East Dunbartonshire Council Launches Flexible Working Initiative

Customised network security solution from AppGate provides secure remote access for council employees, and allows controlled third party access for greater council efficiency.

East Dunbartonshire Council has launched an innovative flexible working solution, which enables council employees to work securely from any location, boosting overall efficiency and enhancing service delivery.

In a project designed by Security Integrators Global Secure Systems, the Council has deployed a network access control solution from AppGate, enabling council employees to work from any location - at home or on the road - with secure remote access to key applications such as email and file directories.

The AppGate technology provides a unified solution that protects information on the network and controls access for users who need the flexibility to work from any location. For East Dunbartonshire Council, the AppGate security server enables staff to carry out council duties securely whether they are in the office or working remotely, ensuring the smooth running of council services in any eventuality and also increasing overall efficiency in working practice.

Ensuring the security of data on the network is of primary importance for East Dunbartonshire Council with users accessing the network via laptops, home pcís, and wireless access points, AppGateís advanced functionality allows the system administrators to control which applications each user can access from a particular device. In addition, controlled third party access to designated areas of the network for external partners and suppliers has improved service delivery. Partners do not need access to council offices and can carry out services flexibly off-site, for greater working efficiency.

Colin McLeod, ICT team leader for communications at East Dunbartonshire Council said, ìWe chose the AppGate technology because of its superior performance as a secure remote access solution. But we quickly discovered that itís got a wealth of features and functions. As a result weíre now delivering significant service improvements and using the resources weíve got more effectively. Iím delighted with our investment!î

An additional benefit of the AppGate solution is its ease of use - it requires little support, freeing up valuable resources and allowing IT staff to focus on developing new council services and improvements.

Jim Corrigan, ICT support advisor for education at East Dunbartonshire Council adds, ìThe AppGate system has proved very easy to use. Weíre now able to control user access directly and itís made a real difference to the experience our users receive, significantly reducing the demand for IT supportî.

The AppGate solution is fully scalable, and the local authorityís Education Department is looking to extend remote access to students and teachers so they can access teaching information from home. Furthermore the council IT team are currently testing remote access via mobile phones promoting remote-working on a larger operational scale.