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Press Releases 2025

Exponential-e partners with IBM on Emergency Services Network

press-release

15 January 2025 - Exponential-e, a pioneer in cloud, connectivity, communications, and cyber security, today announces that it has been selected by the Home Office's Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme to develop mission-critical solutions for the Government's Emergency Services Network (ESN) - the only UK company to be selected for this prestigious contract.


  • Exponential-e to support lead User Services supplier IBM on network to connect emergency services communications led by the Home Office
  • The Emergency Service Network will coordinate efforts and responses from 300,000 frontline staff and deliver on the government's Plan for Change 

Working with IBM as the lead User Services supplier, Exponential-e's expertise as an ecosystem partner will be instrumental in supporting the delivery of a secure and highly available communication network, ensuring the ESN is equipped to meet the demands of emergencies.

Led by the Home Office, the ESN will implement the next generation of fast, safe, and secure voice, video, and data communication, allowing more than 300,000 frontline emergency services responders to work in tandem and coordinate efforts faster when protecting and aiding members of the public.

Police forces, fire services and ambulance trusts will be able to share live data and imagery, location reports and essential public safety information as they work on time-critical rescue and response efforts.

"We are honoured to provide a key role in this vital programme which represents a transformative step in modernising communications for emergency services across the UK," said Lee Wade, CEO, Exponential-e. "This project represents a tremendous opportunity for Exponential-e to expand our presence in the public safety sector and build on our experience in providing high-performance network and managed services."

Exponential-e will help ensure the infrastructure delivers the reliability and resilience required to enable faster access to data to frontline service users in emergency situations and serve the public more effectively.

"We are proud to support the Emergency Services Network in delivering a secure and resilient communications platform to empower frontline emergency services" said Rahul Kalia, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting UK and Ireland. "Working with our ecosystem partners, we will deliver mission-critical services for first responders to enhance safety in our communities across Great Britain. We are committed to work with the government to deliver this in a timely and cost-effective manner."

The ESN programme will see IBM, Exponential-e and ecosystem partners deliver the network and IT infrastructure for the new contract over seven years, with an option for a two-year extension.

Providing the emergency services with improved technology is a key part of the government's drive to make the nation's streets safer, which is a crucial part of the Prime Minister's Plan for Change.

‐‐ ENDS ‐‐

Introducing the Emergency Services Network Project

Exponential-e and the rest of IBM's partner ecosystem discuss the Emergency Services Network project, and how our collective experience and capabilities will transform the way Blue Light services are delivered across the UK.

Tags:
Emergency service network ESN emergency services mobile communications programme IBM UK Home Office
  31603 Hits
Company Public Sector Cyber Security Business Continuity Ransomware Disaster Recovery Data Protection

UK Government proposes ransomware payment ban for public sector

uk-government-proposes-ransomware-payment-ban-for-public-sector

The UK government has proposed extending its ban on ransomware payments to cover the entire public sector in an attempt to deter cybercriminal attacks and protect taxpayers.

Tags:
Cyber security ransomware data protection Remediation disaster recovery
  63540 Hits
Cloud Company IT Services Unified Communications Public Cloud Managed Services Microsoft Teams Managed IT

Everything you need to know about Microsoft’s recently announced pricing updates

everything-you-need-to-know-about-microsofts-recently-announced-pricing-updates
As part of an ongoing effort to offer greater consistency and transparency across their full range of solutions, Microsoft have recently announced several pricing updates.
Tags:
Microsoft managed IT Microsoft 365 Microsoft Teams Microsoft licences
  3365 Hits
Cyber Security Business Continuity Ransomware Disaster Recovery Data Protection

Ransomware-hit vodka maker Stoli files for bankruptcy in the United States

ransomware-hit-vodka-maker-stoli-files-for-bankruptcy-in-the-united-states

Stoli Group USA, the US subsidiary of vodka maker Stoli, has filed for bankruptcy – and a ransomware attack is at least partly to blame.

The American branch of Stoli, which imports and distributes Stoli brands in the United States, as well as the Kentucky Owl bourbon brand it purchased in 2017, was hit by a ransomware attack in August 2024.

Tags:
Cyber security ransomware data protection Remediation disaster recovery
  109267 Hits
Company Connectivity Digital Transformation Security SD-WAN Network SASE

Six ways SASE is transforming the way we think about networking and security

six-ways-sase-is-transforming-the-way-we-think-about-networking-and-security

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) represents an elegant convergence of network and security technologies as a single, end-to-end solution, perfectly suited to the modern distributed workforce and the increasingly dynamic nature of corporate networks. As a growing number of organisations are discovering, SASE has the potential to completely transform the way we design, deploy, manage, and scale corporate networks. Indeed, 60% of IT leaders are ready to fully embrace SASE by 2025*.

