Information and Communication Technology Strategy 2013 – 2015 5.3.2 Atta… · Gladstone Regional...

Information and Communication

Technology Strategy

2013 – 2015

Revision 1

Gladstone Regional Council – ICT Strategy 2013-2015 2

Table of Contents Document Control ........................................................................................................................................... 3

1. Executive Summary / Foreward ............................................................................................................ 4

2. Introduction and Overview..................................................................................................................... 5

2.1 Strategy Purpose.............................................................................................................................. 5 2.2 Scope ............................................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Methodology..................................................................................................................................... 6 2.4 Challenges ....................................................................................................................................... 7 2.5 Current Environment ........................................................................................................................ 7 2.6 Future Landscape ............................................................................................................................ 9

3. Council Strategic Direction & Business Priorities ............................................................................ 11

3.1 ICT Strategic Drivers ...................................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Business Vision .............................................................................................................................. 12 3.3 Information & Communication Technology Infrastructure.............................................................. 12 3.4 Information & Communication Technology Funding ...................................................................... 12 3.5 ICT Guiding Principles.................................................................................................................... 13

4. Translation of Strategic Intent & Strategy to Activity ....................................................................... 14

5. Governance ........................................................................................................................................... 17

Appendices .................................................................................................................................................... 19

Appendix A: Resolute Gladstone Regional Council Review of ICT Report ................................................ 19 Appendix B: ICT Reference Group Terms of Reference ............................................................................ 55 Appendix C: ICT Risk Register ................................................................................................................... 58 Appendix D: ICT Key Values/Ethos ............................................................................................................ 64


Document Control

File Location

Document ID:

Revision Number

Revision Date

Author(s) & Position Brief Description of Change

1 31/08/2012 Graham, Simon

Manager Customer Relations Initial Draft


Manager Customer Relations Second draft – updated with feedback and input from ICT Reference Group


Manager Customer Relations Draft – Presented to Executive Team for discussion


Manager Customer Relations Final – Approved by Executive Team

5 11/12/2012

Graham, Simon

Manager Customer Relations Presented at Council Briefing Meeting

6 18/12/2012

Dendle, Cale

Director Corporate & Community

Presented to Council’s General Meeting for adoption

Distribution List Name

Role Function

Stuart Randle

Chief Executive Officer

Approve

Cale Dendle

Director Corporate & Community

Approve

Councillors

Council

Approve

ICT Team

ICT Services

Review/Feedback

ICT Reference Group

ICT Governance

Review/Feedback

Leisa Dowling

Director Planning & Environment

Review/Feedback

Mark Holmes

Chief Financial Officer

Review/Feedback

Paul Keech

Director Engineering Services

Review/Feedback

Managers Group

Managers

Review/Feedback


1. Executive Summary / Foreward

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a key aspect to assisting Gladstone Regional Council

achieve its organisational objectives. Gladstone Regional Council will come under continuing pressures both

in terms of the growth of the community and financially over the coming years and it is imperative that we

face these challenges by looking at ways we best serve both our internal and external customers and by

ensuring that we are efficient and effective in the way we operate. The use of ICT is a key enabler to help

deliver against these key objectives.

Many changes have occurred to our ICT systems and infrastructure since amalgamation but there will be

further investment required to support a rapidly changing environment. In particular this involves us being

able to work more effectively with our third party providers and interdepartmentally to ensure that ICT

investment and resources are aligned with the organisational needs. We will also need to position ourselves

better to enable our customers to interact with us through the use of technology.

The ICT Strategic Plan recognises the use of current and emerging technology is potentially fundamental for

enabling more effective and efficient delivery of local government services to the Gladstone Region, while

also enhancing Gladstone Regional Council’s role as an effective ‘enabler’ of community development.

The plan will shape our ICT services and defines our major ICT priorities over the next three years. The ICT

Strategic Plan will be revised annually to refine and adjust its priorities in order to ensure continued

alignment with the organisations business objectives.


2. Introduction and Overview

2.1 Strategy Purpose The ICT Strategic Plan encompasses a three year period and provides a realistic and achievable framework

against which Gladstone Regional Council is able to demonstrate that its use and management of ICT is

consistent with its strategic and corporate objectives, its results and corporate plan, as well as wider

government policies. This document provides insight into Council’s strategic focus and priorities for ICT

investment over the next three years and will act as a working reference document that guides and

underpins ICT decision making for all ICT activities and investment.

The ICT strategy sets out a blueprint to 2015 of how we will respond to the challenges ahead. The strategy

set out below supports the Council’s vision and corporate responsibilities and demonstrates how we will

continue to improve our services for the benefit of our customers and the Gladstone Regional community as

a whole.

2.2 Scope A primary focus of ICT management is the value creation made possible by technology. This requires the

alignment of technology and Council’s business strategies. This ICT Strategy is focused on ensuring this

alignment with the organisations needs is achieved in the most cost effective way.

The strategy will set out the future ICT approach required to deliver a set of key outcomes for our

stakeholders, those being our customers, staff, and Councillors. The ICT strategy is focused on provision of

services that manage and deliver information to the organisation, via technology and is supported by our

Computer & Telecommunication Policy P – 3.05.01.


2.3 Methodology

Corporate Plan

Operational Plan

Departmental Business Plans

ICT External Review & Other Corporate Strategies

Customer Expectations (Community and Internal)

Analyse these inputs to identify

relevant drivers for Gladstone

Regional Council ICT in order to

support the organisations needs

ICT Risks and Issues

Emerging Technology Trends

Develop ICT Strategic Plan based

on these Key Drivers


2.4 Challenges

The primary challenge for any ICT Strategy is the ability to articulate the relationships to business benefits at

one level and to articulate sufficient detail to make a practical difference on a day-to-day operational basis

when technology decisions are being made on a regular (if not continuous) basis. Understanding the

complex relationships between (and within) objectives, principles, standards, and how they relate to actual

people, processes, information and technologies across all of the layers (Business, Service, Security,

Applications, Data, Integration, Infrastructure and Property) can appear to be an overwhelming challenge.

Indeed it is a challenge that most people in an organisation grapple with on a day-to-day basis.

The ICT Services provided to the Council have evolved over the past four years since amalgamation. The

result of this evolution is a high-degree of availability and security of the major corporate applications, with

the level of security and design of infrastructure not always enabling the level of flexibility and mobility for

change which specific business units have desired. Enabling this flexibility and mobility whilst still

maintaining high levels of availability and security within a period of fiscal restraint, is the significant

challenge that this Strategic document will attempt to overcome.

2.5 Current Environment Gladstone Regional Council operates within a business and social environment characterised by continuing

growth in population, changing demographics, extensive legislative reform, increased use of technology

within society, wide ranging use of social media for communication, within the backdrop of significant

industrial development and all the challenges it presents.

Against this framework of change, the communities expectation of the range and type of services to be

provided by Gladstone Regional Council continues to expand. Council’s current ICT operational budget

represent’s approx. 2.4% of its overall operating budget. Findings by Gartner, an IT consulting firm, in 2011

stated that the average ratio for investment in the use of electronic technology, based on percentage of

revenue for companies was 3.5%, but for technology intensive industries such as financial services and

software services, the ratio can range as high as 6%.

Council has a current staffing level within ICT of 14 Full Time Equivalent’s which represents 1.9% of

Council’s overall staffing level. Currently minimal third party providers are utilised to supplement our own ICT

staff’s capabilities. The current period is one of fiscal restraint and our ICT Team endeavours to work within

these restraints to achieve the organisations desired goals, while focusing efforts on value creation to the

organisation and the business critical aspects of systems availability and reliability.


ICT Fast Facts

March 2008 (Amalgamation)

December 2012 (Current)

2015 (Future)

- 11 IT staff (690 total staff)

- 410 computers/laptops

- 60 servers

- 45 remote users - Approx. 2.5 Terabytes (TB)

of data backed-up at regular intervals

- 14 ICT staff (741 total staff)

- 653 computers/laptops

- 120 servers

- 106 remote users - Approx. 7 Terabytes (TB) of

data backed-up at regular intervals

- 93 network printers

- 129 CCTV cameras

- 593 voip phones/IAD devices

- 26 Blackberrys

- 50 iPhones

- 10 iPads

- 444 general IT service requests (average per month)

- 180 corporate applications service requests (average per month)

- Service request completion

times: 62% completed within 1 day 21% completed 5 days

- Based on current data it is expected Council staff numbers will increase by 1.5% per year which equates

to approx 33 new staff members from 2013-2015. - There will be a significant increase in mobile devices for business use across the organisation. - There will be a significant increase in data storage requirements for the organisation.


2.6 Future Landscape The world of information technology is one of constant change, many of the ICT roles that exist today didn’t

exist five years ago. For many in ICT the job they do today will be vastly different in the coming years and

the ICT services provided will be different in many ways. The speed of this change will continue to increase

and will drive the requirement for much greater flexibility within the corporate world. How applications work,

how you interact with them and how they are supported will present challenges to both the end user and the

ICT professional. Today’s ICT professional’s need new skills to grapple with the rapid advances in mobile

and social computing. Council’s ICT staff, will continue to focus on customer service and partnering with the

business to achieve its goals. The ability to review technological innovations and ensure its adoption is

aligned to the business need’s, will be a powerful skill-set which will aid in capturing the right information to

assist the organisation in making better decisions.

With the help of continually advancing information & communication technology, decentralised local hubs

such as Council’s Agnes Water RTC/Library & Community Centre will truly develop into something akin to a

21st Century Town Square, offering not just cost efficiencies, but also active, vibrant and engaging

community focal points. The identification and implementation of shared technology investment and the

potential for shared services with other Local Government’s and the potential to provide a shared services

platform for customer services has the potential to deliver cost savings and transparent efficiencies and

improvements. In this sense, the use of new and emerging technology will be central to the notion of place-

making in the years ahead.

