Putting councils back in control with collaborative infrastructure management

For many UK councils, infrastructure management sits in an uncomfortable space.

On one side, there is a clear need for resilience, security, and performance and these are expectations that continue to rise as digital services become more critical.

On the other, there are very real constraints around internal capacity, capability, and competing priorities.

So, the result is often a binary choice that doesn’t quite fit reality. You need to either fully outsource infrastructure and lose visibility, or retain control and absorb the operational burden internally.

In practice, most councils need something more flexible which we examine below and offer a real-world solution.

Moving beyond the 'fully managed vs fully owned' model

Traditional infrastructure models tend to assume a fixed operating model that looks something like:

OR

Neither reflects how council teams actually work. Digital, IT, and transformation teams operate in environments where:

• priorities shift quickly
• capacity fluctuates
• skills vary across teams
• ownership of services is often distributed

Infrastructure models need to acknowledge and accommodate this complexity, not simplify it. A more effective approach is collaborative infrastructure management: a model where responsibility is shared, adaptable, and aligned to the council’s evolving needs.

Infrastructure that adapts to council capacity

Collaborative infrastructure management is built around a simple principle, which is that councils should take as much control as they can, and no more than they need to.

This means infrastructure can flex across a spectrum which includes:

• Full management where internal capacity is limited or teams are focused elsewhere
• Shared responsibility where councils retain oversight but rely on specialist support
• Greater autonomy where in-house teams have the capability and want direct control

Importantly, this is not a one-time decision. It can evolve as teams grow, priorities shift, or new capabilities are developed.

For example, a council might initially rely on a managed service during a major platform migration, then gradually take on more responsibility as internal confidence increases. This flexibility reduces risk during periods of change while avoiding long-term dependency.

Reducing risk without removing control

One of the challenges councils often face with infrastructure is the trade-off between control and assurance.

When infrastructure is fully outsourced, teams can lose visibility into areas such as how environments are configured, how updates and patches are applied and how issues are diagnosed and resolved for example.

This can make assurance, governance, and internal accountability more difficult. At the same time, retaining full control internally can introduce risk if:

• patching is inconsistent
• monitoring is incomplete
• key knowledge sits with a small number of individuals

A collaborative model addresses this by combining:

• platform-level reliability and automation
• clear operational visibility
• shared responsibility for security and performance

This allows councils to maintain confidence and oversight, without needing to manage every layer themselves.

Enabling focus on service delivery, not infrastructure

For most councils, infrastructure is not the end goal, it is an enabler. The priority is delivering better services, improving user experience, and supporting organisational transformation.

However, when infrastructure becomes complex or fragile, it absorbs time and attention that should be directed elsewhere. Collaborative infrastructure management helps shift that balance. By reducing the operational burden where needed, while preserving control where it matters, digital teams can focus on things like, service design and improvement, integration with back-office systems, accessibility and user experience and supporting organisational change, rather than managing servers, patching cycles, or deployment risk.

A platform approach: how Podium supports collaboration

This is the thinking behind the Podium solution, Axistwelve’s platform for managing digital infrastructure in a way that reflects how councils actually operate.

Podium is designed to support a range of operating models, not enforce a single one.

It more easily enables councils to:

• retain control over their environments where they have the capability
• delegate operational responsibility where they do not
• maintain visibility across performance, security, and deployment
• scale infrastructure reliably as demand changes

For some councils, this means a fully managed service that removes infrastructure overhead entirely. For others, it means a more collaborative approach, where internal teams work alongside Axistwelve, sharing responsibility and maintaining control over key aspects of their platform.

In both cases, the underlying principle is the same: infrastructure should support the organisation’s operating model, not dictate it.

Supporting long-term capability, not just short-term delivery

Perhaps the most important aspect of a collaborative approach is that it supports long-term capability building.

Rather than locking councils into a fixed model, it allows them to:

• develop internal skills over time
• take on more responsibility where appropriate
• adapt as organisational priorities evolve

This is particularly important in a sector where:

• resource constraints are ongoing
• transformation is continuous
• and digital capability is becoming increasingly strategic

At Axistwelve we’re committed to the belief that infrastructure should not become a constraint on that journey.

Looking ahead

As council websites and digital services continue to evolve, infrastructure decisions are becoming more visible, and more consequential.

The question is no longer simply whether infrastructure is managed internally or externally.

It is whether the model in place aligns with the council’s capacity and capability, supports resilience without increasing risk and enables teams to focus on what matters most.

Collaborative infrastructure management offers a way to balance these demands, providing flexibility, control, and assurance in equal measure.

At Axistwelve, we are trusted by UK councils to deliver infrastructure that is secure, resilient, and built for long-term change, combining sector expertise with flexible operating models that reflect each council’s capacity, capability, and ambition.

You can find out more about Podium and how it supports flexible, collaborative infrastructure management, or get in touch if you would value an initial conversation. There is no obligation, it’s simply an opportunity to explore how these approaches might apply in your organisation.