Tags:
Cato Networks Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) SASE Zero Trust Network Access
  3136 Hits
Company Connectivity Digital Transformation Security SD-WAN Multi-cloud Cyber Security Network SASE

Laying the foundation for a successful network transformation

laying-the-foundation-for-a-successful-network-transformation

Despite the numerous interconnected elements now involved in effective digital transformation, the network remains the foundation of everything, ensuring any investment in new technologies delivers the best possible ROI, and that teams at all levels are empowered to deliver their very best, 24 / 7. As such, the digital transformation journey must always begin with a full network transformation.

Tags:
network transformation SASE SD-WAN CATO Networks
  2235 Hits
Company Data Digital Transformation Retail Digital Transformation Network

Futureproofing Retail: Why tomorrow’s shopping experiences must all be built on the right digital foundation

futureproofing-retail-why-tomorrows-shopping-experiences-must-all-be-built-on-the-right-digital-foundation
Whether it's in person or online, the way we shop has changed forever. Seamless flows of customer data are powering truly personalised, interconnected shopping experiences, with retailers willing to embrace the change positioning themselves ahead of the competition and developing world-class, instantly recognisable brands.
Tags:
retail Network digital transformation smart technology
  1784 Hits
Company Unified Communications Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence Contact Centre

How well do you really know your contact centre operation?

how-well-do-you-really-know-your-contact-centre-operation
It's often said that "You don't know what you don't know". This is especially true in the modern contact centre, where a range of different customer interactions are taking place on a near-constant basis, across a growing range of different channels. It might be tempting for managers to assume that if they aren't having any problems presented to them, everything is running perfectly.
Tags:
Contact centre ai unified communications artificial intelligence digital transformation
  2293 Hits
Press Releases 2024

Exponential-e partners with HM Land Registry to enhance connectivity across its local offices

press-release

The partnership aims to boost network efficiency and support HMLR's digital ambitions

28 October 2024 - Exponential-e, a UK cloud, connectivity, communications, and cyber security provider, today announces a new contract with HM Land Registry (HMLR) to supply Internet connectivity solutions across 12 of its local offices.


As part of the agreement, Exponential-e will deliver robust and secure Internet services for both business and guest access, including solutions for staff using GovWifi and HMLR's business clients.

The new connectivity solution provided by Exponential-e, will boost bandwidth, enhance security, and streamline corporate traffic management. These improvements are key to HMLR's longer-term vision of evolving its network structure to better meet the changing needs of the organisation and support its transition to a Gov Hub model, where possible.

Afshin Attari, Director of Public Sector and Unified Platforms at Exponential-e, said: "This project represents an important step for HM Land Registry's network infrastructure. By delivering a secure and scalable solution, we're enabling HMLR to respond to the evolving needs of its staff, clients, and guests, while ensuring seamless access to the services they rely on."

‐‐ ENDS ‐‐

Tags:
Gov Hub model network efficiency connectivity HM Land Registry (HMLR)
  19954 Hits
Connectivity Security Cyber Security Network

Wherever you are in your network transformation journey, is it time to consider SASE?

wherever-you-are-in-your-network-transformation-journey-is-it-time-to-consider-sase
From start-ups to global leaders, across the public and private sectors, organisations' ongoing growth and brand reputation rises or falls based on the quality of their networks. As a result, network transformation is a growing priority, with IT leaders looking to replace cumbersome legacy systems with flexible, scalable, and secure connections that support tomorrow's highly dynamic workflows.
Tags:
SASE Network cyber security connectivity
  2976 Hits
Company IT Services Healthcare Case Studies

Exponential-e & Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust

isle-of-wight-and-hampshire-nhs--case-study-header-imag_20260205-150848_1

Transforming end user support for more than 4,000 NHS staff

About Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust NHS

Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust offers a growing range of community and mental health services across Southampton, Portsmouth, and parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The Challenge

Having previously outsourced their end user support to the same provider for more than twelve years, Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust made the decision to revamp this entire function, considering ongoing issues around data visibility, unpredictable pricing, and lack of integration between different aspects of the service. The goal for this project would be to deliver seamless IT support services for more than 4,000 end users across Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust's full range of sites, while simultaneously reducing costs and conducting a full device refresh.

