Sep 11 2007 by Iain Laing, The Journal

A Company has won a three-year contract to provide an end-to-end information technology service to a North-East fire and rescue service.

Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority (DDFRA) awarded Washington’s Knowledge I.T. the six-figure contract, which will entail a review and support for the authority’s entire domestic network.

The work will improve the authority’s current systems, including the provision of a service desk to manage the DDFRA’s network requirements.

Service support area manager for Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Chris Banks said:

“We receive approximately 19,000 emergency calls each year, resulting in over 9,000 incidents. It is therefore vital that communications networks are fit for purpose and reliable.

“The managed services provided by Knowledge I.T. will allow us to provide a reliable and modern IT service that will be integral in providing an efficient and continuously improving service to our communities.”

The DDFRA employs nearly 700 people at 15 fire stations throughout County Durham and Darlington.

Until recently, the DDFRA relied entirely on in-house expertise for the maintenance and support of its busy networks and server infrastructure, but has now made the move to outsource these operations to Knowledge.

Mr Banks said: “This move provides great value for money, allowing us to call on a greater range of technical expertise than could be provided by an in-house team.”

Knowledge I.T. has also been responsible for upgrading DDFRA’s data storage and back-up facilities, as well as providing up-to-date security solutions, including both anti-virus and spam filtering software.

Knowledge I.T’s project manager for the DDFRA contract David Bennett said: “Due to the demanding ICT environment of DDFRA, it was important to spend time with Chris and his management team understanding their business strategy. We were then able to work with them in creating a package that would meet their individual needs, providing a flexible, cost effective ICT solution.

“Acknowledging DDFRA’s commitment to continual improvement, we will continue to assess their individual business needs to ensure that we are providing the best fit-for-purpose ICT solution to meet any business challenges they may encounter.”

The contract, which will soon enter its second year, will include a replacement of the service’s IP and station connectivity facilities.

Mr Bennett said: “Following completion of migration to the new systems, DDFRA will fully reap the benefits of their investment in a state-of-the-art ICT environment.”

For more information please call us on 0845 142 0020 or CLICK HERE to complete our online information request form.