Derby City Council has appointed communications integrator Affiniti to help deliver more efficient and improved services to citizens by installing a new network across its four main sites in the city centre. Using the network, the 12,500 strong Council workforce will be able to take advantage of improved application services and shared information across 200 locations spread over the City. Approximately 250,000 people living in Derby and over 100 groups within the voluntary sector are set to benefit from the more streamlined communications set-up, most notably from DerbyDirect, the Council's contact centre. The increasing demand for collaborative working and information sharing across the Council departments will be supported, improving administration and reducing inefficiencies.  Shared services will include web hosting, payment services and customer information systems. The Council will also use the new network to showcase best practise, providing guidance and advice for 47 other Local Authorities in the East Midlands area and encourage the development of shared services across the East Midlands.  Furthermore, it will support development of robust business continuity and disaster recovery facilities. The new IP network is based on Nortel equipment with Optical Wave Division Multiplexing technology and connected to Affiniti's national fibre network. This provides cost-effective increased bandwidth links to other sites in Derby and across the East Midlands with improved resilience. The network will be fully monitored and managed by Affiniti over the next three years.  The converged infrastructure will be at the heart of the long term future of Derby City Council's communications system, as the Authority increasingly deploys IP based applications.
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