IBISWorld an international corporation providing online business information, forecasting and strategic

services was commissioned by IBM to produce a publication titled, “A Snapshot of Australia’s Digital Future

to 2050”. This document highlights some of the significant changes that are predicted within Australia in the

coming years and the following provides a brief outline of some of those changes that will impact both

Council and the Gladstone region.

“ICT enhanced with the inclusions of ubiquitous high-speed broadband, analytics, learning systems and

cognitive computing is predicted to evolve from a ‘value add’ to becoming Australia’s new utility

Enterprise and workplace of the future

Teleworking will continue as a key trend, with possibly one in four people in the workforce working at least

partially from home if not full-time by the middle of this century. If so, we would have five million working from

home at least part of the time – taking millions of commuters off the roads.

As the new utility helps overcome the tyranny of distance, it will reinvigorate regional centres and some rural

communities, with teleworking enabling some jobs centred in capital cities to be relocated to the bush.

The boundaries will continue to blur between work and leisure, public and private, technological and human.

Businesses will incorporate community and customer collaboration into their very essence, providing

immersive cross-channel engagement with their stakeholders based around access to comprehensive real-


time data. Social media and networking technologies grow in parallel with an increasingly autonomous and

individually-empowered workforce, resulting in more horizontal business hierarchies

Future Trends

The report suggests that by 2020 we will see a massive increase in data usage. Australian consumers will

need a monthly data allowance of almost 200GB by 2020 and potentially five terabytes (TB) by 2030.

In terms of devices, the report anticipates that superfast broadband and technology will enable an increase

in haptic devices that have the capacity to simulate the sense of touch, based on a virtual 3-D environment.

In addition to these findings, the report looks further ahead to the direction that technology and related

applications may take. Some key predictions are:

• All surfaces could become potential interface points with computers, devices and networked

technology. This is already evident through the invention of electronic contact lenses and the

development of devices that allow users to issue computer commands using their own skin as a

touchpad. Other developments include epidermal electronic systems (EESs), which are microfilmic layers

of electronics that can adhere to the human skin like stick-on tattoos and have already been successfully

used to monitor human vital signs. EES technology could soon allow wearers to interface with sensors

and devices via proximity or touch.

• The development of direct neural control over devices and ICT systems. Brain-machine interfaces

(BMIs) have allowed animals to control robotic devices using their brain alone. The same technology is

now being tested in disabled patients but could extend its applications to broader human augmentation.”


3. Council Strategic Direction & Business Priorities

3.1 ICT Strategic Drivers This section describes the inputs that have been considered as the driving forces behind the ICT Strategy.

Consequently the Drivers for the ICT Strategy bring together both the business Drivers (e.g. Business and

Service Vision, Objectives, Strategy, etc) with ICT Technology Trends and Best Practice. The intention of the

ICT Strategic Drivers is to ensure that the ICT Strategy (on an ongoing basis) remains “Continuously

Business Relevant”.

ICT STRATEGY

CURRENTSITUATION

BUSINESSAND SERVICE

VISION & OBJECTIVES

TRENDSEXTERNAL

INFLUENCES

Figure - ICT Strategic Drivers

ICT Strategic Drivers/Priorities

Delivery of customer service excellence across the organisation is a corporate priority along with the

desire to improve the user experience & service delivery for both internal & external customers;

Growth in volume of data required to be captured and stored and system requirements is forecast for

Council. This is reflected by both Departmental requirements and ICT trends;

Mobilisation & support of the workforce;

Continue to develop flexible, resilient and stable systems & infrastructure;

Continue to develop a cohesive and customer focused ICT team;

Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery


3.2 Business Vision The Council vision and objectives of Gladstone Regional Council will be found within the Gladstone Regional

Council Corporate Plan 2013-2017. The aim of this strategy is to create an ICT environment that meets this

vision.

Gladstone Regional Council Vision Statement

To be the best Local Government in Queensland.

3.3 Information & Communication Technology Infrastructure Gladstone Regional Council has an information & communication technology environment based on

Microsoft operating systems (desktop and server). Microsoft SQL databases for the Council’s applications,

Microsoft Outlook with Exchange for email and calendars and Microsoft Office for front office productivity

tools. This Microsoft environment is relatively low risk and provides a wide choice of training and external

support options. Council has progressed to a Hewlett Packard (HP) hardware site due to its reliability,

performance, value for money, level of service/support and common platform which enables ease of

maintenance. The ICT team has a four to five year rolling upgrade cycle for its desktop environment. Council

utilises the services of a third party for the disposal of hardware that has reached its effective Council life

under a hardware buy-back arrangement.

Council utilises Telstra’s IP Telephony system (TIPT) for its business communication platform which again

provides reliability and cost efficiencies. Council’s major corporate applications include:

Technology One Financials

Enterprise Content Management DataWorks (ECM) is Council’s electronic document management

system

Aurion for Council’s payroll management & human resources software

Infor Pathway for Council’s customer service software

Council has a wide range of other software programs providing business solutions.

3.4 Information & Communication Technology Funding The ICT budget consists of a Capital budget and an Operational budget and is reviewed annually during the

Council’s budget process. The ICT Coordinator will consult with Council management in relation to any

expected ICT expenditure such as hardware, software, licensing changes, ICT support, maintenance and

any new projects that may require ICT resourcing. These items are factored into the ICT budget preparation

be it Operational or Capital. The funding for this strategy is subject to the normal business planning and

funding process.

If any business initiatives are identified after budget adoption that require ICT resources then funding needs

to be identified from a source other than the ICT budget. The scheduling of these initiatives will be

determined by the priority, against other Council initiatives, as determined by the ICT Coordinator, ICT

Reference Group and in some instances the Executive Team. New initiatives may need to be approved by


the ICT Reference Group, depending on size, risk, complexity and resource requirements upon presentation

of a business case outlining the benefits to the organisation.

Certain identified strategic projects in this plan are not optional and are required to maintain a viable ICT

operational capability and include projects such as the server virtualisation, software upgrades and network

enhancements the majority of which will be undertaken within current resourcing. The delivery of other

strategic projects may require additional funding and resources. The resource and funding requirements will

be determined through more detailed project planning and assessment.

3.5 ICT Guiding Principles To support the adoption of the strategy and assist in ICT decision making the following set of principles have

been established to provide guidance to all staff in the performance of there operational tasks. These

principles should be further developed over the course of the strategic timeframe and be utilised in context

with the ICT Policies, processes and management directives.

The primary purpose of ICT is to deliver services to the organisation and its customers. Therefore

the customer both internal and external must be the priority;

ICT decisions are based on Council being a conservative adopter rather than an early adopter when

implementing new systems & technology, in order to reduce risk to business operations & maximise

budget ;

Customer Care and supporting the business needs. The impact on both internal and external

customers and supporting the business needs must be a consideration in the roll-out and use of

technology.

Before starting a major ICT initiative, it must be supported by quantified business benefits, have

been costed effectively, using ‘Whole of Life’ criteria, and prioritised according to whole of Council

business priorities.

Ensuring we leverage existing investments in ICT systems already made; i.e. ensure we make best

use or extend solutions that we have in place where appropriate;

The ICT team will proactively investigate emerging trends and their fit for purpose in developing

solutions to business needs;

Ensure all stakeholders are identified and involved as required for each piece of work undertaken;

ICT solutions will enable business agility;

All ICT investment needs to add demonstrable value to the organisation;


4. Translation of Strategic Intent & Strategy to Activity

Strategic Intent

Strategy Operational Activity Timeframes Accountability Success Indicators

Quality customer service experience

Relationship management

Business partnering/enabling

Service orientated culture

Highly skilled generalists

Skill development (Tech/Service &

business understanding)

Effective efficient procedures

Staff empowerment/confidence

ITIL training in foundation and certificate level

(2013/2014) for ICT staff;

Project Management training;

ICT Service Desk Review of statistics (Ongoing

review of Service Desk statistics for business

improvement opportunities & training

requirements);

Process development & review.

Support for lower level decision making.

2013/2014 ICT Coordinator Staff Trained &

competent leading to

improved service

standards.

Staff feel empowered

and confident to

deliver strategic

outcomes.

High availability of Council ICT systems

Architecture design

Redundancy

Disaster Recovery/Continuity planned &

tested

Continue to maintain our system availability and

reliability goal of 99%.

Maintain ongoing systems upgrades and

replacements as required.

Develop pragmatic disaster recovery plans for

key events listed in the ICT Risk Matrix and to

periodically test them where practical to ensure

they will work.

ICT team have the right mix of skills and

capabilities to meet incident resolution

requirements.

Ongoing ICT Coordinator Systems availability &

uptime 99%.

Disaster Recovery

Plan is documented

and successfully

tested.

ICT staff deal with all

ICT incidents with

successful resolutions.

Staff Mobility Improve service offerings in mobility and

telecommunications to enable

contemporary mobile work practices

Mobility anytime, anywhere

Implement Mobile Device Management solution

(Feb/March 2013)

Research and present report to Council regarding

the suitability of mobile devices for business use

Feb/March

2013

March 2013

ICT Coordinator &

ICT Systems

Administrators

Mobile Device

Management solution

implemented and

providing relevant

benefits.


Video conference technologies

Desktop & support offerings

Web enabled portal

Self-service tools and portals

(March 2013)

Investigate and implement contemporary mobility

solutions (April/May 2013)

Research the suitability of Bring Your Own Device

(BYOD) policy for Council and develop a report for

ICT Reference Group/Executive team

consideration (Aug/Sept. 2013).

