Dundee City Council has avoided a £1 million spend by using an external company to store most of its data.
Cloud computing specialist Brightsolid, which has a data centre at Dundee’s Technology Park, is now hosting 95% of the council’s information.
The migration took place during the summer and offset an expected investment of £1m that would have been required for the council to continue using its on-premises data centres.
When senior management at the council realised their data centres needed significant upgrades to keep running, they began looking at ways to optimise cost without impacting operations.
Why use an external company?
Graeme Quinn, senior manager IT Infrastructure at Dundee City Council, explained the move to using an external firm.
He said: “Our approach to technology emphasises cost efficiency, best practice, and strategic fit.
“Brightsolid’s established reputation in data centre migration and management, and experience with other government organisations provided us with additional peace of mind.
“We have been particularly impressed with Brightsolid’s tailored approach to our needs and environment, and are confident it is the right choice of partner for us.
“We were pleased by the smooth migration to the data centre and have also seen ongoing benefits such as improved management and monitoring of services, especially out of working hours.
“This combined with Brightsolid’s flexible billing structure allows us to turn infrastructure efficiencies into significant cost savings.”
Relying on the cloud
An early cost analysis showed continuing with on-premises data centres would require an investment of up to £1m, so they approached Brightsolid to discuss options.
The result was a colocation agreement to move the majority of the council’s information and communications technology (ICT) to Brightsolid’s data centre in Dundee.
The project forms the council’s first step towards its long-term goal of relying largely on the public cloud.
By choosing to co-locate to Brightsolid’s Dundee data centre, the council achieved increased resilience and improved the management and monitoring of services, and off-set that future investment.
Flexibility to scale infrastructure
Elaine Maddison, chief executive at Brightsolid, added: “Dundee City Council is not unique in its desire for flexibility and scalability alongside lower costs. These are precisely the demands colocation meets.
“By moving to our data centre the council will enjoy increased resilience and the flexibility to scale infrastructure based on need, leading to cost savings in the long run.”
The remaining 5% of Dundee City Council’s ICT will stay onsite to aid the council in connecting with Brightsolid’s data centre.
In partnering with Brightsolid, Dundee City Council joins other government organisations including NHS Tayside and Aberdeen City Council.
