Kent Police Authority commits to Open Enterprise with Novell

Novell has announced that Kent Police Authority (KPA) has rolled out several Novell solutions across its IT infrastructure in order to dramatically lower its administration requirements and further drive down costs.

Using open source and standards-based technology from Novell, together with identity management, resource management and collaboration solutions also from Novell, KPA has doubled the number of its workstations to 4,000 in the past two years without increasing the number of IT staff.

KPA standardised its complex IT environment using Novell Open Enterprise Server running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. This solution has allowed KPA to consolidate its vast array of applications and operating systems, while providing it with the flexibility to roll out new systems and applications quickly and easily.

KPA also needed to manage access intelligently and securely to its systems – many of which are highly confidential. Implementing Novell eDirectory has given KPA the foundation for managing its complex set of user identities, while maintaining the high level of security that a police authority requires. Thanks to the implementation of the Novell GroupWise collaboration suite, Kent’s officers are now provided with a single view of their incoming communications – including public enquiries – and can therefore respond more quickly to Kent’s 1.6 million citizens. KPA has also reduced the costs of managing its workstations by deploying Novell ZENworks across the organisation.

“Linux is the platform for the future and through Novell Open Enterprise Server, it`s ready for enterprise-level workloads today,” said Mark Williams, Specialist Services Manager for Kent. “It has been surprisingly easy to move our servers to Linux solutions, as many of our vendors have Novell`s SUSE Linux as part of their product plans. Speed, ease of use and reliability have been key factors for us. Linux lets us do more than we could with NetWare alone, and Novell Open Enterprise Server combines the best of those two platforms.”

Williams continued: “The open enterprise is exactly where we want to go. We want to create an environment where we are not re-inventing the wheel every time. By issuing architecture guides to all suppliers we can ask them all to contribute to common standards. We can now bring systems to fruition much faster; some systems used to take several years, but if we can share existing hardware and software, some applications now only take a few weeks.”

Sean McCarry, Principal of Government Sector sales for Novell concluded: “Kent Police Force is typical of many UK police forces in the challenges that it faces – pressure to standardise IT whilst ensuring that IT still provides value to the organisation. It is important for police forces such as Kent to find interoperable technology that is easy to integrate across different departments, ensuring easier management and generation of greater administration and cost efficiencies.”