Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council is hoping to save £1m over five years through a managed services contract with Esteem Systems to improve system performance and disaster recovery capabilities.

Under the £2.1m contract, the council will gain major improvements to its IT infrastructure reducing operational costs and driving efficiency across various council directorates including children’s services, health and social care and corporate resources.

The new infrastructure, based on Sun Microsystems technology and designed and installed by Esteem, will be managed by the IT services provider around the clock, minimising the risk of downtime and reducing costs.

Norman Keats, the council’s cabinet member for finance and information society technologies, said: ‘Esteem won the tender because of their innovative approach to technical design and their ability to provide quality support.’

‘We are improving efficiency while also reducing costs, meaning tax payers in Knowsley will get better value for money. The managed service contract also frees up our IT staff to work on strategic projects rather than getting tied down with routine maintenance tasks,’ he said.