The Joint Information Communication Technology Committee met to receive a verbal update on cyber security and to note the contents of the IT Partnership Dashboard covering the period April 2023 to October 2024. The committee also noted a verbal update on ICT proposals being developed following the June 2023 Socitm report Future Operating Model, including a planned restructure of the IT service, the creation of a Technical Design Authority, and a joint cloud migration of HR systems. Councillors also noted that a number of ICT infrastructure upgrades are nearing completion, and that plans are in place for others.

IT Partnership Dashboard (April 2023 - October 2024)

The committee noted the contents of the IT Partnership Dashboard for April 2023 to October 2024. The dashboard showed that both councils had experienced a small number of periods of IT downtime during this period.

In May 2023, Stevenage Borough Council experienced 17 hours of downtime due to an issue with Windows 7. This was mitigated by migrating from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

In October 2023, the team migrated from Windows 7, which is expected to prevent the recurrence of the P1 issue encountered in May.

In November 2023 both councils experienced five and a half hours of downtime due to the dark fibre being cut.

In September 2024, both councils experienced network problems that prevented data from being copied.

The server storage (pure array) could not make copies of the data due to problems with the network connection.

There were three network outages at Stevenage Borough Council in October 2024: one of 15 minutes on 2 October, one of 40 minutes on 21 October caused by a WiFi installation, and one of 20 minutes on 16 October caused by a switch reboot.

The report notes that both councils saw significant improvements in incident resolution times in the year to March 2024, but that performance has declined since April 2024, particularly in East Herts. The dashboard attributes this decline to the increased pressure on the service desk as a result of the May 2024 local elections and the July 2024 general election. It also notes that these pressures should be eased by a restructuring of the service desk.

Shared ICT Service Project Update

The committee received a verbal update on a number of ICT projects.

Socitm Report 2023 Future Operating Model

The committee were told that following the June 2023 Socitm report Future Operating Model a number of changes are being made to the service. The report recommended that a new operating model be implemented from July 2024. Of the 30 staff in the team, 13 have applied for different roles. External recruitment for 12 vacancies is now taking place.

IT Strategy and Assurance Team

A new Technical Design Authority has been established, and work has started on creating Design and Enterprise Architecture principles. The committee were told that work has also started on the rationalisation of:

• M365 tenancy
• Revenues and Benefits
• Digital Platform
• Learning & Development
• Electoral Services

A joint cloud migration of HR systems has also started.

IT Foundation Projects

The following projects have been completed:

• Decommissioning of Windows 2008 servers
• Migration from Windows 7 to Windows 10
• Installation of new virtual desktop infrastructure
• Installation of new microwave link
• Rollout of Microsoft 365
• Installation of new firewall
• Installation of new Pure Storage

The following IT foundation projects are in progress:

• Upgrade of server compute (due to be completed by January 2025)
• Upgrade of WiFi and network (due to be completed by March 2025)
• Decommissioning of Windows 2012 servers (due to be completed by March 2025)
• Upgrade to Windows 11 (due to be completed by July 2025)
• Replacement of telephony (due to be completed by Summer 2025)

Server Compute Replacement

The new servers have been installed and configured. They will be operational from January 2025.

Wi-Fi and Network Upgrade

New WiFi procured from BT will go live in December 2024 on a site-by-site basis. The old system will operate in parallel until it is decommissioned in February/March 2025.

Telephony

New telephony requirements will be presented to the committee in December 2024. Procurement will then take place, with implementation scheduled for April 2025 - September 2025.

Invest to Save

The committee noted that a number of invest to save projects have produced savings for the councils. These projects are:

• Purchase of new laptops in December 2023, saving a total of £55,315
• Purchase of Maas360 and printers in March 2024, saving a total of £26,984.64
• Purchase of mobile phones (over 24 months) and cheque printing in October 2024, saving a total of £66,834

These projects will result in total savings of £149,133.48.

Cyber Security Update

The committee went into private session to receive a verbal update on cyber security. They were provided with a report that described a number of different types of malware attack, including:

Trojan: A Trojan virus is a type of malware that disguises itself as a legitimate download to gain access to sensitive data or systems. Users unknowingly download the software or document, and malicious code is hidden within, attempting to access their data. Trojan Horses are usually disguised as email attachments, free-to-download apps, or files that users are familiar with. However, Trojans can also enter the system or network through links and ads on social media.

Phishing: Phishing emails often impersonate a trusted source, such as a bank, credit card company, shipping company, or social media platform. The recipient is then prompted to click on a link or visit a website where they are asked to provide sensitive information or unknowingly download malware onto their device.

Generic Fake Login / Obfus: Users are sent to a fake login page for a site or system. These malicious HTML attachments use meta refresh to redirect the end-user from an HTML attachment hosted locally to a phishing page hosted on the public internet.

URL Reputation Scan: A URL reputation scan is a process used to evaluate the safety and trustworthiness of a website. It checks URLs against databases of known malicious sites and analyses the content for signs of malware, phishing, or other security threats. This helps users avoid potentially harmful websites. Malware associated with URL reputation scans can occur if a malicious actor creates a fake URL scanning service. These fake services might claim to check URLs for safety but instead infect users’ devices with malware when they visit the site or download a file.

Content Classification: Content Classification malware refers to malicious software that uses advanced techniques to classify and categorise content on a target system. This type of malware can analyse files, emails, and other data to identify sensitive information, such as personal details, financial records, or proprietary business information.