Fife council has prioritised ‘secure and resilient cloud-based connectivity’ for schools as part of new £7.2 million network services deal.
The local authority has extended its 16-year partnership with MLL Telecom by an additional 3.5 years to provide connectivity across its 485 sites, including 150 schools.
‘An immediate focus is the provision of a secure and resilient cloud-based connectivity service to support the council’s ‘transforming learning’ initiative which involves the rollout of around 36,000 iPad computers to schools from now through March 2026,’ said MLL in a release announcing the new deal.
The emphasis on schools’ IT security comes following recent high-profile ransomware attack on West Lothian council’s schools network, and a phishing attack on Edinburgh city council’s schools.
Andrew Milne, infrastructure manager at Fife Council, said: “Over the years MLL has reliably provided network services to transition and transform our wide area network and we are confident they will continue to support its evolution and enable the services we wish to deliver in the future. Our Transforming Learning programme is a good example of our commitment to leveraging the network for delivering social value, ensuring school students from all backgrounds have access to secure digital devices when studying at school or at home.”
Fife council is the third largest local authority in Scotland and the 11th largest in the UK. It employs circa 18,000 employees who provide 900 different services to over 365,000 people. The services Fife council provides range from education, social work, housing, and community services to transportation.
The iPads and school infrastructure represent a £50million commitment over the next 10 years from Fife council’s capital and revenue budgets. The digital learning and inclusion initiative will ensure all primary and high school students from P6 through to S7 receive an iPad which can be used in school as well as remotely.
Additionally, MLL will continue to cost-effectively upgrade Fife Council’s MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) network with the implementation of fibre connections to streamline and improve its performance in areas such as health and social care and housing which will enable adoption of new and innovative technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT). Where possible, Fife will leverage the grants and funding for fibre connectivity available from Gigabit Scotland and the UK Government.
Kirste Johnston, MLL’s strategic client director for Scotland & Northern England, added: “We are proud to be continuing our long relationship with Fife Council and to be playing an important role in evolving the network to support digital learning and teaching in schools as well as future initiatives.”