As a membership organisation, and publishers of the ‘Better connected’ report on the quality of local council websites, a key objective for Socitm is the delivery of a modern, rich and more usable online experience for its members.
The launch of Socitm's new web site, in partnership with leading content management provider Jadu, delivers greater choice, ease of use and a richer 'online journey' for members.
Socitm was founded in 1986 as the professional association for people managing IT in local authorities. In 2008 members voted to widen its scope with the intention that it become the association for information, technology and related professionals in the public and third sectors, and suppliers to those sectors.
Current areas of strategic focus include membership services, policy, strategy, research and commercial development and the new website is critical to the delivery of these. The requirement for a new CMS, integrated with CRM was identified as critical to providing the higher levels of functionality; greater user choice and organisational flexibility needed to respond to future demands. Socitm undertook an open procurement that evaluated the three leading providers in the Local Government market, before selecting Jadu on the basis of its CMS solution, its ethos and its people.
"As a membership organisation our core skills and competencies are very tightly managed. In Jadu, we found a committed partner to work with us and Esteiro (our Gold-Vision CRM partner), to provide the technical, design and implementation support we needed. We wanted the capability to expand into the developing Web 2.0 areas. Jadu has the technology to grow with us to both known and unknown areas of web technology"
Adrian Hancock, Managing Director, Socitm.
Suraj Kika, CEO of Jadu, who acted as
senior sponsor for the implementation commented: "Socitm is all about the
investment in our future - to deliver the highest standard of expertise and
knowledge in the Public Sector - you need to have the highest standard of
delivery over the web. The new Jadu Clearwater CMS and website, with it's tight
integration with GoldVision CRM, will deliver Socitm into the brave new World
of Open data and The Semantic Web."
The new Jadu CMS sits at the heart of the internal processes and supports Socitm's most important public face. It is integrated with Socitm's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software Gold-Vision. The Jadu solution consists of the new Jadu CMS 1.8 Clearwater, Jadu Galaxies Professional and Jadu ePay. In addition, the Jadu Retail module provides members with a 'shopping basket' to enable purchase of publications and events.
"The web site is our shop window and crucial to the 'Welcome to Socitm' experience. We needed greater transactional capacity and richer information that was easier to find. No one is 100% sure of what the future holds but we needed a system that could go there with us." Says Adrian Hancock, Managing Director, Socitm.
About Socitm
Socitm was founded in 1986 as the professional association for ICT managers working in and for the public sector. In October 2008, Socitm members voted to change its membership model and open it up to all who work in ICT in or for the public and third sectors. Managers or consultants from organisations supplying ICT products and services to the public sector, or which support public services in other ways, are also welcomed as members. With around 1700 members from 550 different organisations including 98% of all UK local authorities, Socitm provides a widely respected forum for the promotion, use and development of ICT best practice. It is also playing a leading role in ICT-facilitated local government transformation in the UK, with its eye firmly focussed on the '3 i's of information, innovation and improvement as the transformation of local public services becomes ever more urgent with the deepening crisis in public sector finance. As professional life becomes increasingly demanding, Socitm offers support, peer networking, access to expertise, relevant services and proven advice and guidance on a wide range of policy and technology issues.
Further information on Socitm can be found at www.socitm.gov.uk
About Jadu
Jadu helps public sector organisations and businesses to create and manage their online channel quickly, simply and cost effectively. Jadu was formed in 2001 to provide Content Management Systems (CMS) for government organisations. Since its first major implementation for BERR in 2002, Jadu has evolved further and been implemented for hundreds of private and public sector organisations across the UK.
Providing a refreshing approach to Enterprise Content Management, Jadu offers ground-breaking functionality including integrated Online forms, Google searches, user intelligence and full statistical reporting, full standards compliance, product and catalogue management with a host of other web productivity tools and unparalleled support service.
Further information on Jadu can be found at: www.jadu.net
