Big win with Glasgow Life

Published:   6th Mar 2011, 14:33

We have won a five-figure contract to offer IT services and disaster recovery to newly formed Glasgow Life.

We will offer maintenance and security solutions to public centres such as libraries run by Glasgow Life, who operate the services of Culture and Sport Glasgow.

Robert Dalziel, Business Development Manager said: “Glasgow Life faces many challenges in managing content and IT systems across numerous locations. Over 4,000 people use the public computers provided at 34 libraries and other centres every day, which have the potential to be a security nightmare. To address this we created a Public Access Computer Suite (PAC) providing, amongst other features, secure and protected access to the Internet services available from the local libraries.”.

Managed from a centralised service site, the PAC system was created following competitive tender to enable efficient management of all the PC’s, eradicating the need for engineers constantly visiting each location to upgrade and manage the PC’s. Dalziel added:

“Glasgow Life has a diverse portfolio and managing IT is often challenging and complex. We implemented a deepfreeze system, centrally controlled from a web console, enabling the PC’s to be cleared of any software, files or viruses downloaded onto the PC each time it is rebooted. A number of firewalls were also introduced and all the software upgraded ensuring continuity across all 34 locations.”

With a budget of £100m and a staff of 3,000, Glasgow Life is one of Scotland’s largest charities, delivering a range of services which help to transform the lives of both citizens and tourists alike.

John Tolland, ICT Manager, Glasgow Life said, “Often people can be accessing or amending confidential information on the library computers, such as job applications. However, once someone has finished using a computer their material is now automatically wiped clean and the computer rebooted. No files can be saved. We hope this will give users confidence when visiting centres run by Glasgow Life.”

We also created one of the largest disaster recovery systems of its kind for the charity. The new system, which features technology from CommVault and Hewlett-Packard, looks after three key city hubs, located at Trongate, Mitchell Library and the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre. It covers 1400 computers spread across 82 sites, including libraries, leisure centres, museums, area team offices and 3 main hubs.

Protection of data is paramount to any business. The tri-back up infrastructure we implemented means that the first line backup in each location is supported by a secondary copy which is then sent offsite.

Tolland added: “Managing a disaster recovery system of this size has been taxing however, we’ve received a cost effective and comprehensive resolution, providing us with the confidence and peace of mind we need for an organisation of our size.”