An increasing number of UK police forces are using a hybrid cloud model to manage their data, according to a survey conducted by Citrix.
From 34 responses to freedom of information requests sent in August, it found that 47% were using the approach, more than double the amount of a year before.
But the figures show a reluctance to use a public cloud environment, with only 12% of forces doing so.
Police forces’ use of the hybrid model still places more weight on accessing and managing data and applications on-premise, with 74% doing so. Also, 62% still store less than a quarter of data in the cloud, but this has decreased from 75% a year before.
The research also revealed that 91% of forces are considering further investment in cloud infrastructure over the next 12 months, while 50% are currently downsizing their own IT infrastructure and 24% are planning to do so.
Key enabler
“These new findings highlight that cloud deployments are clearly a key enabler for improved service delivery – due to solutions typically being cost effective, scalable, secure and flexible – with the majority of police forces prioritising further investment in cloud infrastructure and technologies over the next twelve months,” said Matt Smith, Director, UKI public sector, Citrix.
He added: “Alongside pressure to do more with less, police forces have been tasked with protecting citizens amidst depleted resources following the global health crisis. The reality is police work still requires an immense amount of human time – from preventative to investigative work.
“Amidst such budget challenges, it’s critical that police officers are able to work in the most efficient way possible, and forces have identified the cloud is a clear enabler in this process.”
Image from iStock, Jacky Leung
