Employment and skills experts Working Links has signed a Master Services Agreement (MSA) with Easynet Global Services which will save money, simplify its IT infrastructure buying process and help to make it easier for thousands of jobseekers to get back into the workplace.

Working Links delivers contracts on behalf of government departments to help people from social exclusion to social inclusion. The MSA enables Working Links to adopt a ‘service based approach’ to purchasing computing capabilities on an as-needed basis, giving the organisation more flexibility in the way it delivers IT across the organisation. This approach also allows Working Links to be more responsive to changing environments as well as helping it to be more cost effective.

Under the agreement, clear service levels and key performance measures have been set. The initial IT services being implemented under the agreement include a hosting platform, access to a range of new data centre services and a robust MPLS network. Cloud, collaboration and unified communications are all new ways of working which could fast become realities for Working Links, thanks to its partnership with Easynet.

Tony Morris, head of procurement at Working Links, said: “This new relationship will give us the flexibility we need to manage our organisation’s changing IT infrastructure requirements and size while at the same time reducing our costs. It really is the definition of doing more for less”.

He continued, “We have about 1,000 people working across almost 100 sites, helping thousands of people on their journey back to work so speed and efficiency is critical. This agreement means we can now offer a more efficient, stable customer experience with fast, secure access to information”.

Justin Fielder, Easynet’s CTO said: “The MSA gives Working Links best value backed up with Easynet’s unrivalled customer-led approach”. He continued, “Working Links plays a hugely important role in giving people the confidence and ability to find work, and helping them to secure jobs. The need for a failsafe hosting platform and for fast and efficient IT systems is absolutely crucial. If a job applicant cannot submit his or her CV for a vacancy to meet the deadline as the network is down, that opportunity is lost. For some, there are no second chances”.

Easynet’s customer operations officer, Adrian Thirkill, spent time in a Working Links centre to better understand the organisation, staff and customers. He noted the huge implications and frustrations if there were any service outages, even just for minutes. “Customers need constant access to their own portal which has all the information they need for the best chances to get back into employment – job descriptions, interview details, locations, times and company profiles for example. This portal must be efficient, stable and reliable”. He continued, “IT is crucial to people’s livelihoods. Pressure is on Working Links to deliver effective IT whilst reducing costs, and our MSA Agreement helps them meet both these goals. It gives them the flexibility to meet the changing demands of staff, customers and the environment”.