FOI request (FOIR-631091279)

ICT Relations

Requested Tue 16 July 2024
Responded Thu 08 August 2024

I would like to request information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Contract A - Mobile Phones

1. Who is your current mobile phone provider?

2. How many mobile connections?

3. When is the contract up for renewal?

4. How long do you contract for (24 or 36 months)?

5. The email address of the primary contact for this contract?

Contract B - SIP Trunking

1. Have you implemented SIP?

2. If yes, when does the contract expire?

3. Who is your SIP provider?

4. The email address of the primary contact for this contract?

Contract C - Teams Licences

1. Which Microsoft 365 Licence do you have (E3, E5)? Have you voice enabled your Teams Licences?

2. If not, is that something you are considering?

Contract D - Telephony

1. What is your current telephony system?

2. How many users of the telephony system?

3. When is the contract up for renewal?

4. The email address of the primary contact for this contract?

Contract E - Contact Centre

1. What contact centre solution is the council using?

2. How many agents does the contact centre employ?

3. How many agents are concurrently working?

4. What is the cost of the contract for the contact centre solution?

5. When is the contract for the contact centre ending?

6. How long do you usually contract for?

7. The name of the relevant contact?

Response

Notice of Refusal

Disclosure of information relating to ICT systems, infrastructure and security constitutes a security risk as it would leave the Council's computer assets more vulnerable to a malicious hacking attack. This means that disclosure would:

• Make the Council more vulnerable to crime (Section 31)

• Risk harming the systems on which the day-to-day business of the Council relies (Section 43)

Section 31 (Law Enforcement)

Section 31(1)(a) states that information is exempt if its disclosure is likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime. ICO guidance states that this can be used to protect information on a public authority's systems which would make it more vulnerable to crime. This exemption can be used by a public authority that has no law enforcement function:

• To protect the work of one that does

• To withhold information that would make anyone, including the public authority itself, more vulnerable to crime

The crime in question would be a malicious attack on the Council's computer systems. Since the disclosure of the withheld information would make the Council's systems more vulnerable to such crime, the exemption is engaged.

The exemption is subject to the public interest test. There is an overwhelming public interest in keeping the Council's computer systems secure which would be served by non-disclosure. This outweighs the public interest in accountability and transparency that would be served by disclosure.

Section 43 (Commercial Interests)

Section 43(2) states that information is exempt if its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).

Disclosure of information relating to ICT systems, infrastructure and security puts the council at risk of a malicious hacking attack.

This would compromise the Council's ability to provide its services and carry out 'business-as-usual' should our systems be compromised. Were our systems to be compromise, the cost of a system recovery would be detrimental to the Council's commercial interests.

The exemption is subject to the public interest test. There is an overwhelming public interest in keeping the Council's computer systems secure which would be served by non-disclosure. This outweighs the public interest in accountability and transparency that would be served by disclosure.