The Sheffield City Region is home to a pioneering initiative that assesses the standard of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provision in business premises. ict active is a scheme that helps businesses ensure they locate in a building that can meet their ICT needs both now and in the future.
ict active audits workspaces using a detailed survey that assesses the different elements of ICT provision in a building. The survey recognises that there are two different market offerings: one for “easy in, easy out” tenants who want comprehensive ICT services to be provided and one for tenants who want a “blank canvas” that is ready for them to make their own arrangements.
There are also two levels of accreditation: ict active and leading edge. ict active recognises that a building has ICT capabilities which would meet the needs of most organisations. Leading edge is reserved for those buildings which offer additional value-added features which could benefit a business with advanced ICT needs.
To date, more than 40 buildings around the region have achieved the ict active accreditation. A further 3 have been designated leading edge.
ict active has been supported by Business Link South Yorkshire and Yorkshire Forward through Objective One funding. It is also endorsed by Creativesheffield. Work is currently underway with the British Standards Institute to create a Publicly Available Specification which will be a nationally recognised standard and provide the basis for a nation-wide scheme.
For more details about ict active and to search for accredited properties in the region, please call the ict active team on 0845 111 4122 or visit http://www.ictactive.net/ .