Cheshire County Council is using remote access systems to allow staff to work flexibly and help the local authority meet government environmental targets.

The scheme could also pave the way for a smartcard scheme.

In the past staff working from home had to log on using a standard PSTN telephone line. But the 'Click into Cheshire' project uses virtual private network (VPN) technology to allow users to log in without using council equipment.

It has helped create a home working environment that mirrors the office working environment, said Cheshire County Council IT policy and security manager Colin Rowland.

'When staff were using dial-up in conjunction with county council laptops it was slow and there was no resilience,' said Rowland.

'We were getting calls for a better work/life balance and now staff can use the equipment they have at home,' he said.

The system uses Microsoft Windows Active Directory integrated into Juniper Secure Access Appliances so that employees can use existing user names and passwords and have their access levels monitored by the IT department.

‘Occasional users can use complex passwords, while business users working from home use token based authentication,’ said Rowland.

The technology is enabling the Council to look to more innovative possibilities, said Rowland.

‘We are looking at the use of smartcards which plug into readers in a pilot as smartcards can be used for other things, such as holding money and building access, ' he said.

Remote access also provides environmental benefits.

‘It helps us meet environmental targets set by the government to reduce travel,’ said Rowland.

The council worked with consultancy Morse to implement the secure socket layer (SSL) VPN.