Civica and InTechnology Partner to Extend Managed Data Services for the Public Sector
Specialist data storage partner reinforces managed services portfolio
20th August 2003, London... Civica, the UK's most experienced specialist provider of public sector software and services has formed a partnership with InTechnology plc, the UK's leading specialist data storage company. The partnership complements Civica's existing managed services portfolio and provides new and established customers with effective data security and storage infrastructure, an increasingly critical element in a sector driven by government directives for electronic service delivery and citizen-centric services.
Enormous change in the way in which the public sector delivers its services has led to an increasing volume of critical data and data communication within government organisations. Driven by a national focus on technology initiatives such as CRM, portals, document imaging and mobile data and combined with the spotlight of Comprehensive Performance Assessment, there has never been a greater need for effective data management in the public sector. Conversely, data loss is becoming increasingly damaging.
The Society of Information Technology Managers (SOCITM) recently reported that interest in Document Management technology is growing rapidly - 80% of councils now have document scanning applications (51% in 2000) and over 50% employ workflow techniques to move documents electronically around the organisation.
As more services become e-enabled and move online, public sector organisations are under pressure to accommodate the growing volume of data that needs to be stored and organised, as well as protect potentially sensitive information. Information systems and applications need to be supported by a highly available, secure data storage and recovery infrastructure. Outsourcing key functions such as application management, data backup and disaster recovery can also provide significant cost and operational savings.
For example, the roll-out of email to public sector and NHS workers is expected to result in an increase in storage requirements of up to 100% per annum over the next few years. The implementation of handheld computers, digital cameras and automated payment systems can result in an up to 1,000 fold increase in the storage requirements within Authority departments.
Building and managing a data backup and recovery system can be time consuming and costly. Through its alliance with InTechnology, Civica can now offer customers a highly available, secure data backup and recovery solution. Civica chose to partner with InTechnology's public sector division because of its considerable data storage and management expertise together with the effectiveness of its packaged offerings. This also includes access to InTechnology's superior managed services portfolio, its secure data centres - approved to the UK Government's 'Restricted' level - and a high bandwidth national communications network to deliver these online services.
Phil Wright, technical director at Civica said, "The combination of electronic government and citizen-centric processes with new technology such as video and image processing devices has resulted in a dramatic increase in data generation in the public sector. Data management and security is a substantial and growing challenge for our customers and represents an incremental business opportunity for Civica. Managing customer data as a service is a natural complement to Civica's existing public sector services portfolio, and customers will be able to benefit from a reliable, high performance backup and storage system at a fraction of the cost it would incur to build it themselves, saving time and resources while maintaining flexibility."
Tim Wilkinson, divisional director - Managed Services at InTechnology added, "InTechnology is committed to working with partners and we are delighted to be engaging with Civica, an acknowledged public sector specialist, to focus our efforts jointly on meeting the needs of that sector."
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About Civica Plc. Civica (www.civica.co.uk) is one of the UK's most experienced specialist providers of software and services to the public sector. Supplying many organisations in the UK, Australia and the USA, including over 700 local authorities, the company has an 18-year history of delivering effective software solutions to local government, police, healthcare, criminal justice and education organisations, and major commercial firms. Civica Services Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary, is an approved Prime Contractor for software in the UK Government's GCat procurement catalogue. The company employs approximately 500 people globally and has a record of profitable growth.
About InTechnology: InTechnology plc specialises in data storage, data management and the protection of business critical information. The company is widely acknowledged as being the UK market leader in this field. Clients benefit from expert solutions offering a genuine return on investment, improved efficiency and reduced risk. A powerful and unique range of Managed Data Services enables clients to back up their data to a secure, offsite facility using InTechnology's own purpose built, data centres and high speed network infrastructure. The company has an annual turnover of £260 million and 450 staff, the majority technically accredited to the highest levels. InTechnology's technical resource, specialist expertise in data storage and business experience goes back over 20 years.