The Arts Council of Wales is the national body responsible for funding and developing the arts in Wales. Working with artists, organisations, and communities, it ensures arts access, support, and innovation across both traditional and digital mediums. As part of this mission, the Council maintains a secure and efficient IT infrastructure to support day-to-day operations and external engagement.
About the Company:
Arts Council of Wales is the official body that funds and develops the arts in Wales. The Arts Council of Wales is an independent charity, established by Royal Charter in 1994.
The Arts Council of Wales supports and develops the arts across the country, ensuring creative opportunities thrive in every community. With evolving digital infrastructure and security needs, the Council required a flexible and expert-led IT support solution that aligned with their internal team's capabilities and long-term planning.
Creative Networks provided Cisco network and firewall support through a block-hour service model. This approach offers the Council the agility to call on expert help when needed, while keeping their IT support cost-effective, scalable, and predictable over a 12-month period.
What were the challenges?
While the Council has in-house IT capacity, there are times when advanced expertise in Cisco networks and firewalls is required, particularly for complex configurations or urgent troubleshooting.
They also needed a way to manage budgets more predictably, without the constraints of full-time outsourcing or long-term contracts.
What were the solutions?
Creative Networks provides the Arts Council of Wales with ad hoc Cisco network and firewall support through a block hour support agreement. This flexible model allows the Council to pre-purchase a set number of support hours, valid for 12 months, which they can use whenever needed, whether for configurations, troubleshooting, updates, or security audits.
This not only ensures expert support is always available but also gives the Council cost control and freedom to delegate specific tasks based on priority and budget.
Key Outcomes:
On Demand Expertise
Access to specialist Cisco engineers when needed, without long term contracts or unnecessary overheads.
Flexible & Scalable Support
The block hour model provides support that adjusts to project needs and timelines, offering better control over IT operations.
Budget-Friendly Approach
Purchasing only the number of days required per year enables efficient budget planning without compromising on quality.
Conclusion
As the Arts Council of Wales grows its digital reach and hybrid ways of working, demands on its network, security, and cloud services will continue to increase. Rising cyber threats and evolving compliance needs will require an IT environment that stays resilient and adaptable without overloading the internal team.
With Creative Networks as a strategic partner, the Council can keep using the flexible block-hour model to access Cisco expertise for upgrades, security improvements, and new projects. This ensures scalable support, predictable costs, and a secure, reliable infrastructure that underpins its work with artists, organisations, and communities across Wales.
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