Trustmarque takes Windows 8 tablets to Scottish government

Public sector north of the border looking to work more flexibly

Trustmarque is on a mission to help the Scottish government work more flexibly as it gets set to supply it with Windows 8-based tablets.

The reseller, which is based in York but has an office in Edinburgh, will offer Microsoft's latest Windows 8 operating system on Samsung and Dell devices. Trustmarque is not one of nine UK-based Authorised Surface Resellers included on Microsoft's pilot Devices Programme.

The Scottish government claims it sought to deploy tablets across its organisations in an effort to enable its civil servants to provide more efficient and effective public services at the same time as being able to work remotely and more flexibly themselves.

The deal with Trustmarque will initially be for 100 devices, but if the pilot is successful it will be vastly extended in an attempt to reduce the Scottish government's laptop and desktop estate over time. The tablets are being deployed across the Scottish government's internal IT division which provides services to 10,000 users at 130 sites across the country.

Trustmarque delivered a proof of concept (POC) to deploy the tablets, and its head of public sector Mark Garrity said the partnership proves the reseller's commitment to Scotland.

"At every step of the process we have engaged and listened to the government's requirements and provided our expertise to deliver a solution to achieve their vision of enabling flexible working and improving productivity for employees, whether they are at home, in the office or on the road," he said.

"The success of this POC is testament to the enduring strength of partnership between Trustmarque and the Scottish government."

Andy McClintock, the Scottish government's chief technology officer, stressed that the scheme was a cost-contained pilot to begin with, but added that he hopes the move will prove to increase flexibility across the Scottish public sector.

"Our long-term ambition is to transform the way Scottish government employees and our shared-service customers can collaborate, access and use information applications with mobile access, both online and offline, from virtually anywhere in the UK," he said.