Maximizing Return on Investment in IT

c a s e s t u d y : DUNDEE CIT Y COUNCIL

Discover how
Dundee City
Council has used an assyst puts head teachers top of the class for IT
innovative Service
Management School head teachers in Dundee can teach their counterparts around the UK a thing or two about choosing
solution to keep computers.
school IT
equipment Decisions on purchasing IT hardware for schools have been handed over to head teachers in a pioneering
up–to–date program which ensures IT equipment is never obsolete and means head teachers are just as likely to talk
about desktop PCs as desks.

To power this program, Dundee City Council use assyst from Axios Systems – the world’s leading IT
Service Management solution. assyst has been developed from inception according to the guidelines of the
IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), thus providing organizations with proven Best Practice IT Service
Management.

assyst is also used within Dundee City Council to drive its Help Desk as well as to maintain its asset
database.

The Background
Education is responsible for a significant portion of
Dundee City Council's Information Technology (IT)
budget. Of the 7,000 desktop devices across the Council,
some 4,000 are used in schools and nurseries. Around
25,000 user accounts are set up in schools alone!
Dundee City Council is at the forefront of technology
and has established the use of broadband for Internet
access at particularly cheap rates, with primary schools
'piggybacking' on secondary school hubs. Each Council
nursery has an average of two PCs and Internet
applications are available for children as young as three.

Monitoring and keeping up-to-date the large IT

infrastructure utilized across the Council’s education
department was becoming a significant challenge.
Desktop PCs were starting to age, which was beginning
to cause additional problems.

To tackle this ageing problem, Dundee City Council has

established a pioneering five year 'Refresh' program for
all hardware in schools. This ensures that all IT
equipment is automatically replaced when it is five years
old.

This 'Refresh' program builds on the UK Government’s

National Grid for Learning Scheme, set up to finance a
quantum leap in the use of IT in education.
The Solution

