Despite its extensive global outreach, the British Council faced an operational challenge. Their SAP ERP system, in use since 2005, had grown considerably. The sheer volume of data was hampering system response times and performance. Alongside, there was a pressing need to establish a stringent framework for compliance, ensuring appropriate data access restrictions and eventual data removal when required. To address these concerns, the British Council sought to refine its database, aiming for agile operations while upholding GDPR requirements. The Council initiated a public sector procurement tender. After a rigorous review, the responsibility was entrusted to Proceed Group, one of the few that matched the Council’s specifications.
A significant portion of the partnership’s early stages revolved around diving deep into the Council’s data. The goal? Identifying the largest space occupiers and devising strategies for archiving. With the British Council’s business retention strategy serving as a guide, Proceed Group implemented SAP ILM to control access through data blocking and automate the archiving and deletion process. This pivotal step ensured data protection and readied the system to cap data growth, leading to system size reductions and improved system performance.
A significant achievement was reducing the database size from 2.4 TB to a streamlined 1 TB by archiving 1.4 TB of data. While enhanced data blocking bolstered security, allowing precise control over the duration individual roles can access historical personal data, dictated by their role-specific permissions. Outlined below are the key benefits realised:
Richard Symes, head of ERP at the British Council has said:
"We reviewed several suppliers as part of this process and found Proceed Group to be a perfect fit for what we needed. Their experience is superior when it comes to archiving and information lifecycle management. We felt a strong connection with the team from the start; there was no nonsense or games played by them. Information lifecycle management is an esoteric part of SAP, so it pays to partner with Proceed who has made the area their niche and specialism.”
With the immediate challenges addressed, the foundation has been laid for further digital transformation. The British Council now stands poised to leverage this refined database system for more extensive and impactful global outreach. The streamlined system serves as a stepping stone to further innovations and technological advancements.
This post was submitted by Proceed Holdings Ltd. View all of their news posts here
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