COVID-19 has placed immeasurable pressure on central government. Departments have had to adapt spending models to quickly allocate funding where it is most needed. Plus increased scrutiny has highlighted the need to analyse data safely and efficiently.
Combined with adaptations relating to the end of the Brexit transition period, it has certainly been a challenging time.
Digital transformation initiatives may have stalled in the wake of such challenges. However, it has never been more important that IT operations are streamlined, secure and efficient. This enables the public sector to provide the best possible service to their users, meeting growing expectations and justifying public spending.
Pro2col are independent, G-Cloud 12 approved experts in secure file transfer, automation and system integration. Since 2004 we have helped public sector organisations deliver secure, streamlined, cost-effective processes to support digital transformation and compliance.
““Pro2col provide an excellent service, understanding Genomics England’s requirements and configuring the system. They provided innovative solutions to meet some of our less standard requirements, which extended the system beyond its usual configuration.”
About Pro2col
Trusted independent experts serving the public sector since 2004
Trusted by 18 government departments
Independent experts for 16+ years, 800+ solutions delivered
G-Cloud 12 Digital Marketplace
A Gartner business partner
FSQS registered
ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified
Trusted by 18 government departments
Independent experts for 16+ years, 800+ solutions delivered
G-Cloud 12 Digital Marketplace
A Gartner business partner
FSQS registered
ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified
Central Government solution stories
From strategic priorities to tactical use casesSecurity is critical across the board, but especially for any departments handling personal information about finances and justice, or highly sensitive information relating to defence and security.
Our solutions provide secure file transfer within and beyond your organisation. This includes encryption at rest and in transit, and PGP encryption which is required for end-to-end file security. Management controls, such as two-factor authentication and folder permissions, restrict who can access data. These can be set to reflect your information security policy and meet increasingly high cyber security demands.
Encryption algorithms are continually updated to maintain security. Solutions will also integrate with other key components in your security environment, including antivirus (AV) and data loss prevention (DLP).
While the UK government works to define data governance upon leaving the EU, its own IT departments are under intense scrutiny to handle data safely and efficiently. Questions and uncertainties surrounding data residency have prompted some departments to opt for UK-only data residency.
Pro2col experts have an independent view of the marketplace, including cloud and on-prem solution. They are able to answer your questions about data residency and recommend the right solution for you.
Central government departments must lead by example. Automated secure data wiping and consent-capture supports compliance with the GDPR and other regulations. Dashboards provide visibility of all data transfers.
This ‘single pane of glass’ view allows IT to see where, when and how all transfers take place and control access to data. This granular visibility and reporting is particularly important for compliance.
Home-grown scripts or old solutions with insecure encryption pose a risk to security and compliance. Additionally they are often unmanaged or dependent on the niche knowledge of one member of staff. Opting for a secure, managed file transfer and automation solution will return centralised control by removing the reliance on home grown scripts.
If you have legacy systems that still add value, you can extend their life by integrating with other parts of your infrastructure. This puts you in a strong position to select the best possible technology for each requirement without being limited by its out-of-the-box connectivity.
There are many scenarios where central government organisations need to capture data securely. For example, funding requests, tax returns or Universal Credit applications.
Online forms provide a secure, customisable mechanism for users to submit information – in any file type or size – to your department. Fields can also be configured to trigger onward business processes or integrate with internal systems.
Automated actions sitting behind the secure online forms might include: Checking the inputted data meets alphanumeric sequence (eg: National insurance number matches date of birth), transform data into a certain file format such as Excel, move it to a pre-defined location on the server, assign data to individuals or teams, send an automated reply and so on. The possibilities are endless.
Secure file sharing infrastructure allows you to share information with agencies and other public bodies quickly, securely and efficiently. For example, sharing information with local governments.
Depending on the process, this can done by secure email, onboarding partners to your infrastructure, or integrating with their infrastructure.
Secure managed file transfer and automation solutions are critical in a cloud or hybrid integration infrastructure. Pre-built connectors enable the Managed File Transfer server to natively connect to a vast array of cloud storage endpoints, such as Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure Blob, Citrix Sharepoint, Google Cloud and Oracle Cloud. Many cloud applications are also available such as Trello, Salesforce, NetSuite, SAP and more.
Fully hosted MFT in the cloud has become more and more popular, providing the automation, security and reporting of traditional MFT, but with all the benefits of the cloud including: Reduced operational costs associated with hardware, benefits from high availability, the latest innovation in infrastructure, security and connectivity speeds.
WEBINAR: Understanding UK Government Data Flows
This webinar introduces data flows, looking at the risks around data flows within a hybrid infrastructure. It includes real life government use cases, the challenges public sectors face and how to solve them.
How we can help you
Get the MFT buyers guide and expert adviceSecure remote working is increasingly important post-COVID. Secure file transfer and collaboration functionality allows staff to have secure remote access to company files and work collaboratively on the same version. It also allows them to transfer files securely outside the organisations, without resorting to insecure, consumer grade apps. All exchanges remaining in-line with the company security policy.
System-to-person automation can send and audit the secure distribution of HR documents, including contracts.
In fact, HR departments can deliver the complete employee onboarding process with both front and back end system automation. This removes manual steps and improves accuracy. For example, the employee or HR contact can fill in a configurable web form, which includes e-signing and dating. Then this can automatically be exported as a pdf contract and stored in the repository. Next a fully automated user provisioning workflow can be executed, setting up access and logins for in systems like ActiveDirectory and ERP, emailing the user their login credentials.
Marketing teams regularly share large image or video files, which are too big for email. They often resort to risky consumer grade, insecure file sharing apps.
A controlled file sharing environment can easily integrate with existing email infrastructure, allowing users to share large files. There are additional security controls, administrative access and visibility of all transfers. Permissions can be set in line with data access policies so that staff only access the data they need in order to do their job.
As vendor-independent specialists in secure managed file transfer, workflow automation and system integration, we’re expertly placed to guide you to the right technology and vendor for your requirements.
We’ll share Pro2col’s ‘MFT Buyer’s Guide’ straight to your inbox. Then we’ll provide a scoping call to discuss how this technology supports your process requirements.