Investigate & implement self service options as

required (October 2013)

Implement suitable business solutions for video

conference technology (March 2013)

Microsoft Office 2010

Microsoft Office 2013 (timing of 2013 rollout will

be dependent on our major software vendors

upgrades)

April/May

2013

Aug/Sep

2013

October

2013

March 2013

Feb 2013

Mobile Device platform

Research completed

and Report presented

to Council.

Mobility solutions are

implemented and

providing productivity

improvements.

BYOD Research

completed and report

presented to ICT

Reference

Group/Executive team

Self service options

Research completed

and report presented to

ICT Reference

Group/Executive Team

E-Business Web and online customer service

delivery will continue to evolve and be in

demand and will require adequate

resourcing to ensure solutions are

provided in a timely manner.

Customer mobility – access/provide

mobile applications

Extend range of eServices

Enhance & enable richer customer

focused online transaction services,

making their experience easy, seamless

and efficient.

Allow greater customer control of

information they require.

Ongoing Corp Systems

Team Leader/ICT

Coordinator

Customers are able to

interrogate data online,

report issues and track

issue resolution.

A range of eServices

are provided for ease of

customer interaction

with Council from any

mobile platform.


Mobile Applications for eServices

implementation are reliant on Corporate

Application developers such as

TechnologyOne, Aurion and Infor to

provide Local Government solutions in

order for our in-house testing to occur

before we can release for use by both our

staff/customers.

Industry best practice ICT standards

ITIL framework (ITIL is the most widely

adopted approach for IT Service

Management in the world. It provides a

practical, no-nonsense framework for

identifying, planning, delivering and

supporting IT services to the business).

ICT Governance

Project/program Governance

Reputation development

Continue to develop an effective ICT

Governance Framework

Implement ITIL Training and ethos

Project Management Training eg. PRINCE2 or

other methodology in accordance with overall

business direction.

Ongoing

2013/14

Manager

Customer

Relations

ICT Coordinator

ICT Reference Group

providing effective

governance

oversight.

ICT staff trained in

ITIL and project

management and

skills utilised for

business

improvements.

Scalable, efficient ICT Council systems

Systems built with capacity planning

Ease of use

Must meet regulatory requirements

Continue to invest resources in our virtualisation

platform to consolidate our servers, speed

provisioning times and take advantage of a far

more flexible infrastructure, utilising Microsoft’s

Hyper V server environment. This will require a

change in our security posture to ensure

security of information and protect our systems.

It is recognised that traditional security

measures are no longer effective in thwarting

advanced cyberattacks.

Ongoing ICT Coordinator Business change is

supported through

improved system

flexibility and agility.

Systems security

measures meet

business

requirements.


5. Governance

Gladstone Regional Council is particularly focussed on establishing strong governance to underpin its ICT

Strategy to assure that the development of ICT Services is aligned to the ICT Strategy. A primary

mechanism to achieve this is the introduction of the ICT Reference Group whose job it is to oversee the ICT

governance structure and processes. The group is made up of representatives from each Department of

Council and had been nominated by the respective Directors of those Departments. These Officers are

supported by senior ICT staff members who provide technical knowledge and feedback.

The group provides guidance and feedback to the ICT operations team and offer recommendations to the

Executive Team regarding strategies, priorities, policies, standards and resource allocation. The primary

goals of the ICT Reference Group are to ensure that the Council’s investments in ICT generate business

value and ensure that ICT strategy is aligned with Council’s strategies and organisational needs.


Initiatives Implement ICT Strategic Plan Govern ICT to deliver strategic results Develope an internal cloud Engage cloud email & collaboration services Develop an innovative culture to achieve objectives Increased training for ICT staff in both ITIL and new software upgrades Customer service focus in line with ITIL standards/ethos Develop and implement periodic surveys of employees and Councillors –

opinion, service and satisfaction Analyse trends, monitoring and reporting for improvements Provide regular updates to Senior Management Group Upgrade Corporate Software to extend range of eServices for customers Implement a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution Research and recommend suitable mobile device platform as a business

solution Conduct pilot programs to resolve technical issues associated with mobile

computing Test and implement mobile applications for improved productivity for staff Review & collaboration with other Local Governments & industry sectors for optimal technology solutions to identify business improvement initiatives.

Staff Customer Satisfaction Medium

System availability & Security is very high but sometimes at the expense of flexibility & agility

Change can be slow Large Support Overhead Misalignment of ICT Goals

with Council’s overall strategy

Major risks to ICT systems have been identified but mitigation measures are not complete

Limited consultation with internal customer’s

Limited staff mobility

Improved system flexibility and agility

Defined and reliable service standards

Resilient & stable systems with 99% uptime

Disaster preparedness and recovery plan is documented and tested for appropriateness on a regular basis.

Meeting the organisation needs via ongoing consultation & collaboration

Innovative – Deliver high Value

Optimal ICT structure Easy ICT/self help Greater staff mobility

(leading to increased productivity)

2012 Current State Underlying assumptions Capital Budget remains available Operational Budget to increase Support of Management Group

2015 Future State

Gladstone Regional Council Information & Communication Technology Strategy on a page.


Appendices

Appendix A: Resolute Gladstone Regional Council Review of ICT Report

Gladstone Regional Council Review of ICT

1 June 2012


Contents

Executive Summary page 3 Summary of Key Findings page 3 Major Recommendations page 4

Gladstone Regional Council page 5 Methodology and Survey Process page 5

Quantitative Approach page 6 Quantitative Approach page 6 Methodology page 7 Assessment page 8 Benchmarking page 9 Key Findings from Qualitative Approach page 11 Scores by Quantitative Question page 12 Quantitative Questions Scoreboard page 13

Qualitative Approach page 15 Qualitative Approach page 15 Methodology page 16 Assessment page 16

ICT Strategy Model page 18 Qualitative Approach – Scope page 19 Qualitative Approach – Control page 20 Qualitative Approach – Delivery page 21

Assessment of ICT Performance page 22 Network Operation and Security page 22 Disaster Preparedness page 22 Applications page 22 Innovation and Flexibility page 22 ICT Performance Assessment Model page 23

ICT Risk Commentary page 24

Appendices page 25 Appendix 1 – Documentation Reviewed page 26 Appendix 2 – Interviews Conducted page 27 Appendix 3 – Survey Questions page 28 Appendix 4 – Survey Comments Summary page 29


Executive Summary

Summary of Key Findings

Overall Summary

GRC ICT provides an acceptable service in terms of operating the Council’s networks and existing corporate applications. Overall however, ICT fails to satisfy its key ‘customers’ who express frustration with ICT’s seeming unwillingness and/or inability to meet their changing needs.

Misalignment

There is an evident misalignment of ICT’s strategy with Council’s overall business strategy. ICT is focused on ensuring the availability and ironclad security of the major corporate applications, and it pursues these objectives with higher priority than most other requirements that the business units have.

Governance

In plain terms, ICT is ungoverned. It is not held accountable for its success/failure to meet business unit requirements, and its performance (budget excluded) is not reviewed by executive management. ICT uses its unique position of technical knowledge to justify its actions and performance. It has not been subject to technical review.

Infrastructure Risks

ICT has already identified some major risks but has not been able to complete mitigation measures due to lack of personnel. The potential consequences of not completing these measures are very severe and GRC should move immediately to address them.


D

F

Major Recommendations

As a matter of urgency, GRC must develop an ICT strategy which has input and support from the leadership of the business units, and which is aligned

A with the Council’s strategies and plans.

Establish an ICT governance body, led by the CEO, which convenes regularly to review the ICT strategy and ICT’s performance against plans, and to

B modify direction according to business requirements.

Create a function within each of the Council’s business units which is responsible for documenting the unit’s business requirements and for

C preparing business cases with ICT for Directors to be able to make appropriate business decisions.

As a consequence of the strategy development in “A” above, review the skills and resources of the ICT team, firstly to ensure they are aligned with the new strategy and secondly to ensure there are sufficient skills and resources to execute the new strategy.

ICT should be provided with the funding/resources required to complete the build out of the high availability environment. This should include funding for a

E process to rework current virtualisation instances to industry standards.

ICT should conduct a root and branch review of non-discretionary spending to drive cost savings which can be applied to piloting and implementing innovations that solve business problems.


Gladstone Regional Council Review Methodology

Methodology

The review and audit were conducted in steps:

Documentation review GRC provided documentation which was reviewed and analysed by Resolute. The documentation is listed in the Appendices. These documents provided insight into some aspects of GRC’s ICT function, especially in regard to staffing issues and disaster risk and recovery issues.

One-on-One interviews with GRC executives Resolute interviewed a total of 18 GRC executives and officers over 2 days. The interviewees are listed in the Appendices. Each executive was asked a series of questions which required a rating score from 0 to 5. In addition, each interviewee was asked to comment on the areas being addressed in the questions and to comment on any other issue considered relevant to the review.

Understand GRC’s ICT objectives and strategy There is/was no written ICT strategy for GRC. Resolute addressed the strategic aspects of the council’s ICT during the interviews with senior executives.

Collate and aggregate data All of the answers to the questions posed to the interviewees (i.e. ratings from 0 to 5) were collated and aggregated results were derived. The raw data of the question responses is listed in the Appendices. In addition, the major points of the unstructured discussions were extracted and summarised. The raw data from these discussions are also listed in the appendices.

Baseline identification and mapping The collected ratings data was analysed and mapped against typical IT industry service provider values, the Quantitative Approach. The unstructured data was also analysed and mapped into a typical IT strategy view referred to as the Qualitative Approach.

Modelling of baseline to current industry standards and practice The GRC approaches were compared to the typical IT values and the variations were extracted, analysed and developed into a report format.


