Technical infrastructure—human services

What does UTR do? 

Information Technology Services Office of Reykjavík, commonly referred to as UTR (Upplýsingatækniþjónusta Reykjavíkur), manages the largest and most comprehensive IT environment in the country and its diversity has no domestic parallel.

The Office provides diverse services across the departments of Reykjavík City and deals with extensive centralized operations, maintenance, and development of IT everywhere. UTR also handles large-scale IT equipment purchases, in addition to providing technical services and advice widely throughout the City administration.

New environment with M365

With the arrival of M365, the shift from working in two domains – the school domain (rvkskolar.is and rvkfri.is) and the administrative environment (reykjavik.is) – to working together in one place under reykjavik.is.  

Scope

Due to the scope, the deployment is divided into a project base and projects under it. The projects are carried out in close collaboration with many parties – the M365 team of Digital Reykjavík, UTR, the Legal Team, digital leaders, and specialists in each and every department. Advania also manages the projects and provides technical advice and services. A lot of work in project preparation went into the detailed risk assessment on the one hand and a privacy impact assessment (MÁP) on the other. 

Priorities

In the M365 deployment, the main emphasis is on ensuring security and a pleasant user experience. Information dissemination is also key to a successful deployment of this magnitude. Emphasis is placed on peer education where super users, or champions, are appointed in each department who provide support and security to their colleagues during the deployment period. Great emphasis is placed on ensuring that staff have easy access to technical support. Consideration is given to the needs and expectations of staff, and lessons are drawn in each department which ensures an update on processes and better services.

Benefit  

The benefit of the M365 deployment is manifold, but at its core, it's simple: we're using both time and money better, maximizing the quality of service, and helping people work together better. Reykjavík City becomes a modern workplace offering its staff the latest technology. Available Microsoft licenses will be better utilized, and correct deployment ensures that the solutions are used properly. All staff can access the same tools and share information, and data securely. The work environment will be more coordinated, and it will be easier to share knowledge and experience, results will be better, and time savings greater. 

Security

The deployment also ensures better data security and email communications, which is done among other things by introducing multi-factor authentication and other security solutions. Supervision and traceability of data and their handling will also be better. In addition, one of the goals is to reduce the so-called technology debt, that is to reduce the importance of outdated central equipment in operation as bringing all workplaces of Reykjavík City to a new technological base, opens up opportunities for more flexible communication in a secure manner.  

X-road – a secure communications network

X-road is a data transfer system that allows people, municipalities, and state institutions to have secure communication. Estonia was the first country to design and implement such a communication system and is now fully digital. This means that all communication between residents, the State, and municipalities is digital. No paper. Everything in the cloud. Finland and the Faroe Islands have already implemented X-road, and now it's Iceland's turn to jump on the wagon. 

Reykjavík City is the first municipality to install X-road communication points for secure interactions with other public entities. Each state institution and municipality have their unique identifier, facilitating secure and straightforward communication through isolated routes.

Tender for systems operation and monitoring

A tender for systems operation and monitoring has been put out to bid and a contract was signed with the company Þekking for this project. Five specialists from Þekking System Management and Monitoring work closely with another five specialists from the City. 

By hiring experts from a service provider with extensive experience in system operation and monitoring, we can both save money and introduce a wealth of knowledge on procedures and operations that our specialists can learn from.

Tender for front-line technical service

A contract has been signed with Opin kerfi for front-line technical service for both phones and on-site needs. Since the service was outsourced, a growing portion of inquiries to UTR has been solved by the frontline service resulting in the issues of City staff being solved more often during the first touch point. Simultaneously, the most expensive service (on-site service) has been reduced.   

There are substantial benefits from this approach. For a long time, the service was outsourced partially, and contractors were called upon when there was high demand. The current arrangement is far more cost-efficient for the City and ensures a reliability that was lacking, both concerning cost and resources available whenever needed.

Integration and workflow system

The implementation of the WebMethods integration and workflow system is complete. Various services have been added to the system, such as Registers Iceland, the City's geographic information system, and Agresso financial system, as well as banking services.

Significant benefits come from this data integration. The system will replace stand-alone web services that do not communicate with one another. This means that it will be possible to centrally see which information is going where and how the flow functions within the City's IT environment. Not to mention the savings when employees no longer have to enter the same information into several different systems. 

Basic systems and integration 

A solution has been developed within WebMethods that provides the City's systems with the possibilities of sending files for e-signing, e.g., the FAS employment certificate system and Hlaðan. This results in significant time-saving for all stakeholders and financial economy concerning printing.

Letter creation and electronic delivery

Until now, the City did not have standardized letter templates for electronic delivery and only letter templates for printing and postal delivery. A central solution has been developed to create electronic letters in a PDF format that can be sent digitally. This solution supports the use of Ísland.is mailboxes for letter deliveries.

Torgið: a digital education system

In December 2021, Reykjavík City signed a contract with Eloomi a/s for a digital learning system. The evaluation was based on cost, user-friendliness, functionality, and quality of the system. The new learning system, Torgið, will be available to all City employees, overseeing their education and training. 

In Torgið, employees can access digital learning resources, such as videos or texts, or register for real-time education, both distanced and on-site. 

Torgið significantly improves employee access to education as well as follow-up and overview for managers. This allows managers to better support their staff in career development and ensures policies and methods are implemented uniformly. Reykjavík City is the largest employer in the country, but it had not previously had access to an education system of this sort. Torgið marks an exciting and substantial step forward for the City's human resources.