INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cloud

Citrix , nearly half ( 47 %) of UK police forces are currently using a hybrid cloud model to access and manage their data , which is more than double since 2019 , when the total stood at just 21 %. This new data was obtained through a Freedom of Information ( FoI ) request , issued to 48 police forces across the UK , with 34 of them responding . With an increasing number of police forces investing in cloud infrastructure and technologies , almost all ( 94 %) of the responding forces confirmed that their police officers are able to access data files and applications when working out in the field .

Cloud migration progression

In 2013 , the government introduced a ‘ Cloud First ’ policy advising that all public sector organisations should consider cloud solutions above all else when procuring new or existing services , with the public cloud being the preferred deployment model to achieve this ‘ cloud first ’ vision . Despite these guidelines , only one in 10 ( 12 %) of responding forces currently access and manage their data in a public cloud environment .

In fact , the majority ( 74 %) of UK police forces still access and manage their data and applications on-premises . However , while 62 % of forces currently store less than a quarter of their data and applications in a cloud environment , this has decreased from a total of 75 % in the previous year – demonstrating significant progress in the ongoing transition to the cloud .

Investments in change

The latest research from Citrix also revealed that the majority ( 91 %) of UK police forces are considering investment in cloud infrastructure and technologies – such as Software- , Platform- or Infrastructure-asa-Service ( SaaS , PaaS or IaaS ) – within the next 12 months .

As part of this , half ( 50 %) of responding forces are currently in the process of outsourcing or downsizing their physical IT infrastructure in favour of a cloud model , with a further 24 % planning to do so in the next 12 months .

In 2019 , a report from The Institute for Government ( IfG ) discovered that outsourcing IT can deliver substantial benefits for public sector organisations , including cost savings and improved services .

Based on the information shared by 28 of the 34 responding forces , UK police forces have collectively spent an average of £ 21 million on outsourcing IT over the past five years , which is around £ 4 million each year .

“ These new findings highlight that cloud deployments are clearly a key enabler for improved service delivery – due to solutions typically being cost-effective , scalable , secure and flexible – with the majority of police forces prioritising further investment in cloud infrastructure and technologies over the next 12 months ,” said Matt Smith , Director , UKI Public Sector , Citrix .

“ Alongside pressure to do more with less , police forces have been tasked with protecting citizens amidst depleted resources following the global health crisis . The reality is police work still requires an immense amount of human time – from preventative to investigative work . Amidst such budget challenges , it ’ s critical that police officers are able to work in the most efficient way possible and forces have identified the cloud is a clear enabler in this process .” p

www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO EUROPE 67