Enabling IT Resilience for Local Government in Times of Crisis

Client
A regional council
Industry
Public Sector
Client Type
Government
Duration
Advisory engagement
Region
New South Wales
Scope
  • Cybersecurity maturity uplift
  • Framework development and stakeholder alignment
  • Strategic ICT guidance
Solutions Delivered
  • Cyber risk assessment and maturity review
  • ACSC Essential Eight framework adoption
  • Leadership alignment workshops
  • Strategic cybersecurity roadmap

Practical planning. Trusted strategy. Continuity when it matters most.

A regional council, located in Northern New South Wales, is facing ongoing community recovery following major flooding events and recent Cyclone Alfred. The local authority is currently delivering a large-scale flood restoration portfolio spanning over 100 projects to restore critical infrastructure and community assets.

Against this backdrop, Intuit Technologies was engaged to deliver a structured IT Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) to ensure Council's IT systems and services remain resilient and operational in the face of current and future disruptions.

The Problem

Recurring extreme weather and cyclone events highlighted the vulnerability of the council's IT infrastructure and the need for a formal continuity framework:

  • No central IT disaster recovery plan in place
  • Visibility gaps across critical infrastructure and applications
  • Compliance expectations for governance and operational continuity
  • Pressure from recent cyclones and flood recovery projects
  • Delayed self-assessment across departments slowed initial progress

The Business Impact

  • Increased risk of IT downtime during infrastructure and asset rebuilding
  • Inability to guarantee data security, availability, or recovery during community emergencies
  • Difficulty aligning IT operations with council-wide resilience initiatives
  • Growing scrutiny from local residents and regulators on preparedness
  • Reputation at risk if critical services became unavailable during crises

The Solution

Intuit Technologies adopted a partnership-led approach to build resilience into Council's IT operations:

  • Conducted workshops, surveys, and stakeholder interviews to assess IT risk
  • Defined RPOs and RTOs for critical systems using cyclone/flood scenarios
  • Designed backup data centre architecture with physical connectivity planning
  • Developed a detailed roadmap for infrastructure procurement and implementation
  • Delivered a formalised DRP document aligned with DRFA and government frameworks
  • Provided implementation support and advisory oversight during the development phase
  • Handovers to internal teams following Council planning and resource alignment

The Results

  • Formal IT Disaster Recovery Plan now in place, supported by executive endorsement
  • Increased stakeholder confidence in Council's cyber and operational resilience
  • Enhanced coordination between IT, emergency response, and flood recovery teams
  • Consolidated IT roadmap aligned to Council's flood restoration portfolio
  • Project completed within agreed timeframe despite delays
  • Council engaged Intuit to support the next implementation phase and ongoing advisory work

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Related Practices

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If you're responsible for critical operations or disaster recovery in local government, we can help design strategy, assess risk and deliver real-world resilience outcomes.

Talk to Our Government and Risk Team