Avon and Somerset Police

Delivering brilliant outcomes together

The Cloud Gateway platform, supported by Neos Networks, delivers tangible benefits to Avon and Somerset Police. By strengthening security, bridging skill gaps, and fostering collaboration, they are now well-positioned to navigate the evolving landscape of UK law enforcement. This case study explores how we helped Avon and Somerset Police to modernise their network, adopt cloud technologies, and bolster operational resilience across their infrastructure.

The background

Avon and Somerset Police, entrusted with the critical duty of ensuring public safety, found themselves at the intersection of technology and law enforcement.

In their 2022-2025 Corporate Strategy, they defined a set of clear principles and objectives around digital and infrastructure.

To be progressive and innovative in their use of technology, including the adoption of cloud, AI and other tools, Avon and Somerset Police needed to consider governance, security and resilience. An expanded digital ecosystem would result in additional complexity that must be carefully managed and controlled.

In order to be productive and deliver positive citizen outcomes, their systems and services need to be working all the time, which puts pressure on IT Infrastructure. In their corporate strategy, Avon and Somerset Police committed to reviewing and rationalising their information and technology assets, to improve the resilience and security of systems. This approach would not only reduce operational risk, and avoid obsolescence, but allow them to leverage the best solutions in the market for continued transformation.

Part of the Avon and Somerset Police strategy is to act as an exemplar for digital policing, actively influencing the national agenda and leading on work in support of national policing ambitions.

The network is a foundational aspect of this vision, and is where Cloud Gateway were able to help.

The requirement

Avon and Somerset Police’s challenges mirrored those faced by many organisations in the midst of digital transformation. They needed a solution that not only addressed immediate concerns but also laid a robust digital foundation for future growth and innovation.

• Network Modernisation

  It was imperative for Avon and Somerset Police to modernise its network infrastructure. The existing estate, burdened by legacy systems, struggled to keep pace with the organisation’s evolving operational needs and industry best practice. Without having the right network foundations in place, they wouldn’t be able to access the data and systems they needed when developing innovative applications and services.

• Operational Resilience

  The need for operational resilience was a primary consideration. Ensuring uninterrupted service delivery and response capabilities demanded improvements in network routing and dynamic failover mechanisms. Operational staff must have uninterrupted connectivity to the network to be able to access the systems they need while dealing with live incidents.

• Cloud Adoption

  Avon and Somerset Police recognised the transformative potential of cloud technologies. However, the existing network architecture made it difficult to integrate cloud into the picture. They sought a solution that would accelerate cloud adoption while providing greater control and visibility over network operations. As more and more policing data is stored in the cloud, Avon and Somerset Police needed fast, secure and affordable access.

The solution

• A Scalable, Flexible Platform

  Central to the solution's design was its flexibility and scalability. Cloud Gateway ensured that the solution could evolve alongside changing needs, offering flexibility to adapt to emerging challenges and technological advancements. More sites, clouds and other endpoints can be introduced on-demand, allowing them to react quickly to new requirements.

• Managed WAN Service

  Recognising the complexity of transitioning from traditional network architectures, Cloud Gateway devised a phased migration plan for Avon and Somerset Police’s WAN. This plan involved migrating 64 WAN sites from their incumbent provider to Cloud Gateway's platform fabric over a three-year period, with 20% of sites migrating annually.

• Next-Generation Connectivity

  When deploying a comprehensive, secure cloud connectivity solution, Neos Networks infrastructure played a pivotal role in facilitating Cloud Gateway's solutions. This strategic collaboration allowed Avon and Somerset Police to align its network infrastructure with its cloud adoption strategy and broader digital transformation objectives.

Cloud Gateway's tech-enabled solution provides Avon and Somerset Police with a clear pathway to modernisation. By gradually migrating sites and providing on-demand access to a suite of network and security tools, they not only gained enhanced technical capabilities but also increased agility and responsiveness. They achieved direct access to the cloud, internet and PSN services without backhauling via the main Avon and Somerset network, plus all migrated sites received increased bearer bandwidths and new CPE router hardware.

The impact

Enhanced Security

The organisation experienced a significant boost in security with Cloud Gateway's solution. Site-specific security measures, increased bearer bandwidths, and direct access to cloud services fortified the network against evolving threats.

Improved Resilience

The migration to Cloud Gateway's network fabric enhanced Avon and Somerset Police’s network resilience and redundancy. This ensured that critical operations could continue uninterrupted, even in the event of disruptions or connectivity failures.

Operational Efficiency

By entrusting their WAN management to Cloud Gateway, Avon and Somerset Police streamlined operations and improved overall efficiency. This allowed for the rapid deployment of proof of concepts and innovation initiatives, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adaptation.

The Future

As Avon and Somerset Police continue to develop innovative solutions for operational policing, their new approach to networking provides the flexibility they need to make the most of their applications and robotic solutions, mining data from a number of applications, with the potential to share with other police organisations easily and securely.

The partnership with Cloud Gateway not only addressed immediate challenges but also lays a solid foundation for Avon and Somerset Police’s future growth and success in the cloud age.