With such a relentless number of pressures facing organisations across the UK, settling into the pattern of another new year isn’t the only challenge right now. But navigating such a multifaceted role means the stakes are particularly high for the social housing sector.
As well as managing everything from recruitment challenges and already stretched IT budgets, to the effects of ongoing geopolitical turmoil, the responsibility to serve a growing demographic with specialist properties and support continues. Having traditionally been reluctant to adapt to technological innovation, the sector is still battling with inefficient — and often redundant — legacy infrastructure too.
But it’s not just about wholesale change. By shifting priorities and opening doors to greater opportunities, social housing organisations can drive powerful progress over the coming months. Here, client director at Central Networks, Mike Dunleavy, explores which IT advancements will have the biggest impact in 2023…
Expecting and accepting downtime
With the increasing proliferation of cyber attacks, it’s only natural to feel overwhelmed by the possibility of downtime – not least with the oft-cited statistic looming, which states that £3.6m could be lost by organisations each year as a result.
Of course, there are so many reasons for IT to become momentarily out of use – from malicious malware downloads, to natural disaster strikes, general human error, and more. But accepting these feats as inevitable means shaking responsibility altogether.
By instead taking a proactive approach to maintenance, housing associations can prevent unprecedented cyber attacks in their infancy, minimise unproductive work hours, protect costs, plus safeguard company reputation amongst customers, partners, and stakeholders alike. Above all else, foolproof training procedures must take centre stage this year — ensuring teams feel empowered to spot potentially risky nuances in the network.
Overlooking the benefits of outsourced IT support
Talent attraction and retention is a major concern for all organisations. But with the growing lack of resource, economic struggles, and nationwide digital skills shortage, housing associations are under increasing pressures.
The return on investment offered by outsourcing key IT needs – such as help desk support and proactive network maintenance – is well worth its weight in gold. Not only do specialist teams offer years of experience, spanning a variety of industries, they also often boast lower costs, and enable you to focus internal resources on your core business strategy.
Paying for redundant tech
Digital transformation needs are evolving constantly. And without a CTO or finance team in place to focus on the strategic future of your housing association, a lot of organisations will find themselves running into trouble – implementing knee-jerk, sticking plaster solutions that serve limited long-term purpose.
With both finances and human resources stretched in countless directions, the pressure to introduce the fastest and cheapest fixes into the tech stack is immense. But what many IT leaders also forget when solving organisational challenges, is that future growth must be taken into consideration too.
A major part of this strategy, is to invest in infrastructure that’s truly scalable. In being able to flex up and down as required, firms won’t risk overspending on overprovisioned technology – because it will grow in line with evolving business needs.
Assuming that productivity is a given
With a limited number of resources to tap into, housing associations are navigating the need to do more with less. And the current economic backdrop, coupled with rising recruitment pressures, means this feat will only become more of a challenge in 2023.
Ensuring the right infrastructure is in place will be a major driver of productivity. Being technologically savvy is not a given, for example – no matter how digital our world has become. So, will the new ways of working suit your employees? And will the right support be in place to help with a seamless transition?
Failing to replace legacy infrastructure
Like many industries, archaic legacy systems are seriously hampering growth in the social housing sector. As well as being costly to maintain and worse for the environment, they’re often incredibly unreliable – not to mention dangerously unsecure.
Most of the time, IT leaders and CFOs are well aware of this. However, the prospect of mapping out a well-considered digital transformation project is often far too daunting. This is an issue that will only grow in severity over time, so appointing the right support to facilitate such a transition – optimising infrastructure, whilst keeping costs as low as possible, and minimising the risk of downtime – is crucial this year, if not done already.
Further procrastination will simply not suffice, unless organisations want to place business continuity, cyber security, team productivity, and customer satisfaction at greater risk.
Keen to continue this conversation? Central Networks is an outsourced IT partner, specialising in realms spanning cloud services and digital security, to managed help desk support, strategic consultancy, and more. Simply get in touch, to see how we can help drive your social housing firm forward – in 2023, and beyond.
You can see how we’re supporting the likes of Welsh housing association ateb Group, and provider of housing and community services, One Manchester, by visiting our sector page.
