Customer story
How the Solomon Islands Government works across 147 islands.
A whole of government Citrix platform for the Solomon Islands. Secure remote access for ministries, police and diplomatic teams across cable, fibre and satellite.
“Citrix has proven its ROI during COVID 19, and it has played a key role in keeping the Solomon Islands government operational during a challenging time.”
Customer snapshot
Solomon Islands Government. The customer at a glance.
Over 100 years of project delivery.
The Solomon Islands comprises 147 inhabited islands within a 992 island archipelago in the South Pacific. The nation serves a population of approximately 550,000 across diverse cultures, languages, customs and histories, with the seat of national government located in the capital, Honiara.
Today, the Citrix platform supports around 8,000 government users, external advisors and international diplomatic teams accessing the network daily. The whole of government environment is designed for a distributed workforce relying on remote connectivity and easy implementation across multiple locations.
147 inhabited islands. 8,000 government users. One Citrix platform, delivered across cable, fibre and satellite.
The challenge
Two distinct problems. One shared root cause.
When the engagement began in 2003, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) needed a secure communications platform for its peacekeeping work alongside the Solomon Islands Government and its Ministry of Police. Police and government departments were spread across the provinces, and a real time secure network was required no matter where a team was located.
Fast forward to today, and the same platform now serves the entire government. The challenge has evolved from a single ministry to a whole of government environment that has to remain available across cable, fibre and satellite paths to every inhabited island that needs to reach Honiara.
Distance and connectivity, as the normal condition
Geography that defines the work
Police and government departments operate across 147 inhabited islands. Any platform serving the nation has to assume distance, weather and a mix of connectivity technologies as the normal operating condition.
A single ministry, then the whole of government
What began as a Citrix platform for the Police Force during RAMSI now has to deliver for ministries, immigration, health, advisors and diplomatic teams. The platform has to scale without breaking the security model that originally justified it.
Always on, when the country needs it most
Government services do not pause for distance or for a global health crisis. The platform has to remain online and secure across every link and every device, every day.
Solution: Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops with Citrix ADC. Technology: Citrix, Azure Virtual Apps and Desktops, satellite, fibre and cable connectivity.
The solution
Citrix DaaS with virtualised graphics. Delivered in three phases.
IT4SME took on the existing Citrix environment and simplified it into a more efficient whole of government service. Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops paired with Citrix ADC now delivers secure access to Azure Virtual Apps, Desktops and data on whichever device suits the situation. Several upgrades have followed, including a recent Citrix ADC enhancement to keep the secure interface between staff, authorised personnel and the government network as resilient as the work demands.
One platform. Every ministry. Every link.
Citrix for the Police Force during RAMSI
The original deployment supported the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. Citrix established a real time secure communications network for the Ministry of Police across a multi province operating footprint, stabilising a critical capability under pressure.
Whole of government scale
IT4SME simplified the platform and extended it to ministries, advisors and international diplomatic teams. The same Citrix environment now serves around 8,000 users daily across cable, fibre and satellite, with Citrix ADC complementing the existing security tools.
From 80 sessions to 8,000 in seven days
When COVID 19 hit, daily use skyrocketed from a typical 80 remote sessions to all 8,000 workers online. With Citrix ADC and the existing licence model, a single additional satellite dish in Honiara was enough to spin up new virtual environments inside a seven day window. Citrix Service Provider IT4SME also stood up a Training Lab onsite for the government IT team.
Solution highlights
- Simplified an existing Citrix environment into an efficient whole of government service running on Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops with Citrix ADC.
- Scaled secure remote access from approximately 80 daily sessions to all 8,000 government workers online during the COVID 19 response.
- Spun up new virtual environments via Citrix ADC and a single additional satellite dish in Honiara, inside a seven day window, without adding hardware or extra security devices.
- Established a Training Lab onsite for the 35 person government IT team, tripling internal capacity to support Citrix ADC and expanding Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops certification.
Results and outcomes
The impact. Validated in production.
The platform has changed how government workers communicate. Before Citrix, departments in remote locations relied on data delivered by letters carried on ships and planes. Digitising the workflow cut transaction time by close to one hundred per cent, and the centralised data model meant new ministries could be added to the network quickly when COVID 19 required it.
When the lockdown peaked, the platform held. Multiple departments, including health, police and immigration, could access shared data to coordinate the response and protect the international borders. For the government IT team, Citrix has continued to play a key role in keeping the Solomon Islands operational through one of the most challenging periods on record.
From letters to logins
Communications that previously relied on letters carried by ships and planes now run on the Citrix platform. Transaction time across government has been reduced by close to one hundred per cent, a step change in productivity for a distributed workforce.
80 to 8,000 in seven days
When COVID 19 required the workforce to leave the office, daily network use scaled from a typical 80 remote sessions to all 8,000 government workers online, with no breaking change to the security model or the user experience.
Secure interface for cross department work
Citrix ADC delivers a secure path between staff, authorised personnel and the government network. Health, police and immigration teams have the shared data they need to work together, including at the international border.
Cost effective scale, fast
Using the existing Citrix ADC and licence arrangement, the platform spun up new virtual environments with just one additional satellite dish in Honiara. The remotely located teams reconnected to the capital without adding hardware or extra security devices.
Why it worked
Specialist depth. Full accountability. The long view.
Long term Citrix specialist relationship
The platform has been continuously improved through a multi year Citrix Service Provider relationship. IT4SME has stayed engaged across leadership cycles, technology generations and crisis response, so the institutional knowledge does not leave when the project ends.
Simplify before you scale
Before extending Citrix to the whole of government, IT4SME simplified the existing environment into a more efficient service. The result is a platform that scaled cleanly from a single ministry to ministries, advisors and diplomatic teams.
Capability transfer, on site
A Training Lab established onsite for the government IT team tripled internal capacity for Citrix ADC and expanded Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops certification. The platform is owned and operated by the people who depend on it.
When the partner stays, the platform stays. The Solomon Islands Government has built a digital workspace that holds up to geography, to scale and to crisis, because the relationship behind it was designed for the long term.
What’s next
The partnership continues.
The Citrix roadmap continues to play a central role in the government's digital transformation. IT4SME remains engaged for ongoing upgrades, ADC enhancements and the capability building program inside the government IT team.
As new ministries, services and security requirements come into scope, the platform expands without breaking the secure access model that the original Police Force deployment was built around.
IT4SME continues to design and deliver the technology solutions that keep Solomon Islands Government’s business moving forward.
In their words
Two voices. One story.
Customer perspective
“Incorporating Citrix technologies into our IT infrastructure has delivered a people centric service when we need it most. This cloud based platform has underpinned our transition to a remote and mobile workforce, remaining secure and online for cross functional government needs.”
IT4SME perspective
“When a government serves geography this complex, the platform has to work the way people actually work, across cable, fibre and satellite, on whichever device suits the situation. We design, deliver and keep upgrading the full stack so the work keeps moving.”