Decision details

Option 1 - Do nothing – this is not an option as previously stated. CBC must remove Windows 7 from its IT estate and there is no way to do this without replacing or upgrading a large amount of network devices. To be clear, if Windows 7 devices remain on the network after Microsoft cease providing security patches and updates, we run an ever increasing risk of some form of cyber-attack. It is known that hackers await events like this, targeting organisations where weaknesses are exposed due to out of date operating systems being left on a network. The “Wannacry” attack of 2017 hit the NHS particularly hard because they had not finished upgrading from XP to Windows7 and old devices remained on their networks, exposing them to additional and unnecessary risk.
Option 2. Upgrade to Windows 10 with current hardware – whilst we could upgrade a large number of our laptop estate, we would not be able to do this for all devices, so some new laptops / tablets would need to be purchased and delivered to users. There is also the issue that most of the upgradable devices are due to go end of life within a year to 18 months, meaning they would need replacing at some point during 2020 or 2021. Considering the effort involved in doing this, it is not really a suitable approach for the whole estate as we’d have to repeat the exercise completely within 18 months. In some circumstances, for certain types of user however, an upgraded device will suffice, and so a blended approach is being recommended (see option 4).
Option 3. Upgrade to Windows 10 replacing all hardware with a single model new device – i.e. one type of device for everyone. This option involves swapping out all current devices with brand new kit and whilst ideal from a consistency perspective (i.e. all users get the same thing), there are increased cost implications as well as future refresh consequences e.g. if we rollout 360 brand new devices in a short window, they will all need replacing at the same time when they go end of life, creating a spike of rollout work every few years. It is potentially better to flatten this delivery profile out so that funding and resources are easier to plan and manage, however this is dependent on CBC being able to acquire the specific upgrade chipsets from suppliers.
Option 3b. Upgrade to Windows 10 replacing all hardware with either a laptop or tablet. Whilst this is almost the same as option 3, it has the potential advantage of reducing costs (laptops are cheaper than tablets), it does not offer the same benefits for the ICT service in having a single device to support as well as stifling arguments about which device individual teams or staff think they should have.
Option 4. Upgrade to Windows 10 with a blended approach, upgrading 100 existing laptop devices and replacing all other devices with new tablets or laptops. As with option 3 and 3b, there are two versions of this option – one where we deploy a single device for all flexible or field workers, and the other where we deploy both tablets and laptops across the user base.
Option 4b. Upgrade to Windows 10 with a blended approach, upgrading 100 existing laptop devices and replacing all other devices with a single device for all field or flexible workers.
Analysis of the options and Recommendation
There has been extensive desktop research carried out to test a standard specification for various types of devices from the 3 main suppliers; HP, Lenovo and Dell. The price comparisons made were based on best price for both hardware and 3 year on-site warranty for a 2-in-1 type of device, as these represent the higher investment requirements.
The key dependency for options 4 and 4b is the availability of the memory modules for the existing 100 laptops; none of the suppliers approached, nor HP themselves, have been able to guarantee availability of these upgrade components. It is highly likely that this means options 4 and 4b are no longer viable. Therefore, the two options facing the project that need a decision to be ratified by the IT Board and Portfolio Holder are the acquisition of new devices;
1 – Option 3, a fixed estate of all one type of device, a dual purpose 2-in-1 laptop
2 – Option 3b, a mixed estate of 2-in-1 dual purpose laptops and traditional laptops
Assessment - Fixed Estate v Mixed Estate
A standard device across the Council offers a number of benefits to the Council both strategically and operationally.
•A single device type that offers seamless future proofing will allow the introduction of agile and flexible working patterns without any key dependency on the users’ devices and will, therefore, simplify the move to new ways of working. Any change in the way in which process and services are delivered, will not be hampered by the need to move from laptop to hybrid as all staff will already have them, thereby reducing change management issues during transformation.
•Business Continuity will be easier as the devices will offer the Council a standard approach to replacement, connectivity, and are more operationally portable than the standard laptop.
•The support requirements are also simplified, reducing the burden on an already constrained IT service, one build, one approach and one set of logistics for managing devices on the estate. It is not possible at this time to quantify, but material savings in both resource time and costs will be realised.
•The 2-in-1 devices are stock, off the shelf items with minimal lead times, minimising the impact upon the Windows 10 project, while the specification for the Laptops to include 4G will require a ‘build to order’ process that will add a 6 week lead time to the procurement process, pushing the delivery to the end of June at the earliest, which compromises the project delivery date of year end; however, this delay could be offset with an additional 0.5wte resource for 6 months, with an additional cost to the project.
•A mixed estate will mean higher purchase volumes to cater for any areas of the business who need to change their mix of device types; it is often seen in these projects that the assumptions used initially for the mix of device types prove to be in error once the reality of the project is realised. This will have to be catered for with a contingency of at least 20 extra devices of each type. A fixed estate approach would not incur this risk and subsequent cost.
•Due to use of the latest technology specifications for the 2-in-1 device, the anticipated life is 4-5 years, which compares favourably with the average 2-3 years for traditional laptops.
The initial equipment cost difference between the two options means a higher investment per device for the single device approach, however, as outlined above the return on the investment is high, and once the extra units needed for contingency in option 3b and the additional resource required to offset the later delivery time have been factored in, the cost of the single device decreases. NB - The cost for 2-in-1 and Laptop hardware has a 5% price contingency added due to the current market uncertainty around Brexit;
Recommendation:
Based upon the above findings it is recommended that the Council adopts a Fixed Estate approach and invests in 325 new 2-in-1 devices as detailed in table 1 above.