The shortage of high-level talent in the social housing sector is well documented – with 71% of employers expecting to face recruitment difficulties over the coming year, a third having already experienced a scarcity of projects and change management skills, and half increasingly struggling to find candidates with senior leadership qualities.
But with sector activity continuing apace during economic downturn – as people depend on affordable housing solutions – coupled with nearing government targets to tackle the under-supply of properties, the need for skilled talent has never been so great.
Outsourcing IT services is certainly not a new concept, but it’s one that is often overlooked when finding ways to combat such recruitment challenges.
Here, our operations director and social housing specialist, John Blackburn, explores how re-allocating the help desk function in particular, can deliver significant financial, operational, social, and environmental benefits.
Whilst managed services providers (MSPs) aren’t immune to the skills shortages facing the social housing sector, they remain an excellent way to access a rich and diverse pool of knowledge and expertise.
As specialist organisations with a wide network of industry connections, they’ll often onboard professionals who are both experienced and highly skilled in their role – and don’t require dedicated training. It’s because of this that MSPs can be engaged at short notice, to bring an immediate solution to an urgent project need.
Boasting experience and expertise in a variety of sectors, MSPs are able to tap into intelligence from different customer projects to offer first contact resolution and facilitate a higher quality end-user experience.
With the ability to enter service level agreements (SLAs) with outsourced IT companies, IT teams working within housing associations can also reap the benefits of improved performance. Not only is it easier to turn the dials up when compared with internal teams, but it’s also easier to measure and feedback on process, due to greater oversight.
There’s a common misconception that MSPs act as a direct replacement for your internal teams. The reality is, the two can easily work together effectively.
By outsourcing your help desk function, your managerial and human resources teams won’t need to add handling an IT department to their list. A third-party partner will take care of everything – and often around the clock – leaving your organisation free to focus on the strategic and tactical future of its tech estate.
It’s important to remember that growth doesn’t always come from more business – often, it’s about having more time to concentrate and look at the bigger picture.
With in-house IT help desks requiring multiple, full-time salaries, added operational costs, and ongoing training budget, MSPs bring significant financial benefits to your organisation, too.
Offering the ability to scale up and down as required, organisations can pay for the specific IT services they need, when they need them – with the guarantee that the resources will be readily available. Plus, the MSP will take care of the full project – from technology integration and transition to long-term end-user support – to remove unnecessary headaches and help retain in-house talent.
In recent years, we’ve witnessed a dramatic shift to more flexible, hybrid, and digitally-focused ways of working. And as a result, there’s an ongoing need to keep pace with the wants and needs of today’s employees. To do so, organisations must be able to offer innovative solutions that are user-friendly and efficient, whilst keeping a sharp eye on finances.
With vast expertise in services – spanning cloud consultancy, security-first SD-WANs, IT environment audits, transformation services, and more – MSPs can offer valuable infrastructure and support to help you compete in the talent market and attract skilled workers.
Our team at Central has a collective 250 years’ experience within the technology industry – so not only can we provide the know-how, but cost-effectiveness and a professional service to boot.
We make it our mission to be seen as an extension of our clients’ IT teams, so if you need our help short-term to solve a problem in the long-term, let’s talk.
A year filled with unprecedented challenges and a need to navigate external pressures more collaboratively than ever before, 2022 is definitely another one for the history books. But while it’s certainly been different, it hasn’t come without reward and opportunity.
As we take time to reflect on our successes over the past 12 months, we’re filled with an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment over the things we’ve achieved.
And while you’ll often find us working in the background to keep your business-critical operations running smoothly – whether that’s optimising your tech infrastructure or providing first, second, and third-line support – we thought we’d pinch the limelight for just five minutes. Here’s what we’re celebrating…
While Central was already granted G-Cloud status, the recently introduced 13th iteration called for a renewed application. And we’re delighted to have been appointed!
From hosting and software to general support, this digital marketplace opens up new markets for the business – extending our cloud technology to public sector customers. With 10 new services already live for organisations to procure, we’re excited to broaden our horizons even further in 2023.
Despite only joining the fold this year our latest recruit has made a significant impact with colleagues, customers, and partners alike.
Bringing a portfolio of experiences and oodles of personality, Vicki not only keeps the business on top form, but is an excellent addition to the team on a cultural level too. Here’s hoping we get some equally impactful recruits next year! If you want in, why not contact us?
