Warwickshire county council deploys Microsoft cloud productivity suite

The council has rolled out Microsoft 365 as part of an 18 months transformation programme, which will lead to improved efficiency of the local authority.

During the programme, WCC plans to develop a new operating model to manage demand effectively and deliver economic growth priorities.

Microsoft 365 will be used to support the council’s “How We Will Work” programme, a key component of the council’s transformation programme.

The council said it plans to roll out Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and other Office 365 products to its 4,700 employees. The new software will be used to enable staff to work more flexibly, promote collaborative working and meet the needs of the council. The council hopes that remote working could potentially allow staff to visit more clients in a day and have access to up-to-date information, or to move from task to task without having to return to a central office.

Monica Fogarty, chief executive of WCC, commented: “This move to fully implement Microsoft 365 fits in with our wider transformation programme, which will help us move towards a flexible, collaborative, high-performance culture.

“Introducing this new cloud-based infrastructure is a significant strategic move for the council and is the right technology platform for making our systems joined up, efficient and flexible.”

Councillor Kam Kaur, portfolio holder for customers and transformation, said: “Members of staff will be empowered to work in a far more efficient way. Staff will also be able to work more flexibly and fulfil their roles from a variety of locations.

“They will be enabled to work where they are most effective, at the most appropriate times. These efficiencies will be felt across the council and will benefit the services we provide to our customers.”