Victorian Local Government Enablement Platform – POC
The Proof of Concept for the Enablement Platform will not proceed in its current format.
Telstra recently met with the MAV and we outlined a number of reasons why they thought that the originally proposed technology was no longer a viable and sustainable option moving forward. Two key reasons were that the technology originally proposed is no longer available to be used and could not be supported as an independent solution moving forward. To do so would result in significant costs which were not sustainable from a supplier perspective and would ultimately also prove unsustainable to Councils. Secondly, since the Enablement Platform concept was originally proposed some 3 years ago, there have been significant developments in Network architecture and cloud based services for security and we think there are now more cost effective ways of delivering the functionality of the Enablement Platform for local Government.
In light of these developments, Telstra have recommended to the MAV that we should not proceed under the current arrangements and that Telstra would like to explore other options and then re-engage with the MAV to determine if there is an appetite to partner on a new solution in the future.
Telstra stress that they still sees tremendous value in the benefits of the Enablement Platform for Councils and that ultimately there will be significant productivity benefits for all Councils through the better use and sharing of resources and data exchange. In this context, I wish to thank you and your staff [name of Council representative on Steering Committee] for your support and participation in the discussions to date. Council’s input has been extremely valuable to both the MAV and Telstra in our joint efforts to develop an customised solution for local government.
Whilst it is disappointing that we could not get the trial up and running a lot earlier, MAV Technology remain committed to looking at alternative ways to deliver this important functionality and believe that the work to date has not been in vain.
Lessons and outcomes from the VLGEP project will be considered in the development of MAV Technology’s future strategic direction, and in the development of the upcoming MAV Telecommunications Hardware and Software panel contract requirements.