Why local councils can't afford to ignore their technology

Budget pressure, rising cyber threats, and a growing question about where your data lives.

For many local councils, technology has quietly become one of the most complex areas to manage. Systems built up over years, different suppliers handling different parts of the picture, and a growing list of risks to keep on top of, all while delivering services to communities on tighter budgets than ever.

But it doesn’t have to be that complicated.

The cost of doing nothing

Ageing technology doesn’t just create risk. It costs money. Older systems are harder to maintain, more likely to fail, and often require more time and resource to keep running than a modern, well-managed alternative.

When you factor in the staff hours lost to unreliable systems and the potential cost of a security incident, the case for reviewing your technology setup stacks up more clearly than people expect.

Jay Ball, CEO of Flotek, puts it plainly: “We work with councils that think technology is purely a cost to manage. What they often find is that better-managed technology saves them money, because the opposite leads to the kind of downtime nobody budgets for, but everyone ends up dealing with.”

For Ivybridge Town Council, a review of their technology setup led to upgraded network infrastructure, improved connectivity, and a stronger cyber security foundation, all while making better use of their budget.

Town Clerk Kate Elliott-Turner described the result as “a joined-up and dependable way of working,” with the added benefit of a single point of contact.

Cyber security is no longer optional

Organisations that manage the kind of sensitive information councils do are increasingly in cyber criminals’ sights, and the consequences of a breach go beyond disruption.

Cyber Essentials is now an expectation for many public-sector organisations, and rightly so. But it is a baseline, not a strategy. Councils need practical, ongoing protection that keeps pace with how threats evolve, without adding unnecessary complexity to already stretched teams.

Flotek supports councils in building security that works in practice, not just on paper.

The data sovereignty question

There’s a conversation gathering pace across the public sector that local councils should be paying attention to. Where is your data being stored? And who controls it?

For councils handling resident data, these aren’t abstract questions. They’re governance and compliance questions with real consequences.

Flotek’s acquisition of Microshade in 2025 brought direct exposure to hosted cloud environments and the organisations relying on them. What became clear was that councils want the flexibility of hosted cloud, but also the confidence of knowing where their data is, who governs it, and that it stays in the UK.

That insight directly shaped FloFVD, Flotek’s secure, UK-hosted virtual desktop platform, giving users a consistent Windows desktop experience on any device, while keeping data centralised, protected and easier to control.

“We saw a real opportunity through Microshade to learn more deeply from hosted cloud environments,” says Jay. “That helped shape FloFVD as a practical proposition, not just another product launch. More organisations want confidence in where their data is hosted, how it’s governed, and who controls it. That will only become more important over the next 12 to 18 months.”

Councils that get ahead of this now will be in a much stronger position.

One partner, fewer headaches

Flotek works with local councils to be ready for what’s next, across IT, cyber security, communications, and networks, making technology simpler to manage, more resilient, and better value.

Find out more at www.flotek.io or visit our listing on the SLCC Supplier Directory.