Critical customer report puts Capita on the defensive
Barnet Council report claims Capita is failing to control IT user access
Capita has put on a brave face after a critical report by its customer Barnet Council claimed the firm is failing to adequately control access to its IT systems.
According to the recent document published ahead of an audit committee next week, Barnet Council said Capita is failing to properly manage access to the council's IT systems and labelled it as a high-priority issue.
"Access to council systems is not controlled or monitored effectively," the report said.
"For all employees added to any council system prior to 2010, no evidence of authorisation for access has been retained. No formal reviews of staff access levels or active users had been documented in any of the areas audited.
"Furthermore, there is no formal process in place for the removal of IT access for temporary staff after they have left the council."
Just one of the four council departments audited for the report had acceptable procedures in place, the report said, with the others relying "entirely on ad hoc processes".
"There is a lack of ownership for IT user management across the council in relation to the areas audited and at a corporate level," the report added. "This stems from the lack of a clear division of responsibility in this area between the council and its IT support provider Capita".
The outsourcing giant began working with Barnet Council last September but only after residents running a high-profile campaign to prevent the One Barnet outsourcing scheme lost their case at the High Court. The cost-saving plans saw a range of services including finance and IT outsourced to Capita in a £320m deal – enraging some locals who described the authority as an "easycouncil".
One local resident who blogs regularly about the One Barnet scheme as part of the Barnet Bloggers campaign group said the latest criticism of Capita in the audit report could have serious consequences.
"Barnet has to seek assurances that Capita does the job [it is] supposed to be doing because Barnet has handed over responsibility for one of the most sensitive and critical elements of the ways the council is run – its IT systems," said the blogger who goes by the pseudonym Mr Reasonable.
"I remain concerned that thousands of Capita staff dotted all around the UK all have access to Barnet's IT systems without all of the necessary policies and procedures in place to make sure those people should or need to have access."
But Capita defended itself and claimed it inherited the IT issues when it took over seven months ago.
In a joint statement with Barnet Council, Capita said: "The issues noted in the report highlight issues that existed prior to the start of the contract with Capita. The council's IT service transferred to Capita in September 2013 and since that point, Capita have been working with the Council to implement solutions to remove the risk, develop policies and controls and implement a series of recommendations regarding IT user access.
"As a result of these improvements, the council is confident that the audit findings will be addressed."