Quantitative Approach

1.1.1.1.1 Quantitative Approach


Methodology

1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 The Quantitative Approach was built as a result of the One-on-One interviews with GRC executives. Resolute interviewed a total of 18 GRC executives and officers over 2 days. The interviewees are listed in the Appendices. Nine executives were asked a series of questions which required a rating score from 0 to 5.

All of the answers to the questions posed to the interviewees were collated and aggregated results were derived. The raw data of the question responses is listed in the Appendices.


Assessment Questions 1 through 5 relate to the performance of the Council’s ICT systems and the support provided by ICT for the systems.

Question 6-9 relates to the relationship between ICT and the Council’s business units and ICT’s alignment with the goals of the business units.

1. Stability. Ratings ranged from 3.0 to 5.0 and averaged 4.0, indicating that most people regard the Council’s ICT as stable.

2. Responsiveness. Over half of the ratings were 4.0 and the 3.8 average indicates that responsiveness is not a problem.

3. Timeliness. As for question 2, over half of the ratings were 4.0.

4. Efficiency. While not quite as many 4.0+ scores, efficiency is above par.

5. Performance. Some lower ratings than the other questions but the result is acceptable.

6. Interworking. As for question 5, an acceptable result.

7. Does IT assist in meeting goals? Almost half of the scores were 1.5 or below indicating a strong negative sentiment.

8. Does ICT consult re requirements? The most negatively rated set of ratings with more than half of the ratings below 1.5. Even with one rating of 5.0, the indications here were strongly negative.

9. Does ICT meet expectations? Only 2 ratings were above 3.0 and the average points to a quite negative opinion.


1.1.1.1.2 Benchmarking

ANALYSIS

BEST PRACTICE

GRC

GAP

How do you rate the stability of the Council's ICT Systems?

ICT environment is completely stable. Every component has an appropriate fail-over path and users are never interrupted.

GRC systems are quite stable with limited downtime.

While the gap is not significant at this stage, it is important to note that there is a lot work needed to ensure stability over time.

How do you rate the responsiveness of Council's ICT staff?

Contact with ICT staff is courteous, professional and appropriate to the importance of the issue.

GRC ICT staff are usually quite responsive and acknowledge issues appropriately.

There is no major gap with regard to performance. Some misunderstandings exist around expectations.

How do you rate the timeliness of the support you received?

ICT issues are handled and resolved in a timely manner and always within agreed or expected timeframes.

GRC ICT is generally regarded as delivering timely support.

There is no meaningful gap - some users have higher expectations than others.

How do you rate the efficiency and precision of the support?

ICT is able to provide an appropriate solution to users with well-explained details, procedures and expected results.

GRC ICT provides acceptable levels of support effectiveness.

There is no meaningful gap - some users have higher expectations than others.

How do you rate the performance of the ICT systems?

ICT systems meet or exceed correctly set user expectations in regard to speed and accuracy.

With some exceptions, systems performance is acceptable.

There is no major gap with regard to performance. Some misunderstandings exist around expectations.

How do you rate the effectiveness of the interworking of ICT use within Council & between Council & Third Parties

Interworking between internal and external entities is characterised by successful events and processes with no unexpected business interruptions.

While most interworking is acceptable, some users have issues with ICT interworking policies and practice.

Users do not fully understand ICT's concerns. ICT regards user concerns as lacking understanding of potential risks.


ANALYSIS

BEST PRACTICE

GRC

GAP

Has ICT assisted you in achieving your goals?

ICT assists users through provision of necessary facilities, advice and other contributions. ICT continuously reviews spending so it can capture savings that can be used to better meet organisational goals.

While users acknowledge the acceptable performance of current systems, they do not believe that ICT helps them reach their job goals.

Users do not see that addressing the current ICT systems with maintenance only activities is enough. ICT believes it is, given normal constraints.

Does ICT consult with you / your team on your requirements proactively?

ICT is in regular contact, both in structured and unstructured ways, to identify and understand user requirements and expectations, and to map out how the requirements can be met.

Apart from annual pre-budget discussions, users are only occasionally consulted as to their requirements.

Users believe that they have no influence over ICT's agenda because ICT is not in touch with user requirements. ICT believes that they are addressing the user needs that can be met.

Does ICT meet you expectations?

Each user believes that ICT understands and delivers upon their reasonable expectations. ICT communicates its ability to meet requirements.

GRC users are dissatisfied with ICT's performance in assisting with the innovation needed to meet changing needs.

There is a significant gap between ICT's capabilities and Council's expectations.


Key Findings from Qualitative Approach

Summary

GRC ICT provides an acceptable service in terms of operating the Council’s networks and existing corporate applications. Overall however, ICT fails to satisfy its key ‘customers’ who express frustration with ICT’s seeming unwillingness and/or inability to meet their changing needs.

Expectations

There is a significant gap between ICT's capabilities and Council's expectations. ICT is focused on ensuring the availability and security of the major corporate applications. Council users want much more than this, more applications, more ‘mobility’, more flexibility, etc.

Requirements

not understood

Users believe that they have no influence over ICT's agenda because ICT is not in touch with user requirements. ICT believes that they are addressing the user needs that can be met given ICT’s resource and funding constraints.

Pro-activity

Users want ICT to be pro-active and to develop and promote solutions to operational requirements. ICT is focussed on delivering a rock-solid foundation of infrastructure and corporate applications, which consequently relegates pro-activity into the ‘nice-to-have’ category.

Existing Systems

Users acknowledge that the overall performance of the current network and corporate applications is quite acceptable. While there are some issues, these are generally seen to be handled satisfactorily.


Scores by Quantitative Question

Stability of Councils IT Systems

4

Efficiency & Precision of Support

5

IT Enabling of Goals

4

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SCOREo 0 2

Responsiveness of Councils IT Staff

7

0 0 0

SCORE: 0 2 3 4

Performance of IT Systems 5

0 0 0

SCORE : 0 2 3 4

IT Consultation

5

0

SCOREo 0 2 3 4

SCORE: 0

2 3 4

SCORE: 0

Timeliness of Support

7

0 0 0

SCOREo 0 2 3 4

IT Use 5

0 0 0

SCOREo 0 2 3 4

SCOREo

IT Meeting Expectations 3 3


1.1.1.3 Quantitative Questions Scoreboard

1.1.1.1.3.1.1 GRC Review of Information Technology Infrastructure 2-3 May 2012

Name

Functional Area

Title

Q1

How do you

rate the stability of

the Council's IT systems?

Q2

How do you rate

the responsiveness of Council's IT

staff?

Q3

How do you

rate the timeliness

of the support

you receive?

Q4

How do you

rate the efficiency & precision of

the IT support

you receive?

Q5

How do you

rate the performance of Council's IT systems?

Q6

How do you rate IT use

within Council & between

Council & third parties?

Q7

Has IT assisted

you in achieving your

goals?

Q8

Does IT consult with you/your team on your requirements proactively?

Q9

Does IT meet

your expectations?

Leisa Dowling

Planning and Environment

Director Planning and Environment

4.0

4.0

4.0

4.0

2.0

3.0

2.0

2.0

2.0

Cale Dendle

Corporate and Community Services

Director Corporate and Community Services

3.5

4.0

4.0

3.5

4.0

3.5

1.0

1.0

3.0

Mark Holmes

Finance

Chief Financial Officer

4.5

3.0

3.0

3.5

3.5

2.5

3.0

2.0

3.5

Sue Doyle


Corporate Systems Team Leader

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Gaya Gounder


Corporate Systems Officer

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Timara Thomas



N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Simon Graham


Manager Customer Relations

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Paul Keech

Infrastructure Services

Director Infrastructur e Services

3.5

4.5

4.5

4.5

3.0

3.5

1.5

3.0

1.0


Name

Functional Area

Title

Q1

How do you

rate the stability of

the Council's IT systems?

Q2

How do you rate

the responsiveness of Council's IT

staff?

Q3

How do you

rate the timeliness

of the support

you receive?

Q4

How do you

rate the efficiency & precision of

the IT support

you receive?

Q5

How do you

rate the performance of Council's IT systems?

Q6

How do you rate IT use

within Council & between

Council & third parties?

Q7

Has IT assisted

you in achieving your

goals?

Q8

Does IT consult with you/your team on your requirements proactively?

Q9

Does IT meet

your expectations?

Mark Larney


Manager Contracts and Facilities

5.0

4.0

4.0

4.0

3.5

4.0

4.0

5.0

4.0

Craig Murrell Infrastructure

Services Manager Technical Services

3.0

2.5

2.5

2.5

3.0

3.5

3.5

2.0

3.0

Phil Boshoff Infrastructure

Services Manager Water Services

4.5

4.5

4.5

4.5

4.5

4.0

3.5

1.5

2.0

Kevin Mercer


Manager Information Technology

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

James Lamb



N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Stuart Randle CEO CEO 5.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.0 2.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

Tom Shoer

CEO Manager People and Performance

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Brooke Saunders

Planning and Environment

Manager Regulatory Services

3.0

4.0

4.0

3.0

4.0

3.5

1.5

1.5

1.5

Ernie Coulton


Network & Systems Administrato r

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

David Rotondo


Web Developmen t Team Leader

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A


Qualitative Approach

1.1.1.1.4 Qualitative Approach


1.1.1.1.5 Methodology

1.1.1.1.5.1.1.1.1 The Qualitative Approach was built as a result of the One-on-One interviews with GRC executives. Resolute interviewed a total of 18 GRC executives and officers over 2 days. The interviewees are listed in the Appendices.

All of the answers to the questions posed to the interviewees were collated and aggregated results were derived. The raw data of the question responses is listed in the Appendices.

Assessment The following pages identify and establish the gap between ICT best practice and GRC ICT performance.

