Bracknell, UK — Jan. 24, 2001 — Bracknell Forest Borough Council announced that its new eGovernment portal (www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk) is live today and available to its 110,000 citizens. Developed in partnership with software providers Novell® and Metastorm*, the portal is the first eGovernment solution in the UK that enables citizens to access personalised information and interact directly with Council staff online using their own secure, digital identities. Today's announcement places Bracknell Forest Borough Council, the Berkshire local authority covering Bracknell and surrounding areas including Crowthorne, Sandhurst and Winkfield, at the forefront of the UK's Modernising Government initiative.
"With the launch of our new portal today, we have taken a giant step towards developing a dynamic and interactive relationship with our citizens," said Gordon Mitchell, Chief Executive of Bracknell Forest Borough Council. "Just as private sector organisations are using the Internet to transform customer relationships, we too have embraced the Internet to forge a partnership with our citizens that puts power in the hands of our customers.
"We have worked closely with Novell and Metastorm to build a solution that is secure, quick and easy to use while offering citizens the convenience of interacting
with their government seven days a week, 365 days a year," said Gordon Mitchell.
The new Bracknell Forest eGovernment portal is based on Novell Net Services Software and provides a secure framework to manage and verify each citizen's
individual digital identity. This means that Bracknell citizens can securely access the Council's eGovernment system via the Internet to view their personal council tax
accounts, apply for discounts, change their personal account details, and make council tax payments by direct debit or using credit or debit cards.
Also live today is a public access service where Bracknell Forest citizens can view up-to-date information on planning applications in the Borough and make online
comments on specific applications directly to the planning officer.
"There is no longer the need for citizens to stand in queues at the payment office or spend time on the telephone asking for clarification on rumours of land
development projects. With the new online services we have in place, we expect to deliver faster, more efficient services to our citizens while realising significant cost
savings for the Council," said Gordon Mitchell.
Furthermore, Novell's Net Services Software provides Bracknell Forest with a robust foundation to introduce additional online services in the future that require
security, privacy and personalised content, such as electronic voting, benefits payments and creation of eCommunities. In fact, during 2001, Bracknell Forest has
plans to extend online services to include making applications for a variety of public permits, access to Community Portals and booking and paying for council
services and recreational activities using sophisticated smart card technology.
"We support councils working in close partnership with the private sector to provide modern accessible services for all citizens," said Simon Norbury of the
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' Local Government Modernisation Team. "Today's announcement is an interesting contribution to the
UK's drive to deliver many government services electronically. We are keen to encourage all local authorities to develop suitable online solutions that draw all tiers of
government closer to their constituents."
The Council estimates that over 50% of the Borough's citizens have personal access to the Internet. For those without Internet access facilities, free public access
points are provided by the Council in local libraries and council offices. There are also Internet cafes and kiosks in train stations in the Borough, making the online
services accessible to everyone.
"From the beginning of this project, it was collectively decided that the purpose of this project was not to jump on the dot com bandwagon, to follow the lead, or to
install technology for technology's sake. Rather, this was a project designed to demonstrate the power of eGovernment solutions in improving the way governments
deliver information and services to their citizens," said Steve Brown, Novell UK's Managing Director. "We have achieved this objective due to the progressive IT
attitude of Bracknell Forest, our choice in the right technology partners such as Metastorm and Novell's ability to integrate diverse networks together, from internal
networks to the Internet, to work as a single, global Net."
Bracknell Forest Borough Council's eGovernment portal was designed, built and implemented by Novell and technology partner, Metastorm. Novell Directory
Services® (NDS® eDirectory™) technology, a secure and robust mechanism for assigning each citizen his or her digital identity, acts at the core of the system.
NDS eDirectory, together with Novell's iChain™ security framework, forms the foundation for safe and secure access to all online council services. Metastorm's
e-work* technology, business process automation software, is used to power the user self-registration and planning application tracking system.
About Metastorm
Metastorm is a leading developer of e-process automation software for large and medium-sized companies and government organisations. The company's flagship
product, Metastorm e-work, is a platform for the design, integration and deployment of dynamic e-process automation applications. Metastorm e-work Customer
Interaction Management solutions ensure that every customer interaction is managed to the standards required to maximise acquisition and retention rates and
increase the lifetime value of every customer. Metastorm e-work Enterprise Work Management solutions are deployed by customers to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of workforce automation and supply chain processes. From offices in Europe, the US and Canada, Metastorm provides consulting and support
services to customers in industries including telecommunications, manufacturing, government, healthcare, finance and professional services. Metastorm has
established a network of accredited business partners and has formed partnerships with Compaq*, Hummingbird*, Microsoft*, Novell® and Oracle* to ensure
comprehensive integration between Metastorm products and the world's leading hardware and software solutions.
About Novell
Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL), is a leading provider of Net services
software that delivers services to secure and power all types of
networks --the Internet, intranets, and extranets; wired to wireless;
corporate and public-- across leading operating systems. Novell's
Net services software provides the foundation for one Net-a single
global network that supports new applications and forms of
business. Net Services software gives IT organizations a way to
adapt and accelerate their transformation to e-business, simplify
the management and control of all networks, create a secure
foundation for doing business on the Net, and help deliver a
consistent and high-quality experience to end users in all locations.
Worldwide channel, consulting, education and technical support
programs, along with strategic alliances, combine Novell Net
services software with third-party products and services to form
complete Net solutions.
Novell is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States
and other countries. *All third party trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
Press Contact:
JoAnne Hughes
Novell UK
01344 724312
jahughes@novell.com
