Laura Sharman 24 April 2017

Councils warned not to switch to the cloud too quickly

Councils have been warned not to make the shift to the cloud ‘too hastily’ after a new study found it can create problems with data security and a loss of control.

An in-depth look at three councils that had transferred services to cloud computing found that while it had several benefits, one council was instantly hit by hackers.

Dr Uthayasankar Sivarajah, part of the research team at Brunel University London, said: ‘One of the authorities faced an immediate security breach that caused chaos.

‘Data was accessed illegally by an unauthorised third party and the private sector cloud provider blamed human error.’

The study found that while switching to the cloud made it easier for staff to work from home and improved information management, managers felt it was more of a liability than a labour saver.

Staff also felt the move was the council’s rushed way of meeting the political agenda.

Dr Sivarajah added: ‘There are huge black holes between what the councils are trying to do and what they are achieving.

‘At operational level they could all see real benefits in cost savings. But it is still early days and we don’t know what the long-term impact will be. That may take 10 years to find out. It might reduce the headcount in IT departments, but I can’t see it cutting out the need for them altogether.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Principal Accountant

Durham County Council
£47,181 to £51,356 p.a. (Grade 13)
Durham County Council is the largest council in the North East, we have a budget of around £1.3 billion which helps us provide services to more than 5 Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Mechanical Foreman

Durham County Council
£35,412 to £39,152 p.a. (Grade 9)
A vacancy has arisen within Building and Facilities Management for a Mechanical Foreman working full time 37 hours.   WHAT IS INVOLVED?    Within a co Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Occupational Health Physiotherapist

Durham County Council
£40,777 to £45,091 p.a. (Grade 11)
An exciting opportunity has arisen with Durham County Council to join our well established ‘in house’ Occupational Health Service in making a positiv Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Apprentice - Housing Management

Durham County Council
£14,566 per annum / £7.55 per hour (NMW in Second Year)
Earn. Learn. Qualify. Do you want to earn while you learn, with the chance of progression once you qualify? Do you want the opportunity to grow, devel Seaham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

School Crossing Patrol

Durham County Council
Grade 1 £3,383 (approx.) £12.85 per hour
Join our School Crossing Patrol Service! Are you punctual and reliable? Do you have good communication skills and a strong sense of community spirit? Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner