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Case Study

A Partnership for Better IT Solutions and Emergency Services

Avon Fire and Rescue Service goes beyond the traditional scope of an emergency response service. Serving Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, its primary duty is to respond to emergencies. However, the Service also performs various prevention and protection duties.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service devotes considerable efforts to community engagement; dedicated teams actively collaborate with local community groups and reach out to vulnerable individuals through its home fire safety visit outreach programme. This can be anything from providing information on maintaining and installing fire alarms to safely handling and managing lithium batteries found in e-cigarettes and e-scooters. The Service has evolved, and technology has become more at the forefront of what they do, with a need for up-to-the-minute data and information that can be delivered reliably in critical moments.

The Challenge…

Staff at Avon Fire and Rescue Service hold various roles, as firefighters, community safety workers, and the office-based team, all of whom need reliable IT to do their jobs proactively.

Tanya Nathan, Head of Procurement for the Service, said, “It’s very much a 24/7 operation; there’s an expectation that when the firefighters are out tackling an emergency, they need the right data and information. If it’s a fire at a factory, what kind of factory is it? What’s the floor plan? How many people are in there?”

“Then there are also the office-based support workers who need to know the Service’s cyber security is being protected and that their days won’t be interrupted by issues with hardware or software. We have a mixture of office and remote working, and both need to be catered for”.

As Avon Fire and Rescue Service were looking to embrace more technological advances, it needed an IT system that would work alongside them, an updated system and assistance in streamlining. Tanya said: “We were spending a lot of time sorting out problems, or it was slow. We wanted to upgrade and find a proactive supplier.”

Being in the public sector presents budget pressures. Still, with robust security procedures in data protection, the Service needed an IT supplier to be agile while looking to increase infrastructure capacity to provide better performance and resilience and keep the cost manageable. More than that, because of the unique nature of what Avon Fire and Rescue Service does, there needs to be an understanding of the service’s specific requirements.

The Solution

When Aura was appointed through a competitive tendering process, they stepped in and simplified the current infrastructure landscape while providing a fully resilient system. Security has also been stepped up, as a public sector service is often seen as a target for cybercrime. Still, Aura has limited these vulnerabilities by enabling application upgrades that provide solid platforms and a working disaster recovery solution.

Tanya said: “It’s a partnership now; there’s a reliability there, which is very reassuring. They took the time to understand what we do and our business needs. We don’t have the biggest budgets, but Aura worked with us. They presented a range of options and then guided us through – and it felt they always had the business at the forefront when advising on a strategy for us. A balancing act of what was most valuable to us and what could be achieved but ensuring we kept within our budget.”

“Aura has updated operating systems, software, and applications to give better support and ensure the new systems are easier to maintain. Aura has helped us feel like we have a more robust system in place, and it helped free up time elsewhere. More importantly, Aura feels like part of our team.”

The Result

Avon Fire and Rescue Service partnered with Aura to improve the performance and reliability of their IT systems. This has enabled them to respond to emergencies more efficiently and effectively. They have also enhanced their security and data protection measures, reducing the risk of cyberattacks and ensuring compliance with regulations.

By working with Aura, Avon Fire and Rescue Service has increased its efficiency and productivity, freeing up time and resources for other essential tasks and projects. They have also gained greater flexibility and scalability, which allows them to adapt to changing needs and demands.

Improved IT systems have significantly boosted customer service and satisfaction, enhancing the organisation’s reputation and building trust with the public and stakeholders. As a testament to this partnership, Aura was recently selected by Avon Fire and Rescue to continue as their IT partner for an additional five years, indicating that the collaboration has gone from strength to strength.

Tanya Nathan, Head of Procurement for Avon Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are delighted with the service we receive from Aura. They are professional, responsive, and proactive. They have helped us improve our IT infrastructure and security, which is vital for our operations. They have also been incredibly supportive and understanding of our needs and challenges. They are not just a supplier; they are a partner.”

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