How Meraki improves digitalisation within Local Government

Cisco Meraki’s cloud-based solutions can help transform digitalisation within local councils. When the pandemic hit and moved much of work and life online, it accelerated digital transformation and now as local councils shift to the ‘next normal’ they need to prepare for a more permanent digital world. In a recent Government survey, nearly half of respondents said bill payments, records management and public meetings will remain online post-pandemic, while around one-third said the same about licensing processes. Additionally, 60 percent of respondents believed a remote/hybrid workforce will be the way of the future.

A strong network foundation and cloud-based IT will be a big part of ensuring staff and citizens can successfully navigate a more digital government. So read on to learn how your local council can make the transition to an easy-to-manage cloud based network, and why you can’t afford to wait any longer to make the switch.

We partner with Cisco Meraki to provide its wide range of networking products including access points, edge and core switching, firewalls, CCTV and IoT. In our experience the valuable features for Meraki in local government include:

• Enterprise-grade hardware
• Extensive range of enterprise features
• Advanced analytics and reporting
• Advanced troubleshooting tool built-in
• Lifetime warranty on most indoor products, 1-year warranty on outdoor products
• Telephone and online support
• All Meraki products managed from a single easy-to-use cloud controller
• Intuitive user interface which is 100% Cloud (no hidden features on accessible via Local GUI or CLI)

Improved IT Management

Many local governments have limited IT resources to support a large number of facilities, users and devices. Meraki’s cloud-based network can provide significant time and resource savings and allow IT teams to focus on more strategic work, especially when the entire network can be managed remotely from a single pane of glass.

Increased Network Security

Cybersecurity has always been an imperative for government, but the need for effective protection has intensified in the current remote work environment. And with further digitalisation of government services underway, the challenge and need are only growing greater. Consequently, cybersecurity solutions are one of the top three tools that local governments are most likely to adopt in the ‘next normal’ after the pandemic. A cloud-based network platform can greatly improve network security and should be a key consideration for any government organisation. For instance, Meraki’s cloud-based next-generation firewall capabilities give administrators complete control over user content and applications on their network.

Augmenting Facility Security

The physical security of government facilities and assets is another important part of the overall security picture for local councils. One way to bolster facility and asset security is through Meraki’s cloud based network, which supports smart cameras that provide reliable monitoring. Physical security has to complement IT security to make the entire operations and workforce more secure and a cloud-based model can combine IoT and IT security together.

Digitalisation Can’t Wait:

For local councils a cloud-based network that simplifies troubleshooting and monitoring and provides visibility across the entire network is essential, especially if the council has a small team and many facilities and services to support. Meraki is powerful yet simple to use so network admins can easily configure and support the switches without having in-depth knowledge. The flexibility of user authentication, ease of installation and the simplicity of firmware upgrades also make overall network management easy whilst providing secure access to the network.

If you would like to know more about Cisco Meraki for your council building, contact us today.