Comino Connect Case Study:

A railway workers'
housing association

The opening of the world's first public railway in 1825, with a pioneering engineer at the helm of his locomotive, firmly placed one north-eastern town on the international map as the birthplace of the world's railways.

Almost a century later in 1919 a housing association for railway workers was founded, expressly to provide housing for railway workers, of which there were many, returning from the Great War.

Today, operating as a registered charity, it is one of the largest housing groups in the North East. With offices across the region, it works with thirty local authorities handling a stock of 1400 properties, many of which still line the railways of the area.

The position they were in..

IT within the association was the responsibility of the Finance department - namely their accountant and his assistant.

As far as IT was concerned the association's equipment was both limited and antiquated: Dumb terminals, a couple of stand alone PCs and a dial-up internet connection. Efficiency was suffering, especially with regard to its remote offices and the daily communications with the 30 Local Authorities. For example, if a remote office needed a tenant's statement, they would first have to ring the head office, or use a dial-up connection.

There was mounting pressure to modernise from external sources too, including e-commerce initiatives from the housing regulator and other government agencies, who were demanding information and returns to be submitted electronically. The Association also needed to be in constant communication with the thirty local authorities, particularly on the Supporting People initiative. One PC in the organisation with dial-up access was no longer appropriate. Something had to be done.

The finance team began looking into the cost of replacing all of the out-of-date IT equipment and getting their network up to a modern standard. The first point of call was Comino Connect, with whom they already had an excellent relationship, the group being the supplier of their housing management

Application. The association wished to continue its investment with this capable system and Comino Connect were positively there to support them in their choice and the system into the future. Whichever scheme was to be adopted, it was important to the association's overall strategy that the given solution must omit the expense of a full-time IT Manager and/or dedicated IT department.

The Solution

The finance team were introduced to the technical director of Comino Connect. "We felt totally safe in his hands. He knew about housing associations and also had an IT background."

A managed ASP (Application Service Provision) solution was proposed, with Comino Connect to host their software applications. This would allow for 24 hour access via a non-contended fixed link leased line for office LAN's or via a private ADSL connection for remote users, all at a predetermined fixed cost.

The main benefit however of the ASP solution was eliminating the need to invest in an expensive IT infrastructure and the resources normally required to maintain it. The reduced investment and capital expenditure in hardware was welcomed too. All this came with the peace of mind that engineers and support staff were always available on site at the Comino Connect HQ, enabling immediate response to a system problem. Comino Connect supply the 'engine room' and concentrate on ensuring the reliability and performance of the service, leaving the finance team free to focus on their core business.

Cost justification was put to the association board in April 2003. Research had shown that housing associations of a similar standing typically had IT departments of several employees. His assistant explained that the philosophy within the association is that, "IT should be viewed not as a cost, but as an investment in your staff and your service to tenants." Crucially, Comino Connect's ASP solution was to prove extremely cost-effective, certainly in comparison to running a dedicated IT department.

The project was very well thought out. The installation took place in two phases, to coincide with refurbishing the head office. The UNIX server was moved from the head office to the Comino Connect Data Centre in Dorking. Thin Client technology was implemented throughout the organisation, including the latest TFT monitors, which look smart, are environmentally friendly and take up less space on the desk. Floor space and the physical environment for hardware was no longer a decision factor for the Association.

There was also a training requirement as the staff were not used to a Windows environment and particularly MS Word and Outlook. Any teething problems that occurred, such as with printing difficulties, were dealt with quickly and efficiently.

The Future

The housing association could hardly be happier with its new arrangements and what they mean for the smooth and efficient running of the operation today and in the future. They now feel that they are set up for whatever the future might bring; "The less time the Finance department is spending on IT, the better," comments the managing director. "We now have the flexibility we need for the future. We also have a new telephone system from Comino Connect's telephony partner, a voice and data specialist. Our tenants now have access to customer services representatives and their calls are handled at source.

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