Council Agenda

Supporting rapid growth, major changes

ICT Agenda

Focussed on maintaining and incrementally

improving the status quo

The patterns which emerged from the gap analysis can be summarised into major points:

• In overall terms, the ICT agenda does not match the Council’s agenda. Current circumstances have created strong needs for the Council to become capable and skilled in supporting rapid growth and responding to the continuing changes in the local conditions. ICT is very focussed on, and is successful at, ensuring the continuous availability of the current systems and applications, and on ensuring security. These agendas are not complementary.


s

Ta

Func

• The Council operates a conventionally balanced model with defined strategic directions and imperatives, and a structure that interprets and delivers on the strategy, with due regard to planning, governance, process and risk mitigation. ICT, believing it lacks the resources to do anything else, operates a more functional model which stresses operational continuity above all.

Strategy

ctic

tion ICT

• Senior Council staff believe that constant innovation is necessary for the Council to be able to meet the demands of the region’s communities. They believe that ICT is not supporting their business units because it is not addressing their requirements for new solutions.


t · t' b'l't' t ' t' logt'

. . I ' . I

Enterprise t t'

capa 1 1 1es

1 S

ICT Strategy Model

Con ext Asp1ra 1on con nbu 1on

Techno ical 1nnova 1on

Describe the current Clarifies the strategic Used to bridge the Describes IT's Describes IT's SCOPE business & covers ambitions of "How gap between outward contribution to the contribution to the

business models , we will win " & it is facing corporate innovation process innovation process (What we do) business strategy, about the overall strategy & inward- & environment & environment

customer segments & direction to drive facing internal plans required to support required to support relevant technology business success and activities this this trends

Prmc1p es Governance Fmanc1a s Measurement

M Program t anagemen

CONTROL The behaviours The definition of decision Describes how finances Used to Covers the approach & frameworks rights and the accountability flow in & out of IT, & measure the IT taken to determine the

(How we that guide IT framework to encourage the associated organisation- optima l mix & manage it) leadership's desirable behaviour in the planning , cost control clearly linked to sequencing of

proposed strategic use of IT - how IT decisions and allocation financial business success IT projects to best

decisions get made strategically processes metrics achieve business goals

• HR S · erv1ces Architecture (EA) ourcmg n egra 1on

DELIVERY Covers the scope The construct used to Assessment of the Covers the Describes the and extent of describe the relationship people capability & organisation's interdependencies

(How we do services & between the training needs approach to IT between project

it) processes organisations business , today & in the sourcing across the portfo lio management , provided by IT applications, technology future as well as different IT services, EA & the application

& information services critical HR including outsourcing portfo lio lifecycle, & processes how the linkages work


Qualitative Approach - Scope

SCOPE

BEST PRACTICE

GRC

GAP

Context

Understanding of the current business and covers business models, business strategy, customer segments and relevant technology trends.

ICT is an integral part of the business. Every business plan considers the ICT or technology options. The business relies on ICT to enable business processes.

ICT is treated and treats itself as a separate service provider. ICT does not always consider the needs of the business.

ICT has little empathy with the growing and changing requirements of the council.

Aspiration

Clarifies the strategic ambitions of “How we will win” and it is about the overall direction to drive business success.

ICT strives to be recognised as a key enabler of business success and ICT processes and capabilities are focused on supporting the business.

ICT endeavours to restrict the scope of any changes to the current networks, facilities and systems.

ICT seems comfortable with the status quo and is not comfortable with change.

Capabilities

Used to bridge the gap between outward facing corporate strategy and inward-facing internal plans and activities

As the ICT strategy is developed with the business, required programs are scoped and planned. These plans describe how ICT can achieve the programs.

ICT budgets to maintain the current facilities with only nominal focus on new business driven initiatives.

ICT capabilities are built around the principles of protecting and maintaining what is working today.

Contribution

ICT’s ̀ value proposition’ which forms the core of the ICT strategy.

ICT measures itself on its contribution in enabling the business to meet its goals, and regularly reviews its capabilities and the value they are providing to the business.

ICT does not seek to engage the business in assessing the value it contributes.

ICT does not address this challenge.

Technological Innovation

ICT's contribution to the innovation process and the environment required to support this.

ICT has structured capabilities that enable it to review and assess new technologies and their application to the business.

New technologies are assessed by ICT mainly on the basis of whether they cause any changes or disruptions to the existing security and systems frameworks.

ICT rarely engages with the business to determine the potential value enabled by new technologies.


.1.1.1.6 Qualitative Approach - Control

CONTROL

BEST PRACTICE

GRC

GAP

Principles

The behaviours and frameworks that guide ICT leadership’s strategic decisions.

Regularly reviewed guidelines that aid the decision-making and leadership process for ICT.

Ad-hoc, non-strategic attitudes and processes which are directed at maintaining and protecting the status quo.

Lack of strategy and lack of strategic process, leading to a widening gap between the business’ expectations and ICT’s performance.

Governance

The definition of decision rights and the accountability framework– how ICT decisions get made strategically.

Clear accountability matrices for decisions, programs and projects with regular executive review.

ICT sees that its ‘real’ accountability is to maintain and protect the current networks, facilities and systems.

ICT is ungoverned.

Financials

How finances flow in and out of ICT, and the associated planning, cost control and allocation financial processes

Program budgeting is driven by the business. Expense management and cash flow planning are embedded in every program. ICT ‘quote’ for each program/project.

ICT largely sets its own budget and allocates costs to the projects it chooses to do. ICT delivers projects within budget.

ICT can (and does) manage its expenditure, but having ICT control program budgeting is the ‘tail wagging the dog’.

Measurement

Used to measure the ICT organisation - clearly linked to business success metrics.

The ICT strategy spawns programs which spawn projects. Programs and projects are evaluated on their contribution to the business.

Generally, programs and projects are not evaluated financially in terms of the value to the business.

With some exceptions, ICT makes the decisions on which projects to deliver and business value measurement is not a consideration.

Program Management

Covers the approach taken to determine the optimal mix and sequencing of proposed ICT projects to best achieve business goals.

ICT and the business regularly plan and review the mix of programs and projects against the overall business strategy and plans.

Generally, ICT decides what will be done and when.

Council’s business needs are not the primary consideration in ICT’s delivery.


1.1.1.7 Qualitative Approach - Delivery

DELIVERY

BEST PRACTICE

GRC

GAP

Services

Covers the scope and extent of services and processes provided by ICT.

Continuous cycle of requirements gathering from the business driving ICT service programs with clear and agreed service levels.

Annual budget provisioning conversations

ICT only understands a part of what the council requires.

Enterprise Architecture

The construct used to describe the relationship between the organisation’s business, applications, technology and information services.

Applications and ICT facilities mapped to business needs, with widely published and known models of data and processes.

Restricted to existing corporate applications. New requirements are processed with ‘best efforts’.

Existing applications are understood but innovation is not supported and are excluded from ICT’s view of the Enterprise Architecture

HR

Assessment of the people capability and training needs today and in the future as well as critical HR processes.

Staff numbers and skills matched to business needs. Career paths, training, mentoring, succession and recruiting plans for each role.

Reactive and largely unmanaged approach to people. HR plans are built around day-to-day operational needs.

ICT HR focus is to provide numbers and skills to maintain the status quo.

Sourcing

Covers the organisation’s approach to ICT sourcing across the different ICT services, including outsourcing.

Fully populated matrix of service requirements matched with primary and back-up supply sources and allowances for contingencies.

Tactical supply processes prevail. No planning for alternative supply of key skills.

Cost is mistaken for value. Supply is not part of a program plan, mostly. Business needs are not a consideration in the ICT supply process.

Integration

The linkages between project portfolio management, Enterprise Architecture and the application portfolio lifecycle.

Regularly updated roadmaps of business requirements and applications, with planned, funded delivery programs.

Ad hoc.

New Council requirements are not ‘architected’ and consequently do not generate appropriate delivery programs.


Assessment of ICT Performance

Network Operation and Security

1.1.1.1.7.1.1.1.1 ICT provides secure and stable performance of the various networks, servers, desktops, telephones and other facilities in the GRC environment.

Disaster Preparedness

The current preparedness state is satisfactory, although it is not at such a level as to allay all concerns. There is a project which is currently stalled due to lack of resources to virtualise most servers and implement a new SAN architecture which when completed will boost the preparedness level. Some power issues also need to be resolved. The inter- office fibre link is a major enabler of disaster resilience but if the link failed for any reason during a disaster then the consequences would be very severe.

Applications

The core corporate applications have a healthy track record and the overall performance of the corporate apps is very respectable. The processes associated with ongoing maintenance of the corporate apps are technically appropriate but the lack of strategic input and direction from the business units is a concern. Effectively, ICT decides what application changes will be made and when, based on its budget, resources and priorities. New applications are not addressed by ICT as seriously as maintenance of the corporate applications and users have ‘forced’ the implementation of required software. This is unsatisfactory and could lead to many potential problems.

Innovation & Flexibility

Almost every officer surveyed expressed dissatisfaction with ICT’s willingness and ability to support innovations. Inflexibility in dealing with connectivity and personal processing issues, usually due to security rules is a key frustration with senior officers.


1.1.1.1.8 ICT Performance Assessment Model

ICT Performance


ICT Risk Commentary

1.1.8.1.1.1 Risks are detailed in the ICT Risk Register. This commentary further illustrates some of those risks and identifies others.

Personnel Risk

1.1.1.1.8.1.1.1.1 The ICT team is under strength in terms of numbers and skills. There are also numerous examples of dependency upon single individuals for particular essential skills. The loss of senior personnel for any reason will present the Council with potentially serious business continuity issues. Other Councils mitigate this risk by having third party providers of skills incorporated into their operating model.

