Modern Blue Light Secure Networks - Enhancing Public Safety

From a global or UK perspective, Fortinet has seen a new era commence in Blue Light digital interoperability in the last decade. Many organisations modernise rapidly and enhance public safety using new technology. This new era of secure interoperability brings two types of benefit: technical and organisational. This blog will showcase how technology is helping our UK Blue Light services increase public safety with secure use of data, despite resource challenges and rising cybersecurity threats.

The technical aspects are fast moving but UK Blue Light has seen a swift move for many from ‘legacy’ to ‘Cutting-Edge’. Next generation technologies like Secure SDWAN have swept into use, helping forces transform into the modern digital world with a refresh of solutions and services. There are always challenges of migration and staff training, but these are often overplayed as most staff have a can-do attitude in Blue Light Sector. One example was a Force that had to change from an older IT network estate to a security driven network. They have found that by migrating to a ‘Secure by Design’ overlay network, the underlay becomes agnostic and opens options to change and adjust according to the needs of the Force rather than be locked into a single carrier solution.

Cost-Effective uses of Technology

Forces are making inroads on upgrading and/or replacing the current costly, legacy infrastructure for a more agile cost effect provider stack. The process is often seen as a potentially challenging change but with expert help, many Forces have consolidated from a complex IT estate into a better more efficient one that is unified in both security and automation. Automation can only come from true integration and having a common operating system is a key technology advantage that many have sought. Shared services between Forces have also benefitted the advance to better coherence in data sharing for good taxpayer value. There are excellent examples of live Fortinet secure services in Police, Fire and the NHS.

Secure Data Access for better Public Safety

One further technical leap has started with the ongoing migration to Cloud and has supported more collaboration of not just in-Force but between Forces and other agencies. When we think of intelligence driven operations in modern UK services the advantages of unified data access is clear – one day we may reflect on how much technology has been a change resource in maintaining a new level of public safety. This has meant a real opportunity for UK Blue Light to use the data in better ways. The management of Digital Evidence (DE), especially the centralisation of DE with multi agency access can grow efficiencies. Several examples of swifter service provision (and progress to convictions in the police) abound due to the ability to use applications that need the data volume and access to work effectively.

In conclusion, these are exciting times for all of us as new technology allows our Blue Light services to securely move large volumes of data for increased ways of creating better public safety. This is a team effort and from the techUK group efforts to UK NCSC Defend as One mantra, it is a team effort that is often unsung but merits us all to appreciate and be proud of.

Justice and Emergency Services Programme activities

The techUK Justice and Emergency Services Programme represents tech firms operating in the public safety, criminal justice, and blue light markets. We create strong relationships between members and public sector customers, encouraging industry engagement, and unlocking innovation. Visit the programme page here.