Ministry of Defence enlists HP-led ATLAS consortium for IT modernisation mission
HP and Fujitsu among familiar big name IT vendors tasked with modernising MoD's telecommunications and IT infrastructure - and saving £1bn in the process
The Ministry of Defence has selected the ATLAS consortium to transform the department's IT infrastructure, in a move designed to generate over £1bn in savings over a 10-year period.
The consortium is led by HP and includes Fujitsu, Airbus Defence and Space and CGI. ATLAS has been tasked with modernising core services at the MoD and allowing 200,000 users to securely access information at anytime from anywhere.
"I want to deliver information capabilities that are a force multiplier for both the business space and battle space through closer strategic alignment with industry partners," said Mike Stone, chief digital and information officer of the MoD.
"By September 2016, our users will experience information capabilities that are tailored to their mission, location and role, and that can be accessed at the right time, through a choice of devices, over a cost-effective, modern and adaptable infrastructure," he added.
The ATLAS deal will enable MoD staff to use the likes of workplace management systems, self-help services and mobility tools to access the information they need through a wider range of devices and networks, Stone said.
The deal comes after Air Vice-Marshal Mark Neal, director service design for MoD Information Systems and Services, in March described how the Internet of Things, analytics, mobile and cloud are "very much part of the agenda" for the Ministry of Defence.
The ATLAS project will also see the deployment of an HP unified communications service based on Microsoft Skype for Business in order to enable better video conferencing throughout the MoD.
The Ministry of Defence has also awarded Fujitsu a contract worth "in excess of £550m" to provide core connectivity functions throughout the department over the next five years.
According to the MoD, the new contracts will "transform the delivery of information and communication technology across defence, providing a new IT system fully exploiting the power of cloud computing" which will be used by both military and civilian staff.
"We must keep pace with those who pose a threat to UK security, whether overt or cyber-based. The new contracts will enhance our fighting capability and make us more efficient in our work," said Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon.
The MoD deals appear to demonstrate that it's still the largest IT vendors that are the biggest beneficiaries of lucrative government contracts, despite repeated claims by government that it is keen to offer more contracts to SMEs.