Police planning major switchover to cloud computing

Police across the UK are considering a major move to cloud computing, dumping on-premise IT in an aggressive bid to cut costs, ComputerworldUK.com can reveal.

The Strategic Cloud Programme the systems

Under the Strategic Cloud Programme the systems would be supported by to collaboration, knowledge management, risk management, information sharing and business intelligence analytics tools. The aim is for them to be standards-based and scalable, with strong security, consumption based pricing and high service level agreements.

It hopes to replace 30 crucial systems and around 600 legacy applications, mainly based on Sun servers and a Microsoft Windows/Intel architecture.

The Metropolitan Police last month created a specialist cloud computing team to deliver the early requirements. During the project is likely to go ahead, it is not but definite.

The force said in a statement that it

The force said in a statement that it was "constantly looking at its future systems and IT infrastructure requirements and how they may best be delivered". Cloud computing was "one potential ser of options", it said. "We are working with both the Home Office and other policing colleagues, and the supplier market, on how these can be delivered in the most efficient, effective and collaborative manner."

Any replacement would need to be agile, meet government and police standards, and exist in the context of operational cost cutting. The police are weighing up cloud computing as a potential solution to meet these challenges.

An agreement would see the provision of cloud computing services and applications, maintenance services and the appropriate middleware, it is understood.