Switched on council team wins award for innovation

Shetland Islands Council’s ICT service is celebrating after picking up a national award for developing a resilient wireless network across the isles.

The Holyrood Connect Awards recognise innovation and celebrate excellence in public sector organisations and this year the SIC beat Aberdeenshire Council and Edinburgh College to take the Connect Project Delivery Award.

The prize came for the team’s work on replacing the Pathfinder system, which was switched off in 2014 after six years of providing connections to council properties across the isles. A replacement network, described as innovative, cost-effective and flexible, was created using commercial masts, fibre and satellite technology. It links around 60 sites from Unst to Fair Isle.

Executive manager Susan Msalila attended the awards ceremony in Glasgow. She said: “Our team worked extremely hard to come up with a creative solution to replacing Pathfinder, and delivered on time and in budget, despite challenges of time, weather and technology.”

Council leader Gary Robinson: “This project saved the council well over a million pounds and I’d like to pay tribute to Susan and her team for the work they’ve done, and congratulate them on winning this award.”