Warwickshire moves to Google Apps for Business to support flexible working

The Warwickshire County Council IT department has initiated a move to Google Apps for Business as part of its new ICT strategy to support flexible working for the council’s 4,500 staff members following government funding cuts.

Accoridng to Alison Ward, ICT Training and Development Manager at the Council: “The initial roll out for Google Apps for Business provided the ideal environment to introduce a new training culture in the Council which allows users to choose how they receive training.”

Warwickshire worked with cloud solution provider Ancoris’ Cloud Skills Academy e-learning platform and the company helped the council tailor the standard Cloud Skills Going Google site.

Ward has noted some points for other councils wishing to pursue a similar strategy:

• Ensure you have good links with the internal communication teams of the Cloud based solution you choose;
• Have a strategy for device selection, access methods, policies and guidance;
• Use the G-Cloud CloudStore to select solutions and services to simplify procurement;
• Use the project as an opportunity to review functionality requirements and avoid bespoke solutions.