Background
Local governments are continually confronted with the challenge of balancing significant cost savings while enhancing the delivery of public services to their communities. These services range from health and care to law enforcement and social housing, alongside driving economic and green initiatives. Merton Council, serving approximately 200,000 residents and 7,500 businesses in South-West London, recognised the need for change to improve community outcomes and optimise network service expenditure. The council sought to upgrade from outdated legacy systems to smarter cloud hosting solutions. In this pursuit, Merton Council partnered with Crimson, leveraging their expertise for a comprehensive digital transformation.
The Problem
Merton Council was ahead in adopting cloud technology, but faced issues with their existing hosted solutions. The service was unreliable, often resulting in outages without 24/7 support, which severely impacted public service delivery. Residents were hindered from using the online portal for services like reporting uncollected bins or booking training courses, and council workers were unable to access necessary files. The underlying system, built on outdated technologies, struggled to meet demand and incurred high maintenance costs. Faced with these challenges, the council terminated its existing service, further burdening the IT team and exacerbating system issues. Recognising the need for a sustainable solution, Merton Council sought a new partnership to transition to a more reliable cloud platform.
The Solution
The cornerstone of Merton Council’s digital transformation was the collaborative approach to address their needs comprehensively. The transition plan commenced with the migration of web services to avoid unnecessary expenditure on outdated platforms. Microsoft Azure was chosen for its security, reliability, and familiarity to the council. The migration facilitated better visibility, control, and scalability for the IT team. Crimson was brought in for their specialised expertise to ensure a swift and accurate cloud migration to Azure, followed by planning the integration of Microsoft Dynamics 365 to enhance council services with predictive, AI-driven insights.
The Results
Merton Council now benefits from a dependable cloud solution, ensuring uninterrupted web services. Over the past ten months, particularly during the coronavirus crisis, the Microsoft Azure-based system has proven invaluable. The council’s workforce has adapted to remote work, accessing files and collaborating effectively through Azure. The reliability of the online portal has improved community engagement with local services. Empowered by a stable platform, the IT team is now exploring further enhancements. With ongoing support from Crimson, Merton Council is implementing Dynamics 365 plans to deliver superior service to their community.