One application recently implimented is Symantec Vault for Exchange. I have heard of a number of persons who were running Office 2007 and "Vault" wouldnt work. The reason being that the version Auckland bought wasnt compatible. The solution was to downgrade the users to Office 2003. All this when Office 2010 has now been released. Wasted money?

You are still only talking chump change. IT will blow out to be the single most expensive division of the Auckland Council. It is being run to the methods and rules of the old ACC with all its inherited inefficiencies. As an example the Civic Building has been known for the past 12 years to be rotten with asbestos and only now are they looking at moving the data centre. Now when the cost can be spread over a greater number of ratepayers rather than anytime over the past 12 years where ACC would have had to find the millions. Products are being bought and implimented that are outdated and not compatable with later versions of existing applications as a result the norm is to regress to older versions of applications. There is a segregation between IT departments that makes it extremely difficult to run efficiently. Brought about by the current ethos of empire building within IT. The impression at the grassroots is of, one great mess, with a few persons benifitting from the chaos