Workplace

1. Specification

The workplace layer is where most public-sector staff spend their day and where the evidence finds the heaviest single-vendor dependency: the productivity suite, email, messaging and file storage bought as one bundle from one overseas vendor, with identity thrown in (key finding 1). The sovereign approach separates the pieces: open document formats that any suite can read, open mail and calendar protocols, open messaging, and file storage run by an operator the buyer chooses.

2. Layer profile

Id	Criterion	Standard
WP-1	Documents are stored and exchanged in an open format that is already a UK government standard.	Open Document Format (ODF 1.2 or later)
WP-2	Mail and calendar are reachable through open protocols from any client.	IMAP, SMTP, CalDAV, CardDAV
WP-3	Messaging federates across organisations on an open protocol and can be self-hosted.	Matrix
WP-4	Files are accessible through an open protocol and can be moved between operators without conversion.	WebDAV; open object storage API
WP-5	Sign-in uses the identity layer, not a directory bundled with the suite.	Identity & access IA-1
WP-6	The browser is a standards-compliant engine the public body can configure and update itself.	W3C and WHATWG web standards; enterprise policy without a vendor cloud account

Already adopted in UK government

The Open Standards Board has adopted ODF for sharing or collaborating on documents, HTML and PDF/A for publishing them, vCard for contact information, iCalendar for calendar events and UTF-8 for character encoding (Open standards for government; ODF profile). WP-1 and WP-2 therefore restate a government position, not a new one. No profile covers messaging or file storage; adoption there is de facto and today sits with one vendor’s suite.

3. Open-source solutions that meet the profile

Not yet assessed. Candidates from the reference architecture: Nextcloud, Collabora Online, LibreOffice, Element and Synapse for Matrix, Thunderbird. Assessment follows the template in Identity & access.

4. Public services implementing the standard

Not yet recorded.

5. Skills and horizon

Horizon 1 pilot: one or more public bodies and an anchor university run open collaboration and file storage on UK-operated infrastructure. Horizon 2: collaboration and storage at scale. See the roadmap.

What this section rests on 35 findings

Every published finding in the Body of Knowledge for the layers this section covers. The Handbook recommends; the Findings show where we are. Open any row in the Stack Playground to see its sources.

Published findings for the layers covered by Workplace
Finding	Organisation	Product	Vendor	Owner country	Index
DEF-035	Defence	MOD Chat Services (fixed environment) migration from OEHE hosting to new MOD cloud at SECRET	Cadmidium Services (integrator; chat product not named)	United Kingdom	91 · Sovereign
DEF-036	Defence	F-IUS Fixed Voice OFFICIAL and Enterprise Voice (successor to BT Integrated User Services voice/video)	Not yet awarded (incumbent BT under IUS)	United Kingdom	69 · Partly sovereign
DEF-037	Defence	Microsoft Unified Support & Design Services incl. Office 365 E5 (single-source)	Microsoft	United States	25 · Dependent
DEF-038	Defence	End User Services (OFFICIAL) managed service: desktops, laptops, mobile, VDI across SaaS/PaaS/IaaS/on-prem	To be procured (incumbent not named)	Unknown	45 · Dependent
DEF-039	Defence	AWE Information Services: end-user computing, cloud management, on-prem infrastructure and application services (Contract 2)	DXC Technology (Entserv UK)	United States	37 · Dependent
DEF-040	Defence	OneDrive / SharePoint file storage within MODNET Office 365	Microsoft	United States	27 · Dependent
DEV-005	Devolved Governments	Microsoft 365 E3/E5 (main SG tenant; some users also on NHS tenant)	Microsoft (resellers Softcat, moving to Computacenter via SVAR framework)	United States	19 · Exposed
DEV-006	Devolved Governments	Microsoft Teams Phone with Gamma Operator Connect	Microsoft; Gamma	Mixed	51 · Partly sovereign
DEV-018	Devolved Governments	National Microsoft 365 tenant and licensing agreement for NHS Scotland	Microsoft	United States	17 · Exposed
DEV-019	Devolved Governments	Microsoft Unified Performance Support for the National M365 Tenant	Microsoft	United States	25 · Dependent
DEV-031	Devolved Governments	National Microsoft 365 licence for every teacher and learner in maintained schools	Microsoft	United States	25 · Dependent
DEV-032	Devolved Governments	Microsoft 365 and Microsoft software/cloud for all NHS Wales via reseller Trustmarque	Microsoft (via Trustmarque)	United States	19 · Exposed
DEV-033	Devolved Governments	Exchange Online email for NHS Wales staff (within Microsoft deal)	Microsoft	United States	25 · Dependent
DEV-052	Devolved Governments	Microsoft 365 and Teams (cloud-first from 2018; virtual consultations)	Microsoft	United States	25 · Dependent
GOV-053	Central Government	Gmail (Google Workspace) in some departments	Google	United States	26 · Dependent
GOV-056	Central Government	Microsoft 365 Apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) under SPA24	Microsoft	United States	28 · Dependent
GOV-058	Central Government	Google Workspace	Google	United States	28 · Dependent
HE-036	Higher Education	Google Workspace for Education (Gmail)	Google	United States	26 · Dependent
HE-038	Higher Education	Microsoft 365 A3/A5 under Jisc Microsoft EES framework	Microsoft	United States	23 · Exposed
LG-024	Local Government	Microsoft 365 / Exchange Online email	Microsoft	United States	27 · Dependent
LG-025	Local Government	Google Workspace Gmail	Google	United States	23 · Exposed
LG-026	Local Government	Microsoft Teams including Teams telephony as primary phone platform	Microsoft	United States	30 · Dependent
LG-027	Local Government	Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (Microsoft 365 and server licences)	Microsoft (via Licence Service Provider)	United States	28 · Dependent
LG-028	Local Government	Microsoft Enterprise Agreement renewal	Microsoft (via Ultima)	United States	28 · Dependent
LG-029	Local Government	Aggregated Microsoft 365 licence procurement (Scotland Excel / Digital Office)	Microsoft	United States	28 · Dependent
LG-030	Local Government	Google Workspace licences (Docs, Drive, Meet, Gmail)	Google (via reseller)	United States	23 · Exposed
NHS-029	NHS	NHSmail (Exchange Online in national M365 shared tenant)	Microsoft; Accenture (service operator)	United States	31 · Dependent
NHS-030	NHS	Microsoft Teams (national M365 agreement)	Microsoft	United States	35 · Dependent
NHS-031	NHS	Microsoft 365 national licensing agreement (Office apps, Teams, Exchange, security, Windows) – reseller Bytes Software Services	Microsoft	United States	28 · Dependent
POL-025	Policing	Exchange Online email (Microsoft 365)	Microsoft	United States	26 · Dependent
POL-026	Policing	Microsoft Teams for collaboration and remote working	Microsoft	United States	31 · Dependent
POL-027	Policing	Microsoft 365 E5/E3 Enterprise Agreement	Microsoft (Phoenix Software reseller)	United States	20 · Exposed
POL-028	Policing	Microsoft 365 E3 + E5 Security Enterprise Agreement (joint)	Microsoft (Phoenix Software reseller)	United States	20 · Exposed
POL-029	Policing	National Enabling Programme Office 365 adoption	Microsoft	United States	20 · Exposed
POL-030	Policing	Microsoft 365 rollout (cloud) for Police Scotland and SPA	Microsoft	United States	15 · Exposed

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