It was decided that the new support function would be divided amongst several technology partners, in order to take full advantage of their individual capabilities. Throughout the tender process, Exponential-e's deep commitment to digital transformation in healthcare and willingness to work closely with Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust's own teams to develop a tailored solution in response to the most specific requirements made them a clear stand-out. As a result, they were selected as Solent's sole technology partner for network and end user support.

Solution 

The first areas of the contact went live in December 2022, after several months of close collaboration with Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust's own team to ensure a smooth transition, following the switch-off of the incumbent supplier's services in March of that year. This required a considerable amount of hands-on support, including out of hours, to ensure more than 4,000 staff were able to retain access to the Citrix VPN, avoiding any disruption to day-to-day operations.

As part of a wider hardware refresh, more than 4,000 new laptops were provisioned over the course of ten weeks, replacing much of the legacy technology that was still in use, including across several remote sites. An end user survey was conducted to help maximise adoption and ensure any opportunities for improvement could be identified and acted upon. With more than 2,000 responses, this provided Exponential-e with a rich pool of actionable data with which to design and optimise the new support operation.

Critical to the success of the new support function was the design and implementation of a robust IT Service Management platform, powered by ServiceNow®. By creating a domain separated instance within Exponential-e's managed service offering, Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust would not need to design and deploy the new ITSM platform from scratch, ensuring it would be ready to use on designated go-live date. At the same time, moving the function from CAPEX to OPEX allowed for greater cost control, while minimising the initial expenditure.

In order to meet Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust's specific requirements for their ticketing system, this solution was based on the Exponential-e's defined ITIL-aligned standards and service workflows, with an agreed scope for further customisation and hands-on support from Exponential-e's technical specialists included in the contract. The resulting platform combining the advantages of a proven, well-established solution with the highest levels of control and flexibility in terms of the final implementation and its ongoing development.

Following a successful transition to the new end user support function and the rollout of the ITSM platform, Exponential-e have continued to develop the operation in direct response to Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust's evolving requirements, ensuring business-critical issues can be resolved as quickly as possible. This has included recruiting extra service desk personnel, and implementing out-of-hours cover, while expanding the team's roaming tech hub to ensure all sites are properly supported. Time-to-resolution has been set out in robust SLAs and KPIs, with specific processes and escalations in place to manage high-impact events, and dedicated response engineers in place.

To optimise the efficiency and accessibility of service desk agents, Exponential-e designed and implemented an appointment-based system, ensuring staff who required hands-on IT support could access it as quickly as possible. This has since helped reduced walk-ins for IT-related issues from around 600 per month to less than 30.

The months of work put into establishing this foundation has since allowed Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust and Exponential-e to establish a culture of ongoing improvement, driven by direct collaboration daily, with Exponential-e now established as a trusted partner.

Every point of contact with end user support is tracked and monitored, and end users can provide real-time feedback on their experiences. This has resulted in 75% of tickets logged being resolved at the first point of contact, which, in turn, raised end user support's NPS score from 57, in the first live month of operations, to 90, with a 20% increase in users willing to offer feedback. Since then, the team has built on this success, recently hitting the milestone of more than 5,000 gold ratings.

This partnership continues to evolve, with ongoing collaboration between teams from both organisations ensuring IT can continue to play a key role in delivering world-class service quality to citizens across every region in which Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust is active.

Solution benefits

  • More than 4,000 laptops setup and deployed across multiple sites
  • Access to Citrix VPN delivered for more than 4,000 dispersed staff
  • A highly flexible, fully integrated ITSM platform, with the industry-leading ServiceNow® solution delivered as a managed service
  • Underpinned by Exponential-e's own enterprise-class network
  • 75% of IT support tickets resolved at the first point of contact
  • Walk-ins for IT-related issues reduced from around 600 per month to less than 30, helping reduce waiting times for support services
  • 20-second pickup time regularly beaten by service desk personnel, now averaging 9 seconds wait time per call
  • An increase in average monthly NPS from 57 to 90, with a 20% increase in end-user adoption
  • More than 5,000 gold ratings from end users
  • Network resiliency and stability to critical locations, with full integration into third-party networks, enabling cross-collaboration with partnering NHS trusts across the Integrated Care System in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight 

Exponential-e's support and expertise has transformed the way IT is viewed across our organisation, with staff across all our sites making active use of the available tools and systems in every aspect of their work. The speed with which any issues have been resolved, and the team's willingness to think outside the box - particularly when it came to rolling out the new ITSM platform - have more than fulfilled our initial goals for network and end user support, with ample opportunities for further improvement.

