Warwickshire deploys WAN across county
Alcatel-Lucent supplies centrally managed, secure network
By Antony Savvas | Computerworld UK | Published: 12:00, 03 November 2010
Warwickshire County Council is deploying a wide area network (WAN) to enable departments, schools and partners to better share resources and improve their service to the public.
Warwickshire's new core network is based on MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) technology which is designed to provide council sites with high-speed connectivity and greater bandwidth to council systems.
The centrally-managed WAN will also enable the extension of services to other regional partners, such as local borough councils, that had previously operated their own disparate networks. This can provide free inter-site voice traffic between all connected organisations.
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Prior to the Alcatel-Lucent WAN, the council managed two separate networks using a combination of wireline and microwave technologies. But this system could not support an expansion of council services or deliver the required efficiencies through allowing multiple facilities to share resources.
Mark Woodward, IT communications engineer at Warwickshire County Council, said, “With the Alcatel-Lucent network we now have a fast, centrally-managed and secure infrastructure to connect staff and help them share resources and knowledge, so that they in turn can better connect with the general public.”
The council also has the opportunity to roll-out additional services to both public and private sector organisations using the MPLS network. These potentially include centrally-managed site environmental monitoring and control systems, as well as CCTV delivery to council properties.
Hampshire and Isle of White councils joined forces this year to sign a £90 million network services deal with ntl-Telewest, and Leicestershire County Council also recently signed a £5.5 million network deal with Logicalis.
