Newport City Council, the Welsh unitary authority, has moved its financial systems to the cloud to reduce costs. The adoption of the TechnologyOne platform is the latest in a series of modernisations at Newport City Council.
Over 500 employees have moved from legacy on-premise technology to the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) finance systems. This has provided access to real-time dashboards that Newport City Council says break down information silos and have replaced manual processes through improved integration between business lines of the local authority and finance.
"Quicker processes and better decision-making by the council internally and with local suppliers through tools like procure-to-pay, will help free up the time of hundreds of council employees and managers allowing them to focus on front-line support work," said Robert Green, Assistant Head of Finance at Newport City Council. He believes the technology will also help embrace more remote and hybrid ways of working.
Newport City Council has been engaged throughout 2021, and 2022 on migrating off four on-premises platforms to cloud-based technology, including the TechnologyOne finance platform, and there will be further moves into the cloud next year the authority said. "A cloud-based system is a massive leap forward for us in terms of functionality. Having smarter systems that communicate between themselves in real-time and an interface that all users can navigate with confidence will significantly improve decision-making," said Green.
"Migrating over to the cloud also has added benefits in today's hybrid world by allowing employees access on any device, at any time of the day. The ability to offer greater workday flexibility, where possible, will enhance employee well-being by making us better equipped to support varying lifestyles".
