CentraStage, one of TechMarketView’s inaugural ‘Little British Battlers’, is celebrating further success in the UK education market having signed a key deal with Norfolk County Council. CentraStage’s SaaS-based IT support technology will be rolled out to over 20,000 devices across 300-odd schools in the space of a week, under a deal signed via reseller Softcat.
Like other local authorities, Norfolk now has to compete with commercial service providers for the IT support business from schools and deliver its services with less resources and budget. So it’s easy to see why CentraStage’s cloud-based model appealed - it involves no capex and promises to drive both efficiencies for the cash-strapped local authority and better levels of IT service for the schools (eligible TechMarketView subscription clients can see CentraStage: a pivotal year for more background).
Indeed, CentraStage is having increasing success in local government having signed deals with a number of authorities, including Camden, Hackney and West Berkshire, since the turn of the year. Interestingly, Norfolk cited the Government’s SME agenda as one reason they specifically sought out CentraStage - more evidence that the Cabinet Office’s message is being heard by local authorities, not just central government.