Within the terms of the deal, BT will consolidate all of the Council’s existing contracts and associated invoices into one, removing the need to manage multiple accounts. Hertfordshire County Council will also benefit from improved service levels and a single point of contact for all service related issues.
The council has opted to deploy the BT Assured Service Extra service as part of their long term strategic plan to migrate existing voice and data networks to a converged network infrastructure. This will ultimately deliver cost savings, and enable the Council to roll-out new technology services that will benefit public services and employees alike.
Commenting on the deal, John Alleyne of Hertfordshire County Council, said: “Long-term we recognise the huge benefits that convergence can deliver – greater mobility and flexibility for our staff, improved customer communications through our contact centre, and vital efficiency savings too. This is clearly an ambitious transition plan and we welcome the phased approach that BT is offering.”
Mark Quartermaine, managing director, Government Services at BT, said: “Local government is investing heavily in new technology - in a bid to improve efficiency and to drive up the quality of services that they offer. The key to maximising this investment is to take a long-term view of what it is designed to achieve. This is exactly what Hertfordshire County Council is doing – and by putting the building blocks in place now, it will reap the full benefits of convergence in the future.”