Siemens Business Services is to oversee the development
of a new optical fibre network for the BBC, carrying voice,
transmitting voice, data and digital content across the
broadcaster’s sites.
Siemens, which finalised a 10-year £2bn IT outsourcing deal with
the BBC last October, has also announced plans to develop a
"security architecture". This will allow BBC staff to share data
securely and guard access to the network and will be provided in
conjunction with telecom company Energis.
Tom White, UK managing director of Siemens Business Services,
said that it was on track to meet the BBC’s target of around £30m a
year in cost savings over the lifetime of the contract.
He added that 1,500 staff from the BBC Technology, a commercial
subsidiary of the BBC, had now transferred to Siemens.
"[The new security technology] will protect digital content,
programmes and data," said White. "The technology will guard every
access point to the BBC’s data network whether it’s a person
logging on at TV centre, an employee working from home, or a
third-party company [dealing with the BBC]."
As part of the innovative 10-year outsourcing deal with the BBC,
Siemens acquired BBC technology.
Other ongoing projects include storing programming content and
other data in a digital form rather than on tape and developing
production systems based on common software and hardware. This will
allow staff to make programmes from their desktop.