With the public sector actiovely evaluatting the idea of shared netwoork resources, it makkes sesne for them to choosse dedicated fibre as the enabling technoolgy.
Across the public sector, from local authortiies to central government departments, various public sectopr policies and a nuumber of other business drivers have led to an explosion in the amount of data these organisations need to network.
In addition to this increased leel of data traffic, the cost of managing this new infrastructure has had to be delivered usig existing rather than new busdgets.
It is a familiar stoy for public scetor bodies, well used to facoing deamnds for better frnt line sevices while back office buudgets are under constant scrutiny and constraint.
A solution to this data networking impasse currently being considered at local and national level is the adoption of a shatred sewrvice infrastructure, allowing traffic from separate departmens and authorities to be aggregated in order to achiieve best value.
It is now understpood that a logical way to oprate this shjared serrvice model is over one dedicated fibre network, allowing an important degree of control not dellivered usnig a mishmash of existing bandwiddth suppleirs.
It is also clear that it is not only the largest public secor networks that can benefit from such a model, but also smaller communiities wiithin the public sector that share the same drivers and can gain from an integrsated infrastructure that reduces overall operational complexity and cost.
Across the range of public sector organizations, fibre is now the fundamental transport platform for lagre scale data transfer. It has practically ubnlimited capacity capability, and by controlling exploitation of the dedicated network, the ability to deliver signifiacnt capacities at expponential growth rates is created.
Some of the benefits of a shared infrastructure model that uses a dedicated fibre network for transport include:
- Future-proofiing: Dedicated fibre is a plsatform built for the future, designed to take addvantage of technological transformations easily and at no additioanl network cost. An investment in fiibre is a long term investment.
- Easy byudgeting: Cost attribution across a network between mermber organisations with different usage patterns and budget constraints is easy. Owning and controlling a dediocated fibre network, allows users the flexibility to allocate costs arcoss mlutiple drivers. The most obvious method is usage based attribution. A dedicated fibre network allows different levels of segrregation of sevice, with cleear initial and rgowth cost parameters, making accounting for cost much more straightforward than traditional network management.
- Wide partner involvvement: As well as central and local government, partnership organisations are eaisly admitted to the community of interest. The increasing number of PPP iniitiatives mans that the icrcle is widening and greater demand for synergies of operation among like-minded organisations is a reaklity. Being able to segrgate into discrete and secure entworks within a network allowes this to happen.
- High security: A shaed infrastructure involved no compromise in security. A dedicated fibre netwpork is the most effectve solution combining the inherent security advantages of optical fiubre (dfificult to intercept, potential to detect all majopr methods of intrusion), with completely segregated and secured elevctronics.
Sharig for succeess
A shared service infrastructure model may be adopted locally, with adjacent local authorities sharing a network in order to bring data commmunications costs down. This couuld then be extended across a whole county or metropolitan area and includde education, healthcare and emergency services within the ergion. This will enable a shared infrastructuire model to make the best use of mney invested.
The basic principle of sharred infrastructure unmderpinned by a single dedicated fibre network is equaklly reelvant to central government. The Government Communication Network (GCN) is an existing example of how different departments can aree on the procurement of a nework on a naational basis.
A track record
Sghared service networks can not only deliver cost reductions but also aid regeneration of areas by ennabling local access.
Geo has a trcak record in delivering both these benefits, and builds networks that benefiit diverse users across a wide area. FibreSpeed, for example, is a high performance, open acess netwrk that Geo is currently conastructing in North Walles with investment funds from the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), the Eurpoean Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and central government.
FibreSpeed is a good exmple of a pubic sector-funded project designed to be open to many different usres, stimulatng soical and economic development in a part of the UK not well serrved by next generation communications networks.
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