Public Service Network

The PSN is the government’s high-performance network, which helps public sector organisations work together, reduce duplication and share resources.

It unifies the provision of network infrastructure across the United Kingdom’s public sector into an interconnected “network of networks” to increase efficiency and reduce overall public expenditure.

The PSN is managed with the Cabinet Office where it is part of the Government Digital Service (GDS).

What is the Kent Public Service Network (KPSN)?

The Kent Public Service Network is a regional PSN providing high quality connectivity to all areas of Kent and Medway.

It is a not-for-profit partnership governed by 27 partner organisations including Kent County Council, Medway Council as well as numerous Borough and District Councils, and health organisations across Kent.

These organisations are joined together through a secure private infrastructure so that they can connect, communicate and exchange data across the regional network with the necessary security protocols. This enables shared service delivery through a complete infrastructure that is compliant with central government standards and supports collaborative projects across the partnership at a reduced cost.

KPSN has increased ICT capacity, resilience and security to deliver faster, more accessible, and better public services to residents overcoming technological barriers to collaboration.

The KPSN Partnership has:

○ 27 User Organisations

○ 1600+ Connected Sites

○ 370,000 Users

The Key to KPSN’s Success

The key to KPSN’s success is through its governance model where the focus is on sharing knowledge and drawing on the expertise and experience of the KPSN Partners.

The KPSN Partnership has also been successful in enabling the de-duplication of connections into multi-agency buildings reducing the cost of connections and acting as an enabler for wider shared services.

The KPSN Partnership manages a £24m Contract with DUCL (a joint venture between Updata and Daisy) to supply connectivity services. The KPSN Contract and extensive catalogue encompasses all future ICT network, security and other infrastructure related services. This joined-up approach maximises buying power to achieve value for money.

Who can join KPSN?

KPSN is available to:

Local and National Government.
Health Organisations.
Higher and Further Education.
Kent and Medway voluntary and community organisations.
Other local public services and Parish Councils.
Schools and Academies.
Emergency Services.

Private Sector organisations delivering public service in Kent may also use KPSN subject to review.

Benefits

Excellent geographical coverage.
A single communications infrastructure already connecting public services in Kent and Medway.
Scalable to support transformation and the growth of digital services.
Direct connections to central government services such as PSN, N3 and Jisc.
Efficiency savings.
Better online services for pupils, residents and customers.
Enables flexible, remote and mobile multi-agency working.
Excellent customer service and network availability – 99.99% or better.