The Towns of Cottesloe and Claremont are two small, inner urban Perth Councils. Cottesloe is four square kilometres, has 7,200 residents and 33 employees, while neighbouring Claremont is five square kilometres, with almost 10,000 residents and 39 staff.
Two years ago, both Councils were investigating an upgrade for their computer systems. While a new system would bring major advantages, the lack of IT specialist staff at both Councils presented a problem.
The solution was found through local IT firm, Collier Knyn and Associates, which has not only provided the hardware and software but undertook responsibility for administering the systems. This saved the Councils having to employ additional people to manage and run their IT areas.
Collier Knyn houses the joint hardware at its own premises. Individual systems are delivered to each Council via dedicated ISDN lines.
“A major advantage is Collier Knyn’s on site support, provided four half days per week,” said Rhonda Evans, Manager Corporate Services at Claremont. “Here, network consultants, responsible for developing the software, are on hand to assist staff in using the system.
“The outsourcing has enabled us to do much more with our IT system than would have been possible had we gone down the track of a traditional inhouse system.”
Rhonda said that in addition to the usual finance system linked to rating, Claremont now has all its health, building and pool licensing included on the system and will shortly incorporate development approvals. Customer queries and requests are also linked through each individual property file.
For further information contact Mike Clarke at Collier Knyn, telephone (08) 9474 3188.