Sticking with the employee theme, we’re delighted to have seen Jordan Gallier take the next step in his career in 2022 – as he rose up the ranks from technical to senior architect.
Starting out as an apprentice just a few years ago it’s been a real privilege to watch Jordan move forward alongside the management team and play an ever-integral role in business growth and success. Who knows what’s next…
Being trusted to deliver on our promises has always been part of our DNA, here at Central. And while the advice we give has always been based on honesty and objectivity, this has been especially important for every sector we operate in this year – not least with so many challenges and questions around the integrity of organisations.
By providing comprehensive, well-considered assessments of IT requirements, this has given our customers the assurance they so desperately needed this year. And it’s something we look forward to continuing in 2023 and beyond.
As an outsourced IT partner, the support we offer is vast and varied. And since starting out in 1991, our mission to place IT at the heart of every business and keep it as headache-free as possible hasn’t wavered. This year, that’s seen Central strengthen existing relationships with clients and partners, as well as develop a whole host of new ones. Some notable mentions for various housing clients, for points six to 12, include…
And there’s plenty more where that came from! The end of the year brings no greater joy than the opportunity to thank our clients and partners for their continued support. We look forward to an even greater 2023, together.
You’ll also be pleased to know that, besides the bank holidays, we’ll be operating business as usual over the festive period. Those with out-of-hours cover in their contract should have the information on how to contact us, should Central’s support be required during this time.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Established following the merger of two housing associations — City South and Eastlands Homes — the newly-formed One Manchester found itself with a complex network of connectivity solutions, which were not only inefficient but unnecessarily expensive.
As technology continues to advance at pace, we’re seeing what were once pinnacles of innovation become completely redundant – and often, seemingly overnight.
The most recent part of the tech stack to be trumped, legacy phone systems are slowly but surely being replaced by cloud-based solutions across the globe – with Microsoft Teams dominating this opportunity.
According to a recent Forrester study, SMBs can realise an average £93,000 in savings benefit over three years, and enterprises over £9.3 billion, by integrating calling capabilities into their communication platform.
Yet, with such a relentless volume of information to digest in the tech space, it comes as no surprise that organisational leaders are hesitant to dive straight into adoption.
To this end, the Central team has clubbed together to provide some of the must-know benefits Teams Voice has to offer. Let’s delve deeper…
Answer calls on the go
There are a whole host of ways to use Teams Voice, although most users tend to install the mobile app, enabling them to make and receive calls in any location – rather than be tied to a desk-based handset.
While this may sound invasive, and blur the boundaries between personal and professional for some, the app has an excellent functionality which allows users to set predetermined, active working hours – during which, notifications of any work-related calls are paused.
Secure and reliable support
By extension, Teams Voice is an inherently secure platform, which enforces organisation-wide multi-factor authentication, single sign on, and continued encryption of data – both in transit and at rest. So, even with the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks, you can rest easy that your business-critical data will remain secure.
Not only this, but Teams Voice also comes with a 99.9% uptime guarantee – backed by a service-level agreement (SLA), load-balancing and in-built redundancy. Because Azure – Microsoft’s cloud technology – is an ultrafast network which spans the entire globe, it’s rare that connections drop out – so you can experience high-quality calls, too.
Scalability and flexibility as required
Because Teams Voice is a cloud-based solution, the infrastructure can be deployed relatively quickly, as well as scaled up or down as required. As a business leader, head of operations, or financial director, the range of investments available allows great flexibility to suit your of-the-moment needs.
For example, organisations can choose between:
Helps to unify communications
While putting all your eggs in one basket can be a cause for concern if a potential issue arises, the ability to access everything in one central location introduces unparalleled benefits for SMEs.
By housing multiple communication and collaboration channels under the Microsoft banner, you can guarantee complete compatibility from one application to the next – in turn, boosting productivity, streamlining operations, and improving the overall customer experience. From managing phone numbers to calling plans, voice routing to auto attendants – everything is available in one place.
Built-in security and compliance
There’s no denying that the cyber security landscape is becoming increasingly volatile, which is why it’s important that infrastructure remains robust, to mitigate the risk of an attack. And that’s another reason why MS Teams Voice is so great for businesses!
