Decision details

The Council is migrating its ICT systems to the Microsoft Azure cloud as part of its exit from the Civic Centre’s data centre. However, some of the Council’s legacy systems are unsuitable for cloud migration due to technical limitations, the age of the applications, or unsupported software from third-party vendors. These systems are still critical to the Council’s operations and replacing them with modern cloud-compatible solutions is neither financially nor logistically feasible.

Given this, the most cost-effective solution is to procure scalable Dell hardware to host these systems on-site. This scalable approach allows the Council to maintain flexibility, as the proposed hardware solution can accommodate any future cloud optimisation reviews that demonstrate benefits in moving systems back on-premise—whether for cost efficiency or performance improvements.

The new Dell hardware will be installed in the Spindles offices to facilitate the planned shutdown of the Civic Centre’s data centre without disrupting the functionality of these legacy systems. It also offers a more modern, energy-efficient, and reliable infrastructure than the end-of-life/support hardware currently in place.

Approval is required to purchase and install server and storage hardware to maintain the Council’s business ICT systems that cannot migrate to Microsoft Azure. The hardware will be installed and operated from Primary Communications Room 1 in the Spindles offices.
Several of the Council’s current systems are unsuitable for migration to the Microsoft Azure cloud, primarily due to the age of the applications or a lack of support from third-party suppliers. Given these limitations, continuing to provide an on-premise solution for these systems has been deemed more cost-effective until replacement becomes viable and affordable.

Additionally, the proposed Dell hardware solution is scalable. Should the Council’s ongoing annual cloud optimisation reviews identify that moving certain systems back on-premise offers a cost or performance advantage, this scalable hardware solution will accommodate such systems efficiently. This ensures that the Council can remain flexible in future decisions, balancing cloud and on-premise resources based on evolving needs.

The proposed hardware is a streamlined version of the outdated and soon-to-be-unsupported equipment currently used in the data centre. Migrating these systems to the new hardware in the Spindles Comms Room will avoid delays in exiting the Civic Centre while ensuring continuous service for systems that cannot be migrated.

By not replacing the ageing hardware, the Council would face significant risks of system failures as the current infrastructure reaches the end of its life. This could lead to service outages, increased maintenance costs, and a delayed exit from the Civic Centre. Inaction would also limit the Council’s ability to meet its strategic goals for modernising its ICT systems and could ultimately result in higher long-term costs.

n/a

n/a