Disaster Preparedness

Risk

ICT has designed a sophisticated system to protect the Council from the effects of various disaster scenarios. At this point in time, because the design has not been implemented (due to resourcing issues) the Council does not have sufficient resilience to meet reasonable expectations of ICT availability, especially corporate applications.

Virtualisation Risk: Hyper-V

ICT has embarked on a virtualisation program to enable greater flexibility and to provide better resilience in disaster scenarios (as above). This program is built around the Microsoft product Hyper-V. While Hyper-V is not unsuitable for the task, the ICT industry has adopted VMware as the de facto standard for virtualisation. GRC will find it much more difficult to source Hyper-V expertise and support than VMware.

Network Risk: Gladstone-

Calliope Fibre

The fibre link between the main GRC facilities is a major asset and places the Council in an enviably strong position. As strong an asset as it is, it is an equally high risk should the link be broken for any reason. ICT’s mitigation of this risk is almost solely based on prevention and there does not seem to be a plan to support full, continued operations if the link is broken. See additional comments below).

Software Development

Risk

Users acknowledge that the overall performance of the current corporate applications is acceptable and the maintenance/enhancement of those applications is adequate. Users are unsatisfied with ICT’s capability to deliver non-corporate applications leading to uncontrolled acquisitions. Some minor applications have been developed without always using recognised methodologies, and support is dependent on individual skills.


A d d i t i o n a l C o m m e n t s

1.1.1.1.8.1.2 Personnel Risk

During the feedback process, the following question was posed: “The ICT team is under strength in terms of numbers and skills”. Are we able to have this expanded on. What areas are understaffed Systems Admin., Software Development, Corp. Apps. or Desk top support, can you provide some examples of typical staffing numbers and structure for ICT within other Councils.

Systems Administration. The ICT Manager and team members repeatedly indicated to us that there were not enough hours in the day for the team to get through its work load. The fact that the ICT Manager spends significant time in sysadmin duties is another clear indicator.

Software Development. This area seems to be unable to meet demands.

Corporate Apps. While the Corp Apps team indicated that the balance of work outstanding and delivery requirements for that work was not ideal, it was manageable by all concerned. Managers in the interviewed group believed that delivery of corporate application enhancements was on the slow side. It does not seem that this group is understaffed.

Desktop Support. Apart from dissatisfaction with the time it took to upgrade the workstations in the Infrastructure Services area, there are no indicators that the Desktop Support group is understaffed. An ICT industry rule-of-thumb is that 1 DSO is required for every 200 users.

Council IT Staffing. Using figures that are readily available to us, it can be seen that GRC spends less on ICT staff than the comparison group of councils which are in the faster growing areas of Queensland. In this comparison Isaac, Western Downs and Mackay are in the same ballpark as GRC but it must be noted that each of these councils have recruitment problems and they have decided to supplement their ICT staff with 3rd party skills.

Council

ICT FTEs Total FTEs

ICT %

Council Revenue

($m)

Revenue per ICT ($m)

Revenue per FTE

Notes

Isaac

6.5

383

1.7%

143

22

$373,368

Considerable 3rd party assistancewith WAN/LAN admin, Desktop Support, Server Management

Western Downs

10

548

1.8%

122

12

$222,628 3rd party assistance with network admin, Vmware

Gladstone 16 730 2.2% 201 13 $275,342

Mackay

21

1055

2.0%

386

18

$365,877 Considerable 3rd party assistancewith storage, backup, firewalls, Sharepoint, network admin.

Toowoomba 49 1437 3.4% 366 7 $254,697 Logan City 61 1014 6.0% 320 5 $315,582

1.1.1.1.8.1.3 Personnel Risk

During the feedback process, the following question was posed: “Other Councils mitigate this risk by having third party providers of skills incorporated into their operating model”. Are you able to provide example Council's and how they have structured this, I would imagine this would have significant costs associated for potentially very little return on investment.


A good example is Mackay Regional Council. Due to continued recruitment issues, the backlog of systems work was growing and it led to some council operations being affected. To lessen the problem, MRC adopted a strategy of engaging with 3rd party providers of services in particular areas of expertise to supplement their own capability. This means that when the load is too great for the council team to meet expectations, the 3rd party ‘partner’ who has a working knowledge of the council’s set-up can come in and immediately be productive. After each project, there is a ‘technology transfer’ session where the partner passes on to the MRC team any tips or special skills that were used in the project. Recently, an MRC team member needed to take extended leave due to a family situation – MRC engaged the partner that works in the team member’s area to cover the absence and maintain council productivity.

We do not have all of the financial details but MRC have indicated that the partnering strategy has significantly assisted with getting necessary work done when internal resources were not available for whatever reason.

1.1.1.1.8.1.4 Network Risk: Gladstone-Calliope Fibre

During the feedback process, the following question was posed: To replicate this fibre link we would be looking at a possible expenditure of a further $2.5-3 million based on a % increase on what we have paid for our existing link, would this expenditure be truly warranted. Would we have other options?

The mitigation of this risk comes down to a value judgement by the Council. All that we saw during the Review was risk mitigation based on passive prevention. The risk is that if the prevention does not work and the fibre is cut for any reason, the replication of data between the 2 centres would not be possible and, as explained to Resolute, this would mean that each centre would operate on its own until the link was restored. When the link is operational again, there would need to be a re-syncing of all of the data. Depending on the time to restore the service, this could be a serious issue. Additionally, all of the network traffic that flows along the fibre would need to be re-pathed or it would be lost.

While duplication of the fibre along a different path would be the most effective and most expensive mitigation of this risk, we would expect that there are less ideal and less expensive alternatives that may lessen the disruption. We have not delved deeply into these alternatives as this is ICT’s role however we would suggest that some traffic may be able to re-routed along alternate paths provided by Telstra or other carriers, or there may be a physical way to manually cross-synch the centres after-hours.

At the end of the day the Council must decide how much it is prepared to invest to lessen the effects of the risk.

The point is that the risk analysis and potential recovery plans need to be presented to executive management for a business judgement to be made.


A p p e n d i c e s

Appendix

1 Documentation Reviewed

Appendix

2 Interviews Conducted

Appendix

3 Survey Questions

Appendix

4 Survey Comments Summary


1.1.1.9 Appendix 1 Documentation Reviewed

Title

Pages

Format

Content

Information Communication & Technology Risk Register

5

Table

Discussion of IT workload and staff resources

Overview - GRC IT Department

8

Word Register of 10 risk areas with explanatory

details and analysis

GRC IT Department

4

Word Discussion of IT Department's scope and

operations

Information Communication Technology Report

5

Word Overview of disaster risk and recovery

position

Calliope Core Network 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Calliope Core VOIP Switching 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Civic Centre VOIP Switching 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Civic Centre Data Switching 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

GRC CCTV System Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Miriam Vale Switch Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Lyons St Switch Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Calliope Depot Switch Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Records Switch Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

CAS Switch Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Art Gallery Switch Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Library Switch Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

GEC Switch Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Toondoon Gardens Switch Layout 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Calliope River STP 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Gladstone Memorial Pool 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Boyne Island Community Centre 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Gladstone Airport 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Agnes Water Community Centre 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Gladstone Transfer Station 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

DCCHS 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

Public Library 1 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections

SCADA Network 3 Diagram Schematic view of switching and connections


Appendix 2 Interviews Conducted

Date

Name

Functional Area

Title

2-May Leisa Dowling Planning and Environment Director Planning and Environment

2-May

Cale Dendle Corporate and Community Services

Director Corporate and Community Services

2-May Mark Holmes Finance Chief Financial Officer

2-3 May

Sue Doyle Corporate and Community Services

Corporate Systems Team Leader

2-May

Gaya Gounder Corporate and Community Services


2-May

Timara Thomas Corporate and Community Services


2-3 May

Simon Graham Corporate and Community Services

Manager Customer Relations

2-May Paul Keech Infrastructure Services Director Infrastructure Services

2-May

Mark Larney Corporate and Community Services

Manager Contracts and Facilities

2-May Craig Murrell Infrastructure Services Manager Technical Services

2-May Phil Boshoff Infrastructure Services Manager Water Services

2-3 May

Kevin Mercer Corporate and Community Services

Manager Information Technology

3-May

James Lamb Corporate and Community Services


3-May Stuart Randle CEO CEO

3-May Tom Shoer CEO Manager People and Performance

3-May Brooke Saunders Planning and Environment Manager Regulatory Services

3-May

Ernie Coulton Corporate and Community Services

Network & Systems Administrator

3-May

David Rotondo Corporate and Community Services

Web Development Team Leader


.1.1.1.10 Appendix 3 Survey Questions

1. How do you rate the stability of the Council's IT Systems?

2. How do you rate the responsiveness of Council's IT staff?

3. How do you rate the timeliness of the support you received?

4. How do you rate the efficiency and precision of the support?

5. How do you rate the performance of the IT systems?

6. IT use within Council & between Council & Third Parties

7. Has IT assisted you in achieving your goals?

8. Does IT consult with you / your team on your requirements proactively?

9. Does IT meet you expectations?

10. What IT facilities do you use?


Appendix 4 Survey Comments Summary

Gladstone IT Infrastructure Review – Interview Notes Summary: 2 - 3 May 2012

The tables below record the key discussion points collated from all 18 interviewees.

Question

Comment/s

1. How do you rate the stability of the

Council's IT systems?

• Very few issues.

• Stability of the high-tech tools is an issue.

• IT knows what is needed.

• Some staff implement new updates themselves, without IT involvement.

• IT systems are very slow when working from home.

2. How do you rate the responsiveness

of Council's IT staff?

• IT response to urgent issues is quick, but not so quick for all other issues.

• Responses are slow sometimes; it seems that IT has resource issues.