over
Local Government the solution was assyst

case study :
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL
"If we didn’t have the
asset information from
assyst... we would have
had a major problem.
With it we've learned
some valuable lessons
and are ahead of the
field in many ways."
Ged Bell
Implementation Manager
Axios Systems - the leading global Help Desk & IT Service Management solutions provider
“ Th e ove r - r i d i n g f a c to r i n c h o o s i n g assyst wa s t h e e a s e o f m a i nte n a n ce o f t h e
i n fo r m at i o n a n d i t s f u n c t i o n a l i t y ”
Benefits
The driving force behind the 'Refresh' program is assyst – the award winning IT Council Help Desk to handle fault reporting and resolution for all Council departments. Tighter control of IT
Service Management solution from Axios Systems.
Ged Bell's team worked closely with the Council's IT Help Desk, managed by Veronica Cochrane,
Infrastructure
assyst holds all relevant information relating to each individual piece of IT to ensure assyst was implemented rapidly to meet the needs of the Help Desk and its users.
Removal of IT
equipment in the school’s department within its comprehensive asset database.
All hardware and software is entered into the assyst Configuration Management Database as obsolescence through
assyst provides head teachers with the information required to select their soon as it is installed to allow any faults reported to be cross-referenced. ITSM
school's new IT equipment from a standard price list and approved product
range. They are provided with a 'credit' towards their new purchase. Help Desk analysts perform first level support using assyst. Problems that cannot be
immediately resolved are referred to specialist teams dealing with networks, applications and
Reduced IT Cost of
Ownership
The asset database within assyst also allows them to plan ahead for five years software.
and set their own priorities for IT since assyst shows them what equipment will
expire year by year. assyst also enables the Help Desk to handle fault resolution with external contractors such as BT Better use of IT resources
and Telewest.
"The over-riding factor in choosing assyst was the ease of maintenance of the Key information relating to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) is held on the database to show
response and escalation times. The IT division has SLAs with all internal customers. "We tell all
Improved IT user
information and its functionality," said Implementation Manager Ged Bell who
is responsible for design, procurement and installation of the Council’s IT partners, including schools, what the response times will be for the following year and what is satisfaction
equipment. "Rather than say: 'This piece of kit is coming out and you’re getting covered by the agreement.
this kind of new PC whether you like it or not, we’re providing maximum 'Refresh' assyst helps us manage Adoption of Best Practice
External Supplier
choice." continued Bell. ® Programme expectations." Bell said.
Help Desk
NURSERY
Response times vary from two
Powering decision
"Head teachers are very enthusiastic and some have even said that the 'Refresh'
program is one of the most significant things that has ever happened with IT in hours for a key server to 12 support
the Council." Bell said. SCHOOLS hours for a school desktop.
Schools are outcharged for Improved Service Desk
The Benefits asset
database
UNIVERSITIES maintenance at a percentage of efficiency
All involved in the pioneering program appreciate the benefits of using assyst: net asset value which the
"'Refresh' is very well thought out, straightforward to use and well supported." Council’s IT bosses believe is one
said George Hagarty, Head Teacher of the 940 pupil St John's High School. of the lowest rates in the
country.
Like many schools, St John's High School uses IT in every subject, even areas -
such as drama and Religious Education - which at first glance might not seem Summary
closely related to computing. "One meeting summed it up for me," Bell said. "An IT coordinator at a primary school was
complaining about the headaches involved in choosing how to spend all this money the authority
George continues: "With retail prices being so competitive, it gives flexibility to was giving her. That showed how far we have moved on, from a situation where we had to keep
schools to improve the quality of IT provision. So, for instance, we can spend BBC Micros working that were 10 years old!”
our entitlement on items like multimedia presentation equipment. Decision-
making is ultimately at the school level. We have been empowered". He continued: "If we didn’t have the asset information from assyst I’d need someone with a
clipboard going into every school, writing down every model type and making a best guess as to
School chiefs are also enthusiastic about the program's benefits for sustainability what was in it and when it was manufactured," he went on. "Without this information we would
and recycling: 'Refreshed' hardware is recycled, sold on or otherwise disposed of have had a major problem. With it we've learned some valuable lessons and are ahead of the field
responsibly. in many ways."
Ged Bell also says one of the main benefits of the 'Refresh' program is that it Dundee City Council’s visionary approach to managing Information Technology supported by
"makes obsolescence obsolete. We would not have been able to do this without assyst from Axios Systems has generated a 'Win-Win' situation for all concerned - schools,
assyst." said Bell who has worked in local government IT for 16 years. teachers, and the Education and IT departments.
With such novel use of assyst for IT Service Management it is hardly surprising
that Dundee is known as the 'City of Discovery' and that its head teachers are
rapidly moving to the top of the class in computing!
assyst for Dundee City Council Help Desk
The award-winning assyst software from Axios is also used by Dundee City
 case study :
DUNDEE CITY
Te s t i m o n i a l s & I n f o r m a t i o n COUNCIL

“One of the main benefits of assyst is that it allows us to prove

to our customers that we are actually providing the service they
are paying for in our internal market”.

“We chose assyst with the knowledge in mind that it was so

much more than a help desk tool”.

“Having a corporate Service Management system like assyst is a

point in our favour”. Belgium
Tel +32 (0)2 517 7108

Canada
Tel +1 416 572 2062

France
Tel +33 1 53 67 44 58

assyst by Axios Systems

Germany
Tel +49 89 614 587 0

The world’s most advanced ITIL - The Netherlands

Help Desk & IT Ser vice Management Tel +31 (0) 20 521 0290

Solution
UK
Tel +44 (0) 131 220 4748

1 Consolidated solution supporting all ITIL disciplines USA

Tel +1 (703) 326 1357

1 Truly out-of-the-box, yet configurable user interface

1 Fixed Cost for the solution, implementation & future upgrades

1 Central hub for your entire IT Service Organization

assyst@axiossystems.com www.axiossystems.com