Responding to increasing national and international security threats in the face of rigorous public sector spending cuts.
Current issues facing the defence community
Defence logistics has been identified as an area of focus for potential cost saving and rationalisation. Having the right equipment in the right place is vital to success in all operations. Whether to meet the demands of a sudden surge in operations or to manage the day-to-day needs of deployed military forces, defence logistics operations have to be rapid, agile and intelligent.
Increasing security threats highlight the need to safeguard military personnel and facilities. Securing and controlling access to military sites can be challenging, particularly when a large number of people need to be processed in a short time.
Despite a reduction in many national defence budgets over the last 20 years, the focus on and investment in information systems has been steadily rising and will continue to do so in the future. This investment must show value for money, and solutions designed for both military and non-military use should be re-used to demonstrate that they can deliver more while continuing to reduce costs.
The importance of equipping the armed forces with the systems and equipment they need to respond to the ever-changing requirements of operational theatre can never be underestimated. It’s therefore crucial that when a new system is put into use it works to best effect with the other systems already deployed.
Away from the operational need to support and enhance in-theatre force deployment, a key challenge for today’s defence sector is how to manage service transformation including the transition to outsourced non-core functions with stringent security requirements including areas such as pay, personnel, management of recruitment and training, accounting, clothing and IT.
Our experience
- We were the first company to develop a tri-service inventory management system. Management of the Joint Deployed Inventory (MJDI) for the UK MOD replaces the three services’ separate stores management systems with a single inventory management information system capability
- Our Biometrics Data Capture System (BDCS) for the UK MOD uses fingerprint and iris recognition to make positive identifications. It is currently operational across over 20 sites and considered to be an important tool in securing military facilities
- Our innovative and resilient military information management solutions include a secure Electronic Messaging Service for the UK MOD. This processes 2,000,000 messages every month, manages an e-mail service with more than 380,000 users and tracks the delivery time of all messages
- The UK MOD’s housing management system administering tri-service families’ accommodation, including the online housing application e-form is provided by SITS. Our solution supports the allocation of over 45,000 houses to service families and the management of around 20,000 move-in and move-out appointments per year as families transfer between geographic locations throughout the UK
A trusted defence partner
We have brought together systems, technology innovations and process efficiencies in a portfolio of defence focused solutions that are supporting defence sector transformation across Europe. For our clients and their operational partners, this is bringing multiple benefits and enabling new ways of working in the move towards more collaborative, partnership-based operating models.
- Our people: we employ a significant number of ex-service and security cleared personnel who ensure we understand the issues our defence and security clients face
- Our expertise: our design, development, service management and support of defence logistics information systems and services, are complemented by our transformational business and IT consulting services and solutions
- Our partners: collaborative relationships with key defence partners ensures we continue to provide value to the UK, French, Norwegian and German Defence Ministries
- Our commitment: we continue to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the armed forces community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country. The ways in which we are committed to supporting this are outlined in the Corporate Covenant certificate
Ministry of Defence:
Ensuring reliability, interoperability and performance of military communication and information systems
