Swindon Borough Council
A modern & collaborative workplace
The Client
Swindon Borough Council is the local authority for the town of Swindon in Wiltshire. With around 350 employees, the Council delivers essential public services including waste and recycling collection, road maintenance, and library operations.
Their wider mission is to use local knowledge, legal powers, and targeted funding to help Swindon thrive.
Node4 was able to help validate our approach and provide us with some key lessons learnt from their experience. Their advice and support have been paramount to the success of planning and implementation.
The Challenge
The Council had been using a locally stored Shared Drive for documentation and collaboration. Over time, this system became increasingly complex, with multiple pathways to access data and a rigid hierarchy that made onboarding and collaboration difficult.
Security was a growing concern. With a remote workforce, the Council needed robust controls to ensure sensitive data was protected. The existing setup lacked the flexibility and control required to support a dynamic organisation. Version control issues, document authoring challenges, and reliance on email for sharing files were all contributing to inefficiencies.
The Solution
We deployed a suite of Microsoft 365 tools tailored to the Council’s needs. Microsoft Teams was introduced to streamline communication and embed a more effective collaboration strategy. SharePoint Online enabled secure, cloud-based document storage and real-time collaboration. The Security and Compliance Centre unified compliance management across Microsoft 365 applications, linking SharePoint and Exchange for full-stack control.
These tools were implemented with a focus on usability, security, and scalability, ensuring every employee could access the right data at the right time, from anywhere.
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The Results
Swindon Borough Council now benefits from flexible access to data, improved security, and smarter collaboration.
Using SharePoint Online, employees can work from anywhere, on any device, without relying on local networks. End-user roles and permissions are now globally configured, with access tailored to specific projects. Metadata tagging and retention labels make searching simple, while alert tags help prioritise critical documents. Multiple users can edit documents simultaneously, and version control allows users to restore previous versions and manage updates with ease.
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The Node4 Difference
We worked closely with Swindon Borough Council to understand their challenges and deliver a solution that truly fit their needs. Our partner risual played a key role in validating the Council’s approach and sharing valuable lessons from past experience.
“risual was able to help validate our approach and provide us with some key lessons learnt from their experience. Their advice and support have been paramount to the success of planning and implementation.”
— Tracey Arnold, Project Manager at Swindon Borough Council
By combining deep technical expertise with a collaborative approach, we helped the Council modernise its workplace and build a foundation for future growth.