters for availability, each consisting of four HP ProLiant DL360 servers with the Citrix XenServer hypervisor. All virtual desktop workloads run from HPE Enterprise Moonshot System which is populated with 90 server cartridges across two chassis to deliver optimised performance. In total the council has invested around £1.8 million to completely transition away from PCs and put in place a much more modern, flexible and easy to manage desktop solution which – in the long term – is more cost effective.
Sean Russell, I-KONIC’s managing director, says, “As a Scottish-based IGEL partner and Citrix Gold Solution Advisor, it’s tremendously exciting to support Falkirk Council as they embrace virtual desktop and workspace technologies to boost efficiency and increase productivity. Our longstanding partnership with Falkirk Council, IGEL and Citrix goes from strength to strength with this transformation project. The never-ending rolling replacement of PCs has become a thing of the past, and users are able to access their applications and information from virtually anywhere.”
Moving forward, Falkirk Council is reviewing its office requirements. Evans concludes, “One thing that is particularly pleasing about the project is how the council has used technology to save money whilst giving staff tools to work more efficiently and effectively. We’re looking very carefully now at how we can release building assets through the use of Citrix and IGEL.”
Andrew Gee, IGEL’s VP Sales Northern Europe, says, “With all UK councils hit by budgets cuts, UDC is a smart way for them to save money and extend the life of any x86-based PC or laptop by converting them into an IGEL endpoint. It avoids perfectly good technology being thrown away. And it’s quick and simple to do with the device then easy to manage using our UMS software.”
For more information on IGEL, visit www.igel.com
[1] www.gov.uk/government/groups/public-services-network
 Reporter: Allan Roach
The refurbishment of a ward at Bristol children’s hospital includes printed ceilings.
Hospital stays for children striving against cancer in the Bristol area are now more positive and stimulating, thanks to Armstrong Ceiling Solutions and its chosen charity Rays of Sunshine, a charity that brightens the lives of recovering children by granting their wishes and providing support in hospitals.
A refurbishment of the oncology day beds unit at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, part of the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, includes acoustic ceilings featuring sky scenes and shoals of fish to reflect its new name as the Ocean Unit.
The ceiling systems donated by Armstrong, totalling almost 300m2, were installed for free as a part of a ward wish by specialist sub-contractor H + L ceilings- a member of Armstrong’s approved national network of Omega contractors.
The BioGuard ceiling tiles that feature anti-bacterial benefits for healthcare environments were finished with a coating of sky scenes in the recovery bay for older children, a school of fish swimming down a river in the reception/waiting area corridor, and a shoal of fish in a small treatment room.
They were installed by a team of three from H + L over two weekends, with the old tiles from the 10-bed ward being sent to Armstrong’s factory in Gateshead for recycling and the company’s streamlined TLS grid, which is up to 20% faster to install, replacing the existing suspension system.
Around 35% of the total tiles were white and screen-printed which Armstrong supplied with a number on the back so H+L could follow appropriate layout guidelines.
Armstrong became involved in the project after its chosen charity Rays of Sunshine identified the refurbishment of the ward, which had not been updated for 15 years, under its Hospital Ward Wish programme.
This works to, among other elements, decorate treatment rooms to transform sterile spaces into stimulating environments which provide a distraction and enable children to respond better to treatment.
The refurbishment of the Ocean Unit, which has two six-bed bays and four single rooms as well as four consulting rooms, and looks after all oncology, haematology and bone marrow transplant children up to 19 years, also included new wall art and furniture.
H+L director Darren Hopkins told GPSJ: “When Armstrong asked us to install the project we were more than happy to get involved. It was treated like any other job but the installation team volunteered themselves for the weekend work.”
And of the tile numbering system he added: “We have never had to work that way before but it was pretty easy to install by following the instructions Armstrong gave us.”
 Jane Sharpe, CEO of Rays of Sunshine, said: “A very big thank you to everyone involved in making this happen. The ceiling makeover will make such a massive difference to the children visiting the ward for treatment. It will make their time there so much more bearable and will put lots of smiles on lots of faces.”
Jane Thomas, donations co-ordinator for the children’s services division of University Hospitals Bristol, thanked Armstrong for their support in “transforming” the ceilings for the patients and their families.
She said: “The work completed by Armstrong Ceilings has made the area a brighter but still calm place for the children to be in, with the fish gently swimming through. Especially popular is the large bay under the tropical picture where the children can recover following treatment.”
Isabel Blanco, Armstrong’s marketing communications manager, said: “Our latest exercise for Rays of Sunshine was particularly rewarding as it was easy to see the difference the bright, fun ceilings made to the children.”
BioGuard tiles are cleanable and perform to Sound Absorption Class C and Clean Room Classification ISO 5. They are also 85% light reflecting and 95% humidity resistant and manufactured from 42% recycled content.
More information is accessible via the Armstrong Ceilings website www.armstrongceilings.com/commercial/en-gb/.
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