• Depends - core business systems are very good, and the other systems are poor

3. How do you rate the timeliness of the support you

receive?

• IT is generally responsive, but they could communicate better than they do.

4. How do you rate the efficiency &

precision of the IT support you

receive?

• The main IT issues are printer and hardware issues.

5. How do you rate the performance of

Council's IT systems?

• The records management system, Dataworks, is very complex and not user friendly. Pathway is also not user friendly. Both systems are very labour intensive.

• The size of the email box is too small.

• The systems are occasionally slow; this can be frustrating at times.

• There are issues with speed in the office, especially with Tech One.

• AutoCAD was very slow – now that there is new hardware, it performs better (still occasionally slow).

• Some staff develop their own specifications for computer systems because they can’t use the specifications given to them by IT.

• No complaints so far.

• The software has not been upgraded (running on MS old versions) and therefore, everything needs to be converted.


• Agnes Waters is very slow, but generally OK.

• Corporate Apps know what to do, but can’t do it yet.

6. How do you rate IT use within

Council & between Council & third

parties

• Over sensitive security (firewalls etc.) inhibits communication with major external partner (Water Board).

• Security is the biggest issue when dealing with third parties, particularly with the exchange of mapping data.

• Document sharing is achieved via Directory Shares - Dataworks in/out is a real problem.

• Size of the mail box is an issue.

• Lack of video conferencing is a big issue - IT was asked to look into it, but nothing has been done.

• Some meeting processes have potential security risks - in the last 12 months, there have been more instances of viruses than ever before.

7. Has IT assisted you in achieving

your goals?

• No.

• No - lack of flexibility, especially in Records Management.

• Issues with the home-built contacts system.

• Not really.

• Inflexibility with personal laptop configurations - Can’t log on easily from other offices or from home.

• Would like an iPad.

• The computers are the main problem.

• This is a work in progress. Staff member is working with IT, but everything takes so long – it looks as though it is a resource issue, or IT is just over-zealous to provide support, so they over-commit.

• Every night the system is closed at 6:00pm for backups that take a long time to finish; this impacts staff that need access to the system after 6:00pm.

• No - There is significant resistance to change.

• No – while Corporate Apps are helping, overall “IT doesn’t work for us, we work for them.”

• Depends – good in some areas, and poor in others.


8. Does IT consult with you/your team on your requirements proactively?

• No.

• No consultation, and never been asked.

• ICT has not co-developed a common strategy or planning process.

• IT does not consult.

• Yes, especially with Fleet Management - excellent communication.

• No - only around budget time.

• No common strategy building.

• No - IT is focused on their own issues, not the business issues.

• No, however Corporate Apps occasionally consults.

• During budget time, IT sends out an email requesting budget inclusions – this seems to work well.

9. Does IT meet your expectations?

• No - mobility should be improved, and more widely used.

• In some ways yes - the organisation doesn’t know what its tools can do.

• Yes with respect to networking, however the flexibility and usability of systems can be a problem.

• No – especially with respect to mobility and budgeting.

• IT provides the platform to do the job.

• There is a bog room for improvement.

• Depends, generally, no.

• No - IT doesn’t communicate the issues; for example, the link between Pathway and ECM is very important and IT does not explain why it doesn’t work.

• It is much better now than it was four years ago after amalgamation.

Additional / General Comments

• Corporate systems are not user friendly.

• The systems drive business processes, not the other way around. The processes are very labour intensive – especially reporting.

• GRC staff work all around the region – mobility should be improved and more widely used.

• Blackberry should be replaced with iPhone.

• IT Newsletter should be reinstated; it was distributed in the past, but not anymore.

• Need more corporate systems training for new staff, including refresher training for existing staff.

• Corporate Apps team is insulated - they only work on what they think is important. Priorities need to be reviewed, and Corporate Apps needs to align with these priorities.

• Disaster Management requires implementation of social media.

• Need better use of mobile devices, in particular in the Asset Management area.

• There is no clear direction for IT, it seems that they take too much


on, and they probably need more resources.

• Suggested solution: business units have internal IT.

• The GRC teams are decentralised and need IT support with good speed and functionality.

• Still using Office 2003 - IT has plans to upgrade.

• There are issues with Dataworks and IT resources.

• Need to use more remote access and mobile devices; there is uncertainty about the status of issues related to Tech One.

• The fleet staff are not computer savvy, they need more training.

• Procurement team is using primarily Tech One and they don’t have any issues.

• Dataworks is a challenge - it is not used as it should and it’s very complicated.

• There is a very high staff demand for hardware and software that is not really required.

• There currently exists duplication in IT functionality, and therefore, the number of tools used could be rationalised.

• HTO modelling software is a vendor support risk.

• The integration between systems needs to be improved - it is perceived that there is no leadership, direction, or vision.

• The IT staff are generally OK.

• There is no flexibility – the IT systems cannot be changed.

• “Is what we are using the best? If Tech One doesn’t meet the current and future needs, is there something else?”

• Need better asset management system.

• Need environmental management system.

• Network drives are not standardised between locations; for example, Gladstone W:\ drive and Calliope W:\ drive.

• The lack of mobility is impacting business performance; the use of mobile devices is essential.

• IT doesn’t communicate when they are fixing things which lead to outages.

• The systems are not available overnight until 6:00am, which impacts staff that start work early – there is a need for greater flexibility.

• Security is very rigid.

• There is no ICT Strategic Plan.

• ICT core is an old team, and staff turnover is high.

• IT is in two locations which impacts on the management of the overall team.

• IT has recently completed the upgrade from Windows 2003 to Windows 2008.

• Council has very high turnover of staff leading to increased training requirements.


• IT is not proactive; their focus is solely on maintenance of the current systems.

• There is limited communication between IT and the rest of the business, and often IT is not involved early enough for costs to be included in the budget or for IT to provide advice and/or options.

• Some things IT can’t do because of security reasons.

• Many project requests are prioritised internally - business priority should be informed by the Strategic Plan.

• Pathway has key users nominated as module owners - there is no one owner for the whole system.

• The turnover of staff is very high (40-50%) and the corporate knowledge lost, in business areas due to this, impacts adversely on the success of projects. The demand for training of new staff adds to workloads.

• Some of the key stakeholders are good and some demand things without business analysis and investigation.

• The support for corporate systems is invisible to the clients -work by IT is not appreciated.

• IT is preparing for a Windows 7 upgrade.

• ECM and Pathway have aging hardware which is causing compatibility issues with Windows 7 and Office 2010 (IT has plans to move to SAN and new hardware).

• IT has plans to migrate Blackberry to iPhones over 18 months, and Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2010.

• IT has been looking into mobile management platforms, mobile computing, and videoconferencing (initial talks have been held with Telstra). Videoconferencing is in the pipeline.

• Council’s corporate applications don’t have mobile applications.

• IT team seems to have issues with prioritising.

• Communication is not good with the Corporate Apps team, and neither is the coordination of work.

• It is not clear who is responsible for project delivery.

Key IT Facilities in use by Council staff:

• Corporate applications D Dataworks D Tech One/Finance One D Pathway D Aurion 1.1.1.1.10.1.1.1.1 D Outlook email

• Mapping • MapInfo


• AutoCAD • Google Earth • Local Buy • Storm Water software / storm water quality software • Traffic software / traffic modelling software • Hydraulic modelling software • Desk phones • Blackberry / smartphone • lap top • Desktop PC • PDAs, and tablets • Plotters, printers, and scanners • Projectors • GPS units • SCADA, and CCTV • ECM • SmartSheets


Appendix B: ICT Reference Group Terms of Reference

TERMS OF REFERENCE of the INFORMATION COMMUNICATION & TECHNOLOGY REFERENCE GROUP

Purpose: The Information Communication & Technology Reference Group will oversee the ICT

governance structure and processes for Gladstone Regional Council. The group will

provide guidance and feedback to the ICT operations team and offer recommendations to

the Executive Team regarding strategies, priorities, policies, standards and resource

allocation.

The primary goals of the Group are to ensure that the Council’s investments in ICT

generate business value and ensure that ICT strategy is aligned with Council’s strategies

and organisational needs.

Functions and Responsibilities:

Ensure that Council’s ICT resources are aligned to its stated strategic aspirations;

Oversee development and support of major ICT systems and functions;

Assess and advise the Executive Management Team on ICT strategic plan, policies

and support compliance initiatives;

Monitor progress on major ICT related projects;

Review and rule on recommendations from feeder committees and groups relating

to ICT;

Assess and advise the Executive Management Team upon any proposed changes

to current ICT technologies and practices;

Assess business cases prepared by Departments for dedication of ICT resources to

Departments software (software development, introduction of new software etc.) or

hardware requests.

Provide advise to the Executive Management Team on strategy, resources and

priorities with regards to ICT; and


After consideration provide recommendations to the Executive Management Team

regarding the yearly ICT budget and any recommended amendments to the 10 year

financial plan.

Membership

Membership to the Group shall be determined by the Executive Team, but in the first

instance shall be:

ICT Coordinator

Two (2) Corporate Solutions staff (or proxies as appropriate)

The Executive Team may review or alter the membership of the group at any time.

Chair

The Chair for the Group will be the ICT Coordinator or other member as appointed by the

members or Executive Team.

Proxies

Proxies will not be required for members, with the exception of the ICT staff members (2

one from Corporate Apps and ICT Coordinator) who may be represented by other ICT staff

members.

Secretary

The position of Secretary is to be determined by the Group.

Quorum

A quorum shall comprise Six (6) members of the ICT Reference Group.

Meetings

The ICT Reference Group shall meet at times nominated by the Chair and agreed by the

members.

Resolutions of the ICT Advisory Committee

Matters requiring a resolution by the committee are to be determined by consensus of the

members present.