With built-in compliance features – including team and organisation-wide multi-factor authentication, single sign-on through Active Directory, and encryption of data in transit and rest – you can rest assured that your organisation’s security posture is truly augmented.
Still need convincing? To learn more about the benefits of Microsoft Teams Voice, and how Central can help manage this secure, reliable, and compliant service on your behalf, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Tracked as CVE-2022-32894, the first vulnerability which the update is set to fix is situated in the iPhone Kernel – the core of the operating system – and could allow an application to execute malicious code with kernel privileges, which grants unauthorised and undetected access to the device.
The second issue patched in iOS 15.6.1 is a flaw in WebKit – the browser engine which powers Safari. Known as CVE-2022-32893, successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a threat actor to achieve arbitrary code execution if the target visits a maliciously crafted website. Again, this could provide complete control over a user’s device.
In the most extreme attacks, perpetrators use two or more issues in conjunction to successfully infiltrate protective barriers. And, as has been seen with this example, it’s not uncommon for cyber criminals to break into the device's browser – such as WebKit – as a means to enter the wider operating system and access sensitive personal data.
How do zero-day attacks work?
A zero-day attack occurs when hackers exploit a flaw in security infrastructure before the software developers have the opportunity to address it.
Because the vulnerabilities are not always discovered immediately, they can cause long-lasting effects for individuals and organisations alike – not least due to the fact that the only people who know about the zero-day attack are the perpetrators themselves.
Not only can exploits get sold on the dark web for significant sums of money, but attackers can also decide to sit and wait for the most opportune moment to strike rather than infiltrating a network immediately.
What does this mean for the future of security?
While, naturally, this news has caused concern for individuals and organisations across the globe, Apple’s rapid response to the incident showcases exactly why proactive patch management is the key to creating – and maintaining – more robust security infrastructure.
Because attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and cyber criminals are constantly on the lookout for vulnerabilities to exploit, software developers and IT teams must equally be keeping a sharp eye on any abnormalities that require attention.
But it’s not just up to the professionals to be proactive – users of any affected devices must also be quick to implement necessary updates as and when they become available, to mitigate the consequences of an attack.
There’s no denying that such vulnerabilities will continue to occur – both in Apple products and within other software – but maintaining a proactive approach to patch management and sight over emerging updates will no doubt maximise the security posture of individuals, as well as organisations large and small.
We provide patching services to firms within both the public and private sectors. If you'd like to find out more about how we can help your company, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the Central team.
We’re always here to help.
Central provides Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBA) - the UK’s first tenant and employee co-owned mutual housing society, with approximately 13,000 properties - with tighter security infrastructure and a robust recovery plan.
Central provides The Sovini Group – a medium-sized registered social landlord with 13,000 homes – with evolved IT infrastructure and a new data centre home.
In today’s climate of rapid change and uncertainty, business challenges are not a possibility – but a reality that organisations of any shape or size will face sooner rather than later.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. By leveraging the learnings of these obstacles, businesses can turn what might have previously been a mediocre IT service into something jam-packed with strategy and resilience.
Whatever your IT requirements, we’ll help you to consider all options. Here at Central, you’ll never be just ‘a ticket’ to us, we make things happen through our passion for problem solving and will help you to make decisions with commercial interests in mind. So, without further ado.
Here’s three reasons why outsourcing your IT support starts with the objectives and challenges of your organisation…
You need to know the lie of the land.
You can't implement 'great IT' if you aren't aware of what the need for the tech is. Looking at the current objectives and challenges of your organisation and evaluating which tech foundations already exist gives you a starting point.
Perhaps you’re looking to set up a new IT network, or transfer your existing one, or you may be considering how best to protect your organisation from cyber-attacks and data breaches —whatever the need is for outsourcing your managed IT support, we’re here to be a trusted partner and help drive your organisation forward.
It helps to solve organisation-wide pain-points.
Tech and operational frustrations are often felt across an entire organisation. If you don't consider your business objectives and challenges and look at your IT set-up in tandem, any solution you implement won't be considered, and likely, not fit for purpose. Here at Central, we’re committed to making IT as seamless as possible, to ensure business continuity as well as supporting your team whenever they need it.
