From:	 eddie <eddie@netproject.com>
To:	 lwn@lwn.net
Subject: Linux Desktop Computing for UK Police
Date:	 Mon, 21 Jan 2002 14:25:00 +0000

The Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) has awarded
netproject a contract to examine the issues of deploying Linux on up to
60,000  desktop computers in police forces throughout the UK

'This work is part of Project Valiant that is examining the requirements
for the next generation of police computing.' said Marco Dawson, PITO.
'The police need very secure, virus resistant and stable desktop
computing. We believe that Linux can provide this. There is a potential
total requirement for 60,000 Linux desktop systems within the UK Police
Forces so we need a very good understanding of the deployment and
migration issues to Linux on the desktop.'

netproject is working with organisations that are building systems that
enable secure e-business. Eddie Bleasdale of netproject said that the
lack of security in existing mainstream desktop operating systems and
the problems with plagues of viruses is preventing organisations
achieving secure e-business.  'Our experience with Linux is that it
provides very high levels of security, is very reliable, virus resistant
and stable. With the development of Open Source Office Automation
Software and the software tools that enable Microsoft Windows
applications to be ported - Linux is now ready for deployment on the
desktop.'

There are a number of applications that have been developed for PITO
that run under Microsoft Windows that will be required to run under
Linux. The strategies and software tools that enable these to be ported
to Linux will be examined.

The Linux PCs will be configured to be highly secure with the use of
both Smart Cards and Biometrics to enable user identification. Software
will be updated over the network. Linux will be configured so that users
can not modify or add software to the PC.

Eddie Bleasdale has been working in the area of Linux and Unix for over
twenty years. His company, together with West Midlands Ambulance
Authority, developed and deployed Unix based Ambulance Command and
Control Systems. These are the most widely used throughout the UK and
are phenomenally reliable. 'We are not aware of a single software
incident that has caused any downtime since these computers were first
installed in 1989' said Barry Thurston, IT Director West Midlands
Ambulance Service and NHS Trust

'This is a level of reliability that should be the norm' said Eddie
Bleasdale. 'It should not be acceptable for systems to fail. The way
Linux has been developed enables outstandingly reliable systems that are
secure. Linux and Open Source now provide the basis for secure
e-business.'



-- 
Eddie Bleasdale
netproject, 124 Middleton Road,
Morden, Surrey, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 8715 0072