Essex Online Partnership Overview

The Essex Online Partnership (EOLP) is a combination of public sector organisations working together on ICT Projects across Essex. The partnership consists of County, District, Borough, and Unitary Councils, the Police and the Fire and Rescue Services, working together in a way that helps improve the efficiency of local services.

The EOLP was formed in 2002, initially working together to support the development of integrated and accessible local services to Essex citizens and businesses in support of the E-Government initiative. Since then, the EOLP has developed to support the key objective of delivering cost effective ICT solutions where partnership working is essential.

THE PROBLEM

The EOLP had just formulated a set of best practice Information Security Policies which addressed the Government Connect (GCSx) Standard, PCI DSS, ISO27001 and Data Protection Act 1998.

They needed to be able to disseminate accurate policies to all employees and be able to evidence that each member had read and understood their content. Existing traditional methods of engaging staff clearly didn’t work and there was little or no evidence that staff were aware of their responsibility and accountability for Information Security.

THE SOLUTION

The EOLP was first introduced to MetaCompliance through the Opportunities through Technology Group (OTTG). Chelmsford Borough Council had previously selected MetaCompliance’s Advantage solution as the leading solution that could assist their specific requirements in the areas of information assurance, user awareness, and policy compliance. Following a Proof of Concept of Advantage, Chelmsford Borough Council decided to introduce the solution to the other members of the EOLP.

The benefits of deploying MetaCompliance at Essex Online Partnership:

• An increase in user understanding and awareness which will bring an improved culture of IT security to the organisation
• The ability to cost effectively obtain employee agreement to IT security and compliance policies across the global organisation
• The protection of corporate infrastructure from malware and viruses
• Minimising the risk of data leakage
• The ability to demonstrate to regulators and customers that EOLP is CoCo compliant
• 100% participation in Policies, Surveys and e-Learning
• Return on investment will be realised from the product being used across the Partnership using special pricing

THE RESULT

MetaCompliance was very well received by the EOLP members. The solution allowed for flexibility in its deployment and integration with each of the individual member’s IT infrastructure, regardless of the size of the employee infrastructure.

The key benefit of the strategic purchasing approach to the EOLP members is the establishment of an Essex-wide special price list. Each member within the EOLP has their own procurement processes and policies. MetaCompliance has demonstrated an understanding of the group’s objectives and has supported all of the members to the highest standards.

MetaCompliance has proven to be an innovative software development organisation with a major focus on the development of their product offerings, ensuring that their key deliverables are in line with market requirements in the current economic climate.

As Chelmsford Borough Council has gone through a Proof of Concept, it was a great way for the members to see the real and tangible benefits of automating policy compliance and user awareness.

THE DELIVERABLES

• User accountability via automated self certification
• 100% response from ALL user types
• The measurement of IT security posture with MetaCompliance Risk Assessment and Survey
• Demonstrable compliance via secure audit and reporting
• A Blended User Awareness Programme which includes delivery of e-Learning, Policies and Risk Assessments
• The automated repeatable processes that are the key to sustainable compliance