Dawn Day, Head of Digital Delivery, Hampshire & IoW NHS Trust.

Powering the Next Era of Digital Healthcare

Secure, connected infrastructure enabling better patient outcomes and faster clinical innovation.

Discover how UK healthcare organisations are building resilient digital foundations to accelerate diagnosis, connect care, and support frontline teams. Through real-world NHS examples, see how the right infrastructure partner turns transformation into measurable impact.

Read the Brochure

Powering the Next Era of Digital Healthcare - Read the Healthcare Transformation Story
Tags:
ServiceNow healthcare ITSM managed IT public sector
  3000 Hits
Cloud Company Data Data Centre Security Digital Transformation Private Cloud Public Cloud Hybrid Cloud Hyperconverged Infrastructure Azure HCI

Always on, always available, and always secure: Rethinking IT at the edge

b2ap3_large_always-on-always-available-and-always-secure-rethinking-it-at-the-edge
As organisations generate, manage, and store more data than ever before, it's not hard to see why the ongoing march of Cloud transformation shows no signs of slowing down. But for all the Cloud's advantages in terms of flexibility, scalability, and cost control, it is not suitable for every application.
Tags:
hybrid Cloud public Cloud interconnected systems IOT ) Azure Local
  2688 Hits
Cloud Company Data Digital Transformation Digital Transformation Cyber Security Endpoint Protection Data Protection Artificial Intelligence Network

Leveraging pioneering SASE technology with Gartner’s 2024 Magic Quadrant™ Leader, Cato Networks

leveraging-pioneering-sase-technology-with-gartners-2024-magic-quadrant-leader-cato-networks

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is rapidly establishing itself as the solution of choice for the next generation of enterprise networks, where optimal control, visibility, and scalability are essential. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, the SASE market experienced a 23% surge, as more and more organisations began taking advantage of its capabilities.

Tags:
ai digital transformation SD-WAN solutions SASE Cato Networks
  4165 Hits
Company Digital Transformation Health Digital Transformation Healthcare Artificial Intelligence Big Data PACS

From Analogue to Digital and Beyond - The Potential Impact of AI on the UK’s Healthcare Services

from-analogue-to-digital-and-beyond-the-potential-impact-of-ai-on-the-uks-healthcare-services

On the morning of 12th September 2024, the UK Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, pinpointed three 'big shifts' that would be required to transform the NHS:

  • From hospital to community care
  • From analogue to digital
  • From treating sickness to preventing it
Tags:
healthcare digital pathology ai automation
  2992 Hits
Company Unified Communications Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence Contact Centre

When it comes to AI in the contact centre, the first steps are the most critical…

when-it-comes-to-ai-in-the-contact-centre-the-first-steps-are-the-most-critical
Customer service is in the middle of a deeply transformative period. Regular readers of this blog will already be familiar with the role AI has to play in this journey, and the way technologies like machine learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) are transforming the customer experience.
Tags:
Contact centre ai unified communications automation artificial intelligence
  1955 Hits
Company Cyber Security Business Continuity Ransomware Disaster Recovery Data Protection

'Big-game hunting' - Ransomware gangs are focusing on more lucrative attacks

big-game-hunting-ransomware-gangs-are-focusing-on-more-lucrative-attacks
2024 looks set to be the highest-grossing year yet for ransomware gangs, due - in no small part - to emboldened cybercriminals causing costly disruption at larger companies.

The so-called 'big-game hunting' cyberattacks which target larger, higher-value organisations have contributed to US $459.8 million paid to cybercriminals in the six months of 2024, according to a report by the cryptocurrency research firm Chainalysis.


Although the rise in money criminals have generated through ransomware has risen by what may appear to be a small percentage amount (approximately 2% from US $449.1 million to US $459.8 million), this is in spite of disruption caused to ransomware-as-a-service operations such as LockBit and ALPHV/BlackCat by law enforcement agencies.

The figures for the first half of 2024 include the US $75 million reportedly paid to the Dark Angels ransomware gang by an undisclosed Fortune 50 company, in what was believed to be the largest ever single ransom payment made since records began.

The ballooning size of maximum ransom payments represents a 96% year-on-year growth from 2023, and a 335% increase from the maximum payment made in 2022.

Chainalysis's research reveals that the median ransom payment made in response to the most severe ransomware has rocketed from just under US $200,000 in early 2023 to US $1.5 million by mid-June 2024.

