PloneGov case study: Kent Connects Information Sharing Portal
UK public organizations in Kent and Medway collaborate in an innovative open source project. The Kent Connects Information Sharing Portal has been developed to create a flexible, virtual online space for any Kent Connects partner to share information via the internet in a secure way. This allows groups, communities, partnerships or individuals across these partner organisations to access documents, minutes, agendas etc from a central, secure store.
A case study by Zea Partners, based on articles by Kent Connects, 2009
Introduction
The Kent Connects Partnership Portal is proof positive that simple ideas are often the best. Modest in ambition, functional in design, quick to deliver, an everyday concept - a portal - has been applied in an innovative way to transform partnership working throughout public services in Kent and Medway. Kent Connects results from a collaboration between Collaboration between 17 public organizations (Local Authorities, Kent Police and Kent Fire & Rescue Service) in the UK. This sector partnerships now use their own tailored version of the Kent Connects portal making networking, collaborative and joint working easier for these groups to achieve.
Technology solution and management approach
The portals have been developed on Plone. One of our partners, Kent County Council, developed the initial Kent Connects Partners Portal, and this has served as the model for all the partnerships that wanted a portal for themselves.