Scalable Communications
All in all, the implementation continues to meet above and exceed the Council’s criteria for a secure, scalable and performance driven corporate network. We’re very pleased.
Cambridgeshire County Council
Cambridgeshire County Council Roll-out remote workingAs part of the Government’s directive on flexible working, Cambridgeshire County Council was required to implement a remote working policy for its 4500 plus employees and members, with the ability to support this strategy from a technological perspective.
Scalable Communications presented a solution that was cost effective, resilient and secure.
Cambridgeshire County Council is compartmentalised into a number of user groups including council employees, suppliers, schools, libraries, NHS services and remote offices. All require secure access to the corporate network and the relevant business critical applications in order to ensure the smooth running of customer services and operations.
Following a successful tender, Scalable Communications Plc was retained to design and implement a solution that would meet the criteria cited in the Government’s flexible working directive, and the additional business issues presented by the Council.
The provision of remote working capabilities for all members, Council employees and partner organisations, whether working from home or visiting branch offices, was the tip of the iceberg. Cambridgeshire County Council would also require network security, performance and quality of service.
Moreover, the Council needed a solution that would be cost effective - with particular reference to the high number of users needing remote access to the network - and offer investment protection for the future.
Craig Hyde, Implementation Analyst at Cambridgeshire County Council, explains; “We simply do not have the budget required to equip each of our 4500 employees and business partners with the necessary PCs, or the 24/7 support and maintenance capabilities to provide for home and roam workers.”
Adding, “Scalable Communications’ proposal addressed these issues and presented a solution that would allow users remote access to applications as if they were working in the office, but that were easily accessible from the user’s pre-existing home PC.”
From initial consultations it was clear that the Council did not have the budget required to equip each of its 4500 employees and partners with the necessary PCs, or the 24/7 support and maintenance capabilities to provide for home and roam workers.
Scalable Communications’ proposal addressed these issues and presented a solution that would allow users remote access to applications as if they were working in the office, but that were easily accessible from the user’s pre-existing home PC. Using internet-based SSL technology integrated into the Council’s existing server farm, up to 500 concurrent users can access centralised applications from their home without requiring a full client installation on these machines.
A key benefit to this internet-based technology is that the Council’s business critical applications are housed within the ‘trusted’ corporate network, where they can be properly protected and supported, thus reducing the security risks involved with traditional IPSec VPN solutions.
To further secure the installation at the network layer and reduce the risk of unauthorised access to the Council’s network and applications, Scalable Communications Plc implemented an additional layer of security at the login stage using a token-based two-factor solution manufactured by Vasco. Having successfully entered a username and password, users are required to type in a random number generated by a key fob token.
In order to fulfil all of the Council’s core objectives (remote access, network security and resilience) it was essential that those users working remotely enjoyed the same network performance as those in a branch office. With an increasing number of concurrent users accessing the server, a scalable load balancing solution was required to ensure the best utilisation of the application servers being accessed.
To remedy this Scalable Communications Plc installed Radware Web Server Directors to act as high-performance appliance load balancers. This solution would support large volumes of network traffic and ensure an evenly balanced and efficient server farm
at all times regardless of where users and the user groups were accessing the corporate network.
Adds Hyde; “The resulting solution has presented a number of cost-effective initiatives to Cambridgeshire County Council, which meant we were able to remain within our budget and realise all our project requirements. The overall benefits of the solution mean more extended network functionality, minimal support and administration overheads and better security. All in all, the implementation continues to meet above and exceed the Council’s criteria for a secure, scalable and performance driven corporate network. We’re very pleased.”
For further information on Cambridgeshire County Council, visit www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk
0844 7422010
