
13 August 2007, 12:20pm
Newcastle and North Tyneside councils select Northgate
Northgate Information Solutions today announces that it will implement and support a new email, calendar and archiving system for Newcastle and North Tyneside councils, following a joint procurement exercise designed to deliver efficiencies for both authorities.
The new system aims to deliver business benefits to both councils, enabling staff to work more efficiently and collaboratively, improving the resilience and security of data, and improving customer service.
With local authorities increasingly looking to improve outcomes for citizens through sharing services, the procurement was undertaken as part of an ongoing programme to strengthen partnership working between the two councils.
Under the five-year contract worth over £1.8 million, Northgate will provide infrastructure and services designed to deliver a secure and efficient email, calendar and archiving system for Newcastle’s 7,000 users and North Tyneside’s 4,000 users.
Both councils will be provided with:
a highly reliable system that prevents unnecessary downtime, with data stored off-site to facilitate business recovery;
confidence in the security of their email, through anti-virus, anti-spam and content filtering functions;
efficient archiving processes, ensuring that data can be stored and retrieved in accordance with best practice.
Terry Goulding, Infrastructure Services Manager at Newcastle City Council, said today:
“We are pleased to be working with Northgate to deliver a robust and sustainable email service for our staff. Through undertaking a joint procurement exercise with North Tyneside Council we have also realised additional efficiencies, and we look forward to strengthening this partnership further over the coming years.”
Steve Wride, Infrastructure Manager at North Tyneside Council, added:
“We are committed to providing staff across North Tyneside council with the information they need to support them in their work. Working in partnership with Northgate gives us confidence that our email is being managed correctly, and we have worked closely with Newcastle City Council in order to deliver an efficient procurement.”
James Turnbull, Managing Director of Infrastructure Solutions, added:
“Email should facilitate good communication for local authorities, not hamper it. With over 85 billion spam emails sent every day around the world, and councils increasingly concerned to meet best practice in relation to data protection, it is essential that hard-pressed staff are freed up to focus on what they do best – delivering responsive services to citizens. Our email services are designed to support organisations in streamlining processes, reducing administration and improving communication, and we are delighted to be working with Newcastle and North Tyneside councils to do just that.”

Each month we select a hot topic and a leading figure in the industry to write about it.HAVE WE REALLY LEARNT THE LESSONS FROM LAST YEAR’S FLOODS?
Flooding costs associated with extreme weather, both financial and emotional, have increased considerably over the last decade, and experts have predicted this trend is set to continue.
Paul Livett, Chairman of GroundSure looks into how increasing the use of flood risk information in property transactions can help to ensure both residential and commercial transactions are conducted on a truly informed basis, with buyers being made aware of environmental risks prior to purchase.
Over 2.2 million homes and small businesses in the UK are located in areas considered at risk of flooding, and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said that 570,000 of these face a high risk of flooding. The floods in June and July last year left approximately 48,000 households… More…
Paul Livett
Chairman of GroundSure