In this special edition of our Leading London series, we were joined by the tech leaders involved in the City of London Corporation’s network transformation to discuss one of the UK’s most ambitious digital projects and what other authorities can take from the work.

The session was hosted by Christa Elizabeth Norton, Roc Technologies, and featured:

• Sam Collins, Assistant Director of Digital and Data, City of London Corporation

• Chelsea Chamberlain, Chief Technology Officer, Roc Technologies

• Scott McKinnon, Chief Security Officer, Palo Alto Networks

• Elliot Townsend, Senior Director, HPE Networks

• Rhod Morgan, Chief Operating Officer, Vorboss

Together, we explored the solution behind the new unified network and what it will mean for public sector teams, frontline services and the communities that rely on them.

Why the City needed a new network

Sam, who’s heading the Future Network Programme explained that changes in how people work and interact with public services meant the City’s existing network could no longer keep pace.

The MPLS network installed in 2017 was fit for purpose at the time, but the rapid shift to cloud services, video collaboration, mobile working and the growing role of AI changed the demands placed on the network. As Sam explained, this prompted the City to set out one of the most ambitious network transformation programmes in UK local government.

The City’s estate is uniquely diverse, spanning the City of London Corporation, the City of London Police and council services. These teams support critical services across the Square Mile and beyond. That meant the new network had to be designed for modern public service delivery from the outset.

Sam was clear that the new solution needed to be cloud-first, with security built in rather than bolted on, enabling staff to work effectively whether they were in an office, moving between sites or working remotely. It had to be a modern, scalable and secure network.

This ambition was directly linked to the City’s wider direction. The Town Clerk, Ian Thomas, has set out a plan for the organisation to operate as a world-class authority. As Sam made clear, delivering that vision depends on world-class technology, supported by a network built for the future.

Bringing the City’s vision to life  

Delivering a project of this complexity required close collaboration across teams and partners, with a shared focus on getting the foundations right.

As the corporation’s chosen managed service provider, Roc Technologies worked closely with the team to design a solution capable of supporting both current needs and long-term ambitions. Chelsea, Roc CTO explained that their work began with understanding what future networking looks like across the estates, from campus environments to local government services, and stressed that everything depends on the quality of the underlying connectivity.

“Your networking connectivity provides the foundation layer upon which you can build AI capability, machine learning capability, and exceptional user experience for all parts of your business.”

Chelsea added that user experience and future readiness were central to the design. The City’s ambition, combined with partners aligned around the same goals, is enabling a step change in local government networking approach.

Security for a modern public service

This is going to be the first end-to-end SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) deployment in the UK public sector. Scott McKinnon explained that SASE delivers security from the cloud, enforcing access controls and inspecting traffic as users connect to applications across the internet, SaaS platforms and the cloud. Instead of relying on protection tied to a single site or traditional firewall boundaries, it gives people secure access wherever they are.

“You can give users fast and immediate access to the services they need wherever they are, while providing security on a continuous basis.”

SASE reduces the burden of managing separate security tools and gives digital teams clearer visibility across the City’s estate. Palo Alto Networks was chosen for this part of the solution because of their commitment to data sovereignty and a forward-thinking roadmap towards a full SASE architecture, rather than reliance on legacy firewall infrastructure.

Digital infrastructure built for today’s demands

Underpinning the new unified network is Vorboss’s 100Gbps-capable fibre infrastructure, ensuring a smooth user experience, even as demand grows and operations scale far into the future. As a London business that designed and built its own network, we retain full control over quality, delivery and ongoing performance at every stage.

Rhod Morgan, Chief Operating Officer at Vorboss, explained that much of London still relies on connectivity originally designed for shared residential use, rather than cloud-based systems, real-time CCTV or mobile working. That makes reliable, high-capacity fibre a fundamental part of delivering modern public services.

“For public services, connectivity isn’t about peak speeds. It’s about consistency, resilience and knowing the foundations won’t need revisiting every time services change.”

Dependable connectivity underpins every other element of the programme, from cloud-delivered security and AI-enabled networking to mobile policing and real-time CCTV. The work underway with The City of London Corporation shows how strong foundations, clear ambition and close partnership can support the next era of public services.

AI, efficiency and sustainability

Elliot, who’s a Senior Director at HPE, explained how AI-enabled networking helps IT teams understand real user experience, reduce unnecessary site visits and improve overall efficiency:

“AI gives the visibility to see not just how the infrastructure performs, but how users experience the network.”

This approach also supports the City’s wider sustainability goals, including organisational carbon neutrality by 2027 and net-zero across the Square Mile by 2040.

A model other councils can learn from

The principles behind the City of London’s network transformation are widely applicable across the public sector.

The programme shows how councils can:

• provide smoother connectivity for staff and frontline teams

• simplify fragmented networks

• strengthen cybersecurity

• support cloud-first working and mobility

• reduce operational burden

• plan more confidently for the future

All while keeping the user experience at the centre.

And Sam Collins reinforced the City’s intent:

“We see our role as being a leader in the public sector, to pave the way for others.”

A foundation for the next era of public services

The City of London’s new unified network is more than a network upgrade, it’s a shift in how digital services are supported across a diverse, demanding public-sector estate.

For councils facing similar pressures, this work offers a practical, scalable model for strengthening resilience, improving security and delivering better services for the communities that rely on them.