Agenda

The agenda is to be distributed with supporting documentation in sufficient time to enable

due consideration prior to each meeting, preferably, at least five (5) days prior to meeting

date.


Reporting

Reports from the ICT Reference Group together with any recommendations will be

forwarded to the Executive Management Team as required for final approval.


Appendix C: ICT Risk Register

Information Communication & Technology Risk Register Revised December 2012

No. Statement of Risk and

immediate Consequences Causation Existing Risk Controls

Effective-

ness

Conseq Level

Likelihood

Residual Risk Rating

Risk

Custodian

ICT1

Malicious Mobile Access

Unauthorized access to corporate data

Viruses/malicious damage

Privacy breaches

Unknown data loss, modifications & corruption

Downtime of servers and systems for assessment & rectification

Loss of productivity

Potential impact on external customers

Heavy demand for mobile access to internal resources

Increasing number of mobile devices being used

Lack of Mobile Device Management (MDM) to identify device types and control access based on their health, risk and security status.

Lack of granular security system to control individual MDM access to internal resources.

Bypassing of firewalls and security filters when accessing internal email

Poor authentication process which could allow unauthorized access to an authorized device.

Users are responsible for keeping their devices safe and secure

Current access is limited to email only

1

4

Major Likely E ii ICTM

ICT2 Corporate Server Failure

Loss of access to key resource.

Local Power Failure

Hardware/software Issue

Hot fix/upgrade problems

Backup power, lighting and generators.

Servers connected to different

5

5

Major Possible H iv ICTM


Loss of productivity by staff reliant on the resource

Likely impact on external customers

Virus/malicious attacks

Damage/natural disaster

Air-conditioning failure

Unanticipated cause

Remote Mobile Access planned in the near future

UPS power supplies

Secure facilities encased in concrete and brick. Resistance to flooding, storm and fire damage.

Fibre Optics used internally to limit impact of electrical storm damage.

Hardware Spares Available

Use of clustered virtual environment for non DB servers

Software/system rollback capabilities in virtual environment.

Software/Hardware support contract with remote access capability.

Server backup systems implemented

Antivirus systems implemented

5

4

3

5

4

3

4

5

ICT3

Failure of Gladstone-Calliope Fibre Link

Automatic loss of one of the core server rooms (by design to protect data integrity)

Total loss of IT services to large portion of staff

Near total loss of productivity for affected staff.

Inability to provide services to external customers at affected sites

Accidental damage to fibre optic link

Willful damage fibre optic link

Failure of core network switch

Unanticipated causes

Roadworks and other development work in general vicinity of cable

Cable route is clearly marked in most areas

Additional protection to cable in field (under existing water main infrastructure in some locations)

Cable buried up to 2m deep in areas of potential activity

Dial-before-you-dig policy for other service providers.

Regular maintenance program being implemented

3

5

4

3

3

Major Possible H iv ICTM

ICT4 Core Server Room Failure

Total loss of IT services to

Local Power Failure

Failure of core UPS

Backup power and lighting.

Multiple independent Air-

5

5

Major Unlikely H iii ICTM


large portion of staff

Near total loss of productivity for affected staff.

Inability to provide services to external customers

Potential loss of VOIP service through affected site


Generator Failure

Sabotage to Generator or airconditioners

Damage to Gladstone- Calliope fibre-optic link

Massive power surge (direct lightening strike)

Failure of core switches

Other natural disasters


conditioning systems

Backup Generators

Secure facilities encased in concrete and brick.

Resistance to flooding, storm and fire damage (of computer room).


Alternative Server Room

Local spares held on site.

Fibre Optic links to Telstra and external sites.

Provision of CCTV cameras near Aircon & Generators

4

5

5

4

5

4

4

4

ICT5

Loss of Expert Knowledge

Reduced capacity to identify and implement new technologies to improve productivity & performance.

Inability to develop innovative custom solutions to improve productivity & performance using existing technologies

Inability to recover quickly from complex failures.

Negative impacts on staff morale, health and effectiveness

Lack of affordable housing in region

Competition from industry and other government agencies.

Recognition and promotional opportunities

Remuneration packages don’t compete with industry.

Flexible working arrangements

Structured learning and development opportunities

Development of ICT Service Request & knowledgebase

Staff incentives & retention programs

Housing shortages and rentals appear to be showing signs of stabilizing

Wide variety of up-to-date IT systems and services providing excellent experience for IT staff

3

3

5

2

4

4

Major Unlikely H iii MCR & ICTM

ICT6

Crippling Virus Attack

Downtime of servers and systems for assessment &

Inability of Antivirus Software to detect new virus

Relaxation of security

Email Filters with antivirus

Web traffic filters

Corporate antivirus software

4

4

5

Major unlikely H ii ICTM


rectification

Potential blacklisting of site

Potential loss of email and internet service

Potential loss of productivity & performance

Possible impact on external customers

features in favour of convenience

Full capacity of external gateway appliances not being utilized

Bypassing gateways and firewalls with remote access software

Failure of staff to adequately protect their home/remote computers.

Inability to detect or force remote computers to have up-to-date AV software

Staff failing to comply with corporate policy

Monitoring of Antivirus deployments

File Server Resource Management to selectively block specified file types in corporate data stores

External Penetration Testing program to identify weaknesses

Firewall restriction policies

Internet use policy

User education programs

4

5

4

3

1

2

ICT7

Core Firewall Failure

Loss of email service

Loss of Internet services (web servers, DNS Servers, browsing etc)

Loss of links to some remote offices. (eg DCCHS, Benaraby, AWRTC)

Loss of remote access for external staff.

Loss of access to SCADA components

Likely impact on external customers

Local Power Failure

Hardware/software issue

Programming issue


Virus/malicious attacks (eg denial of service)




Secure facilities encased in concrete and brick. Resistance to flooding, storm and fire damage.

Multiple independent Air-conditioning systems

Restricted access to firewalls (local access only).

Access to alternative hardware

Software support contracts.

Alternative gateway.


5

5

5

5

3

3

4

4

Moderate Possible H i ICTM

ICT8 Loss of Experienced Staff

Inability to meet service and support levels

General staff turnover

High cost of housing in region

Traineeships and graduate programmes

Flexible working arrangements

3

4

Moderate Unlikely M iii MCR & ICTM


Inability to adequately maintain network and computer systems

Negative impacts on staff morale, health and effectiveness

Inability to complete budgeted programs and upgrades.

Poor retention and incentive programs for existing staff

Remuneration package less attractive than they used to be

Competition from industry

Up skilling of existing staff

Structured learning and development opportunities

Development of ICT Service Request & Knowledgebase

Staff incentives & retention programs

Wide variety of IT systems and services/excellent training and experience for IT staff

Promotional opportunities within IT Department

2

3

5

2

4

3

ICT9

Extended VOIP Service Failure

Loss of VOIP service


Hardware/software issue with Telstra managed router

Local power failure

Internal Routing problem

Local programming issue

External issue with Telstra equipment or service

Unanticipated cause

Backup power in most data rooms.

All VOIP switches located in data rooms

Migrating switches to PoE power where possible to ensure power is retained (until UPS failure occurs).

Independent VOIP connections (to Telstra) at a number of sites to limit extent of outage.

Service covered under Telstra high priority maintenance contract.

3

4

4

4

5

Moderate Unlikely M iii ICTM & Telstra

ICT10

Extended Failure of Telstra Managed Router

Loss of Internet services

Loss of email service

Loss of VOIP service

Loss of links to some remote offices.

Loss of remote access for

Local Power Failure

Hardware/software issue

External issue with Telstra equipment or service


Unanticipated cause


Secure facilities encased in concrete and brick. Highly resistant to flooding, storm and fire damage.

Backup Gateway

Covered under Telstra high priority maintenance contract

5

5

4

5

Moderate Unlikely M iii Telstra


external staff.


Fibre Optic links to Telstra from core server rooms

5

ICT11

Wireless Link Failure

Potential Loss of link to Miriam Vale, Boyne Island, Agnes Water, Airport, Gladstone STP and Gladstone Transfer Station

Loss of IT services and VOIP phones at affected sites

Loss of productivity & performance at affected sites

Potential impact on external customers

Local power failure


Hardware Failure

Obstacle blocking/reducing signal

Third party interference (other users of towers)

Signal Interference

Weather conditions (fire, smoke heavy rain etc)

Unanticipated cause

Backup power at most sites

All key links monitored by Vendor for failures interference problems.

Service repairs to be covered under high priority maintenance contract with equipment vendor

On-site spares

Restricted access to 3rd party towers and GRC sites.

4 4 4 4 3

Minor Possible M ii ICTM


Appendix D: ICT Key Goals/Ethos

ICT Staff Key Goals/Ethos

ICT will embrace the following five key goals/ethos over the next three years to underpin the Council’s

strategic plan:

Simplification Reduce complexity in our systems and processes

(Failure is proportionate to the number of components)

Standardisation of commodity solutions

Improve processes to support efficiency

Engagement

Engage with our Departments and sections on a regular basis to ensure the ICT goals

are aligned to the organisations needs.

Align with strategic partners/other Local Governments to create new Shared Service

opportunities.

Further develop partnerships with Council vendors to maximise the capability of our

core business systems

Free our internal resources from commodity duties to add real value to ICT services.

Value

Ensure that ICT activities and investments will generate value

Find value through innovation and process improvement

Change the business processing through the identification of technology and business

solutions

Reduce system running costs

Service Be recognised as a leader in ICT service provision

Use best practices for continual review and service improvement

Improve the daily life of our staff and customers in their enablement of ICT resources

Capability Train our ICT staff to be the best they can be

Train our general staff to allow them to be as effective as they can be.

Resource our environment to support the business & the community

Be reliable, be available, be effective

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