Welsh housing association bolsters IT function with strategic appointment

Welsh housing association, ateb Group, has appointed IT support provider, Central Networks, to support its in-house IT department – seeing the firm provide an outsourced help desk function and strategic consultancy.

Central is managing the social housing provider’s help desk for its 130-strong workforce – receiving circa 1,200 IT requests per year – enabling its digital team to focus on the tactical future of its technology estate.

When commenting on the rationale behind the partnership, Alex Jenkins, executive director for finance at ateb Group, said: “Against a backdrop of IT-resource challenges and economic uncertainty following the Covid-19 pandemic, we knew we needed to further bolster the support offered by our IT department.

“Working with Central means we have complete peace of mind that the daily tickets are being resolved, affording our head of digital systems the time and headspace to focus on the more strategic activities.”

The contract covers first, second, and third-line support services, encompassing everything from general help desk support – troubleshooting and solving users’ tech issues – through to device management and tactical decision-making.

John Blackburn, operations director and social housing specialist at Central, added: “We’re seeing many of our social housing clients requesting outsourced help desk support – as a way to reduce overheads and maximise internal resource.

“We know flexibility is vital too, so it’s available as short-term cover or a permanent part of the contract – bespoke to each organisation’s needs at any given time.”

“The Central team is a great sounding board and critical friend for us here at ateb,” concluded Alex.

“From penetration testing to cloud migration, they advise our digital team on key technology decisions, and also support our recruitment process with interview participation. They are a trusted pair of hands and go above and beyond to ensure we’re getting the most from our investments.”

Central has over 30 years’ experience within the IT and housing sectors – working with providers across the country, including Bron Afon, Eastlight Community Homes, Horton Housing, and Ongo Homes, to name a few.