The researchers believe that this 7.9x increase in the typical size of ransom payment (a nearly 1200x rise since the start of 2021) suggests that larger businesses and critical infrastructure providers considered more likely to agree to make higher payments due to their greater access to funds and the more significant impact of downtime.

Against this backdrop, the study claims that ransomware victims are giving in to extortion demands less often. As it explains:

Posts to ransomware leak sites as a measure of ransomware incidents have increased YoY by 10%, something we would expect to see if more victims were being compromised. However, total ransomware payment events as measured on-chain have declined YoY by 27.29%. Reading these two trends in tandem suggests that while attacks might be up so far this year, payment rates are down YoY. This is a positive sign for the ecosystem signalling that perhaps victims are better prepared, negating the need to pay.

In short, ensuring that your organisation had prepared to respond to a ransomware attack is essential.

Many organisations underestimate the importance of having a robust incident response plan. But knowing how to respond, especially in those critical first 48 hours after a cyber attack, can be critical.

Do you worry your company won't know how to recover after a cyber attack? Has your business just been hit by ransomware and you're wondering what to do?

There's still hope.

Don't make the mistake of believing that your organisation will never be targeted. The right approach is to take proactive measures in advance - as it's not a case of whether your business will suffer the likes of a ransomware attack but when.

Make sure to read Exponential-e's step-by-step guide on ransomware remediation.

Tags:
ransomware-as-a-service robust incident response plan ransomware remediation cyber attack
  92863 Hits
Cloud Company Data Centre Digital Transformation Compliance Private Cloud Public Cloud Hybrid Cloud Hyperconverged Infrastructure Azure HCI

Bringing the Data Centre into the Interconnected Age with Azure Managed Hyper-Converged Infrastructure

bringing-the-data-centre-into-the-interconnected-age-with-azure-managed-hyper-converged-infrastructure
The way organisations design, deploy, manage, and scale their IT infrastructure has changed in ways that would have been inconceivable just ten years ago.
Tags:
hybrid Cloud data centre public Cloud compliance Azure Local
  2293 Hits
Company Finance Compliance Cyber Security Insurance

Preparing for DORA: What do these new regulations mean for finance and insurance firms?

preparing-for-dora-what-do-these-new-regulations-mean-for-finance-and-insurance-firms
When it comes to insurance and financial services, the ability to offer clients peace of mind is the key to ensuring the sector's continued longevity. Cyberattacks are evolving in frequency and sophistication, with criminals selecting progressively more ambitious targets, and even minor IT outages, whether they're caused by human error or 'acts of God', will have a serious effect on firms' operations, negatively affecting both profitability and brand reputation. With this in mind, firms must reconsider the way they approach operational resilience, particularly regarding the way access rights for critical systems and data are managed.
Tags:
Insurance Finance risk management resilience compliance
  2173 Hits
Cloud Company Multi-cloud Private Cloud Public Cloud Hybrid Cloud Hyperconverged Infrastructure Managed Services Managed IT Azure HCI

On-premises hosting vs. public Cloud. Is it time for a third way?

on-premises-hosting-vs-public-cloud-is-it-time-for-a-third-way

Organisations' demands of their IT infrastructure continue to evolve at an unprecedented rate, with the drive for growth and innovation needing to be balanced against the need to maintain cost control, visibility, and - crucially, cyber security. Numerous solutions have emerged in response to these challenges, but one of the most pivotal questions organisations must answer is whether to host their critical data and applications on-site, or in the Cloud.

Let's explore the respective advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, and then consider whether the increasing sophistication of modern workloads demand a new approach...

Tags:
​Hyperconverged infrastructure Microsoft Azure HCI platform Hybrid cloud Managed IT Cloud Transformation
  1744 Hits
Company Unified Communications Managed Services Microsoft Teams Communications CSP Managed IT

Your Microsoft Teams licensing arrangements are changing… But there’s no need to panic!

your-microsoft-teams-licensing-arrangements-are-changing-but-theres-no-need-to-pani_20250905-052654_1
Microsoft Teams has rapidly established itself as the default tool for professional communication and collaboration, powering interconnected workflows in the era of hybrid working. However, the way licensing for Teams works with your wider Microsoft ecosystem is about to change, which means it is essential that you establish how your licensing arrangements will be affected and take steps to maintain the levels of performance and cost-control you depend on.
Tags:
Microsoft Teams licensing Cloud Solution Provider Microsoft licensing collaboration communication
  2771 Hits

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