Dorset County Council improves flexible working with wireless solution from Alcatel-Lucent and Khipu

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Paris, April 22, 2009- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU)and networking and security integrator Khipu Networks today announced thatDorset County Council is deploying Alcatel-Lucent’s wireless technology toenable greater home and remote working for its staff, allowing the Council tobenefit from the cost savings and productivity improvements of a mobile workforce, while reducing its eco-print.

The Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) network, based on Alcatel-Lucent’s

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wireless technology, is being rolled out across a number ofcouncil offices – as well as public buildings such as libraries – in order togive both council staff and the general public wireless access to network andInternet resources. Approximately 500 laptops are currently registered on thecouncil’s network and able to benefit from wireless access, while Khipucontinues to roll out the network to new council premises across the county,further extending wireless access.

Dorset’s wireless network will help to improve staff productivity byproviding them with access to central council resources and key applications atall times. By plugging in a small remote access point (AP) into any ADSLconnection, workers can extend the council’s wireless service – wherever theyare nationwide – creating a secure VPN tunnel from their location to the countyhall’s wireless controller. Furthermore, the deployment has already provedworthwhile after the council experienced a power outage. The wireless networkmeant remote and home workers remained unaffected and were able to continueworking as normal.

“Like many organizations, we’ve seen demand for home working riseconsiderably in the last few years – as a local council, we’re tasked withtrying to meet these staff needs without compromising the provision of publicservices,” said Paul Samways, ICT infrastructure officer at Dorset CountyCouncil. “By deploying a wireless solution that offers secure and easy accessto our network, irrespective of location, we’re now able to ensure thatflexible working actually translates into quicker staff response times and thusa better quality of service for our citizens.”

Khipu and Alcatel-Lucent’s offering was selected due to its enhancedsecurity. A range of different security modules implemented by Khipu, includingwireless intrusion protection and rogue access point detection, protectsnetwork access for both council staff and guest users. These continuously scanthe network to ensure a high-level of security is upheld at all times.

“Local councils are leading the way when it comes to flexible working, andeffective WLANs now form an essential component of these policies. By extendingthe network into council workers’ homes and allowing access from all over theUK, location no longer needs to inhibit staff productivity or availability,”said Matt Ashman, commercial consultant at Khipu Networks.

Dorset County Council has future plans to expand the wireless access tofurther local sites, including village halls, allowing even more councilemployees and citizens to benefit from its functionality.

“Dorset County Council is utilizing its WLAN to give staff a betterwork/life balance, while ensuring they always have the resources necessary todeliver a high level of service to county residents,” said David Parker, vicepresident for Alcatel-Lucent’s enterprise activities in the UK and Ireland.“The council is transforming itself into a secure and dynamic organizationthrough the intelligent use of technology, and this deployment can serve as ablueprint for many other public sector organizations.”

About Khipu

Khipu Networks is a UK-based advanced systems integrator, focusing on supplyinginnovative secure compliant infrastructure solutions across the public andprivate sector. The company is a leading adopter of new and best-in-breedtechnology – expert technical staff ensure that customers get the solutionsthey need, when they want them and how they need them. The ethos is to ensurethat the customer has the edge on the security and compliance of their networkand not the attacker. Hampshire based Khipu Networks Ltd is the securitydivision of the White Clarke Group of companies. Khipu Networks is anAlcatel-Lucent Direct Partner and the exclusive reseller of Bradford CampusManager in the UK and Ireland.

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http://www.khipu-networks.com

About Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is the trusted partner of serviceproviders, enterprises and governments worldwide, providing solutions todeliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A leader infixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applicationsand services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the unrivalled technical and scientificexpertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in thecommunications industry. With operations in more than 130 countries and themost experienced global services organization in the industry, Alcatel-Lucentis a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues ofEuro 16.98 billion in 2008 and is incorporated in France, with executiveoffices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on theInternet:http://www.alcatel-lucent.com

 

Contact the Alcatel-Lucent Press Office:    press@alcatel-lucent.com

News Source : Dorset County Council improves flexible working with wireless solution from Alcatel-Lucent and Khipu