Government CIO Bill McCluggage and Anne O'Leary, CEO, Vodafone Ireland. Photo by Tony Maxwell/Maxwell Photography
To accelerate the Government’s shift towards cloud computing, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has selected Vodafone Ireland to provide a managed high-bandwidth fixed-data network for Government departments and public-sector agencies.
ICT has been identified under the Programme for Government and the Public Service Reform Plan as a key enabler of more efficient public services. Vodafone Ireland was awarded the contract to build the new network following a competitive procurement process.
“This new high-bandwidth network will enable the public sector to realise its vision of improved and more efficient services based on a ‘Cloud First’ approach,” said newly appointed Government CIO Bill McCluggage. “The availability of cloud-based capabilities has fundamentally changed the nature of ICT delivery and its provision across the public service. With this high-powered network, we will be able to provide a new range of shared resources and software services that will, eventually, be accessible to every public-sector employee from a desk or mobile device. It will help us standardise, consolidate and automate the delivery of ICT across the public sector and reduce spend. It is also underpinned by a solid business case that provides compelling value-for-money for the state and taxpayers.”
The fibre-based network will reach speeds up to 10Gbps, connecting Government departments and public-sector agencies nationwide and enabling a more mobile workforce.
Vodafone Ireland will invest €5m in building the initial infrastructure over the next three years.