Technical issues may be having more of an impact on your organisation than you once thought, which is why outsourcing your IT needs to a trusted partner can help to increase productivity of your current team, minimise downtime, and significantly reduce the burden of mounting IT pressures.
It gives you a benchmark.
If you're able to evaluate where you are with new tech in comparison to your old tech, it helps to give a measure of how successful its implementation has been — as well as a clearer indicator of ROI. Equally, if you have specific goals in place — whether for staff and/or customers - these need to be established, so you can ensure your tech partner implements a solution that's future-proofed and directly supports where your organisation is heading.
Want to learn more about how objectives and challenges can supercharge your IT? We love to chat! Whether you’re seeking more information on our comprehensive service offering or want to know if we’d be the right fit for your business, contact us below.
The cloud is a revolutionary computing paradigm that has completely transformed the way we do business – not least by generating significant efficiencies across the board.
Taking software and data out of local premises and placing them within a secure global network of remote servers, the cloud operates as a single ecosystem to help manage and maintain digital infrastructure. Underpinned by third-party operation, it enables 24/7 access to data whilst eliminating unnecessary expenses and downtime.
The chances are, your firm is already using a handful of applications hosted on the cloud – from social media sites and email platforms, to productivity suites offered by industry giants like Google and Microsoft.
And with an endless selection of options to deploy resources – from public, community, and private, through to hybrid models – organisations of varying scopes and sizes can benefit from a complete computing overhaul.
But proceed with caution! While the benefits of using cloud-based services over outdated, in-house IT models are clear – reliability, scalability, efficiency, and security, to name just a few – it’s not necessarily right for every company.
So, to help inform your decision and formulate the most successful strategy for your organisation, here are some of the key things to consider when determining the suitability of cloud computing…
Cost.
While the cloud offers a significant range of cost efficiencies – through the elimination of redundant technology and labour requirements, lower power costs, and reduced carbon footprint – it’s important to evaluate the price of switching infrastructure.
Capital expenditure (CapEx) and operational expenditure (OpEx) should be key considerations when weighing up your options – as the financial differences will influence the option you choose.
For most businesses, a pay-as-you-go OpEx plan is the obvious choice, helping to keep financial forecasts stable and predictable, while offering the flexibility to cancel or modify a plan at any given moment, and freeing up internal resources to focus on driving value for your organisation.
However, if companies prefer to take control of cloud services – including costs and maintenance – and generate long-term revenue by improving production facilities and boosting operational efficiency, a private cloud might be a more suitable option.
Security and compliance.
With the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks, maintaining a strong cloud security posture is key if your organisation is to house highly sensitive business information and intellectual property online – especially if your industry is highly regulated. Luckily, most private and hybrid infrastructures support compliance, but scrutinising this area to ensure your company’s needs are met is crucial.
The off-site nature of cloud storage, in which data is hosted in a separate location from your business, automatically reduces some risks – including the removal of USB sticks, or forwarding of login details – but there are some other key elements to look out for in your security strategy. These include:
Collaboration and flexibility.
Cloud-hosted platforms enable users a greater degree of flexibility, by allowing them to access files anytime, anywhere. It doesn’t matter if your teams are working remotely or in the office, on a laptop or a tablet – as long as each device is connected to the internet, important files can be accessed and updated conveniently.
But that’s not all, cloud-based software suites like Office 365 also unlock contemporary ways of working by empowering creative collaboration. With the ability to share documents both internally and externally, co-author in real time, and attend meetings virtually, cloud computing not only creates a shared understanding across your organisation, but crucially bolsters the team dynamic and encourages fresh ideas into fruition.
But don’t just innovate for innovations’ sake – if your teams are successfully collaborating without needing cloud intervention, don’t feel like you have to make a change.
While the technology industry has become a burgeoning powerhouse in recent years – offering an ever-increasing myriad of benefits to businesses from SMEs through to corporate enterprises – there can often be a mounting pressure to conform.
And while growth often brings an unavoidable need to adapt in some form or another, change can be marginally different from one organisation to the next.
To delve deeper into the topic of cloud with one of our experts, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – let’s discuss your options, together.
Central Networks are a strategic technology partner. Excellent technology is a given, customer service, trust and long-term relationships are what drive our business. We support CEOs, Heads of IT, IT technicians and transformation directors to ensure technology provides an edge to their organisations.
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