Moving with the times

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) isn’t just saving lives, but improving them too. For its 900 staff, it hopes to build a healthier, happier and more productive place to work. That means having the right IT – and the right providers to support it.

Industry: Public Sector & Emergency Services

Location: Nottingham, United Kingdom

Users: 900

Cosurica customer since 2007

Products and Services: Microsoft Exchange Server, Office 365, One Drive for Business, Microsoft Intune, Windows 10, Skype for Business, Microsoft Surface Pro, Remote Access – secure VPN with 2-factor authentication

Outcomes & Benefits: Increased productivity through flexible, remote working; healthier working environments; improved security for remote access; licensing compliance

The challenges:

  • Large organisation—high volume of IT problems or fulfilment requests, multiple large and small-scale IT projects running simultaneously and over 60 contracts for IT-related products & services to manage
  • Unpredictable workload—peripatetic IT support staff travel to up to 5 sites daily. 26 sites to support, including 24 fire stations, HQ and training centre
  • Management seeking improvements to productivity, reduction in stress in the workplace and provision of healthier working environments, all on a limited budget
  • Expected increase in remote working requires high level of security for data protection

The solutions:

  • 140 Microsoft Surface Pros deployed—much lighter to carry and longer battery life than standard laptop. Can be used as tablet, if preferred
  • Support for and co-ordination of organisation-wide roll-out of Windows 10
  • Microsoft Intune deployed to facilitate more secure remote working on mobile devices
  • Remote Access and Virtual Private Network (VPN)solution, including 2-factor authentication reduces risk of fraud and data loss through remote working
  • Consultation on licensing compliance for Office 365
  • Migration to Office 365, including OneDrive for Business to facilitate more productive remote working & Skype for Business as an alternative to on-site meetings

“We continue to use Cosurica because of the personalised care we receive. They know the organisation really well and have gained the kind of background knowledge that would take another provider months or even years to learn. They’re highly responsive and adaptable and that’s just what we need, especially when it comes to making tactical changes that have to be implemented quickly.” Gavin Harris, Head of ICT

Read the full customer story here.