News

Council to pay £1.7m for computer upgrade

By Linda Fort
March 12, 2010

Reading Borough Council is about to spend more than £1.7 million on upgrading its desktop computers.

The hardware is at least three years old and its software – Windows 2000 – is 10 years old and no longer supported by manufacturer Microsoft.

The cost is based on replacing 1,708 devices – 1,505 computers and 203 laptops.

The council has to make the change before July because after that date the software is regarded as “obsolete”.

Reading Borough Council’s (RBC) cabinet will be considering a report on its ageing computers and make the decision on Monday.

The report said 66 per cent of the hardware is “at least three years old” – the age the industry recommends for replacement to minimise support and repair costs.

The council’s IT experts considered a wider investment in laptops, but discounted this because of higher costs.

Almost every council service will need to replace equipment “to support more effective and efficient working”. New desktop PCs should also be more energy efficient than older equipment.

The proposed option is to replace all personal computers and laptops more than two years old on a like-for-like basis.

This has been recommended because it can be achieved with minimum disruption and training.

The report decided not to go for Windows 7 – the newest Microsoft hardware – because the council’s software vendors have not yet certified the new product. It also warned the council would have no redress with the vendors of the equipment in the event of a system failure if it continued to use obsolete software.

RBC could also be liable to fines and suffer reputational loss if it did not comply with operational codes covering computer security and credit card payment.

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I guess this means I'm not getting an apology for the misinformation put out by the council last October.

Was, Reading
23/03/2010 at 17:44

I'm appalled that RBC is throwing away so much of our money on totally unnecessary hardware and software. Two year "industry standard"cycle? They must be staggeringly gullible if they have swallowed that one. We need some people on the council who know what they are doing, in IT terms. Even if they are using Windows 2000 they could replace that with free software without needing to upgrade the hardware. Perhaps it is because they have Microsoft ( a big employer) in the borough that they feel the need to appease them in this way. I can't think of any other logical reason for this decision.

haughtonomous
22/03/2010 at 19:06

It seems to me that the only reason to upgrade is because support is being dropped for Windows 2000. This is a real issue, and not something that can be ignored. However... if sticking with Windows, surely it's insane to go for anything other than the latest version, in order to stave off finding yourself in the same position again for as long as possible? If bespoke software is in use, get it certified, it'll have to be done sooner or later.

Of course, the fact that the old machines will have to be ditched (I don't consider GNU/Linux an immediately viable option for them right now) over this is incredibly depressing. But the computer industry being shockingly bad is nothing new...

Sean
21/03/2010 at 00:53

Hey everybody - will the clock speed of RBC employees go up or down if they have a new computa to play solitare on?

Nimrod Maximus, Working hard
15/03/2010 at 15:02

@Roscoe P Coltrane Linux is stable, more secure and - give or take half an hour of getting used to menus being in different places - just as easy to use for a user as Windows. It runs on lower-spec machines, so would be good for the machines that the council are looking to replace because the software is out of date and Open Office ain't all that different to Microsoft Office. And it's all free. The training costs wouldn't come anywhere near £1m. Unless the council manage to tender to the highest bidder...

Arthur Mo
15/03/2010 at 09:09

Yes, I think I'd know if I work in IT or not, please don't ask stupid questions.

Also found out they do run XP/Windows Server 2003 so I am confused. Maybe Windows 2000 is only used in certain departments not across the board?

L
13/03/2010 at 21:43

Lack of planning and an insane inertia wedded to Windows. It has to be Linux and Ubuntu with Open Office and anything else that comes FREE! I switched my business to Linux and have not regretted it. Perhaps as ratepayers we should DEMAND that the council, our council, seek better value for money. But I am an optimist...

AcuteViewer, Tilehurst
13/03/2010 at 14:21

L, are you sure you work in IT?

The end users are using Win2000 on their desktops, the servers may very well be Win2003!!!

Roscoe, I work for a company which provides Open Office on Linux based laptops. No training is provided, it's all very similar.

Fred Bloggs
12/03/2010 at 19:56

>install gentoo

on a serious note, I totally agree with Arthur Mo

Lets say on average the hardware is 3 years old, running 2000, and they're not running W7, what are they going to use? Vista? Xp? what a joke.

They should install linux on existing hardware, pay for basic training, and be done with it. Open Office ftw, why they'd pay for hundreds of Microsoft Office licenses just seems like madness.

And what on earth are the 1,708 devices? If our council tax is going on iPhones and Blackberrys I'll be even more disappointed.

If they want to reduce energy costs they should invest in some nice, very energy efficient Mac Minis, simpler GUI, and they'll have a higher re-sale value than your average cheap Dell when it comes to swapping them out again in the future.

Gordonio Brownio
12/03/2010 at 18:19

Sounds pretty reasonable to me. Where I work, we quote £1500 per annum to support a desktop PC, ignoring capital expenditure. The costs of upgrading a whole council's desktop kit won't just be cap ex. They'll need someone to install the kit, and configure them for council use (network drives, printers, applications, etc.).

Symposium, Maidenhead
12/03/2010 at 18:16

install gentoo

Gordonio Brownio
12/03/2010 at 18:01

To be honest, I can see where the Council is coming from with their prices somewhat.

I work in IT at a College in Oxfordshire, and £1.7m may seem a little crazy to some but it's also realistic. Someone mentioned below that Dell could offer discounts and what not? Well, yes and no. They do offer equipment at a reduced cost but it's actually not that much. I don't have examples to produce, sorry!

The only two queries I have is this statement:

"The report said 66 per cent of the hardware is “at least three years old” – the age the industry recommends for replacement to minimise support and repair costs."

The recommendation for upgrades/replacements is actually five years. It is in education anyway, so I'd think the Council would be the same.

And also... I'm also a bit confused why they are running Windows 2000... better call my ex-partner (who works for RBC) as I'm 99.9% sure we talked about how they were using Windows Server 2003! Interesting...!

L
12/03/2010 at 17:29

I'll bet you the next story will be 'Hundreds of Ex Council Laptops sold off with confidential data not removed'.

The Realist
12/03/2010 at 17:08

@Arthur Mo

"they could have saved a bundle by switching to Linux and free open source software, such as Open Office"

So, how much would it cost RBC to train these people on the new Operating System and Open Office? Yes it may look similar but change to anything too different and the user will be confused. Training courses would then boost the cost up and above the £1.7m.

The price may seem stupid, but I would hope the support of the PC's would be covered in that price as well. If it is, the purchase of the PC's and 3 years hardware support of the 1700 devices is cheap!

Roscoe P Coltrane
12/03/2010 at 16:53

So the systems they use won't run on the latest OS. So why change the hardware? Yes does sound as though someone will be making money out of this decision. My computer is 7 years old (XP) and I keep it as it runs the systems I use fine. Laptops can show their age after that time, but desktops with a bit of upgrading if needed, seem fine as work stations on a network. But then for me having to impress someone who has come in to claim their benefits or try to get help on planning doesn't come into it!