Launched in 2014, SWAN is one of the most significant single public sector ICT initiatives ever undertaken in Scotland.
The SWAN IoT capability for the public sector in Scotland will underpin key government agendas by providing better and more accurate data on factors including water levels, air quality, footfall analysis and provide additional analytics for future health and social care services.
The solution will be enabled by IoT technology from Cisco and other partners of choice deployed across the network.
SWAN already provides connectivity to more than 90 organisations, including the Scottish Government, Scottish Qualification Agency, Historic Environment Scotland and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
In addition to approximately 6,000 sites across Scotland, including 50 per cent of the local authorities and all 22 boards across NHS Scotland, 250 unbundled exchanges, and over 7,000km of fibre network, SWAN has the unrivalled ability to deliver an IoT network to a wide geographical area at a pace otherwise unachievable.
The resulting network offers better connectivity, better performance and faster speeds as well as delivering value for money for the Scottish taxpayer, as detailed in the £30m savings stated in the Scottish Government’s refreshed digital strategy.
The outcomes for Scotland mean public bodies are more easily able to communicate with each other, share services and better serve Scottish citizens.
SWAN allows all its customers to benefit from economies of scale as well as increasing productivity and collaboration, acting as the gateway for N3, the Internet and Janet networks.
SWAN offers a wide range of connectivity options and a portfolio of shared and Value-Added Services (VAS):
SWAN is also helping to unify network assurance – by applying a common standard of data assurance, it simplifies public sector interaction and ensures greater security for data transmitted internally and externally.
Capita Technology Solutions is one of the largest IT providers in the UK, providing critical digital, cloud and infrastructure services to over 3,500 organisations.
It’s the number one provider of IT services to the public sector, supporting one in four hospitals, over 2,500 schools and 50 local councils.
Capita Technology Solutions has top-tier partnerships with, and accreditations from, leading technology vendors, including Microsoft, Cisco, Dell EMC, AWS and HPE. Its team of over 4,000 people includes 1,000 technical specialists and 250 highly qualified field engineers, providing onsite support to our customers.
Further information can be found at: www.capita.com
1Review of ICT Infrastructure in the Public Sector in Scotland, John F McClelland C.B.E, Scottish Government, February 2010 2Scotland's Digital Future - Delivery of Public Services, Scottish Government, 19 September 2012 3Realising Scotland's full potential in a digital world: a digital strategy for Scotland, Scottish Government, 22 Mar 2017 4Mygov.scot/organisations – Sector View, Scottish Government, Aug 2019 5Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mid-2018, Office for National Statistics, June 2018 6 Teacher shortages in remote Scotland among worst in Europe, The Times, 19 Oct 2019 7 Commission on the Delivery of Rural Education, pp.6, Scottish Government, 13 April 2020