Defra extends collaboration with Kyndryl

Kyndryl and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have announced an agreement to oversee and support Defra’s core network infrastructure, which underpins vital services for UK citizens. This one-year extension of their existing partnership will enable Defra to further reduce technical debt as part of its cloud adoption journey.

Defra provides numerous critical digital services that are essential to the UK’s trade, flood protection, disease prevention and many other elements of citizens’ daily lives. Like many government departments, Defra faces significant challenges from legacy systems and outdated technology. Within this partnership, Kyndryl will support Defra by modernising IT systems, managing networks and supporting core network infrastructure to host and run Defra’s critical services.

As part of Defra’s ambitious modernisation initiatives, Kyndryl is also supporting Defra’s Animal and Plant Health Agency to modernise its Animal Disease Testing Service application.

Building on their existing successful partnership, Kyndryl is positioned to support Defra in its digital modernisation journey. Leveraging its extensive network experience, Kyndryl provides practitioner expertise and advanced technologies that help government departments prepare for the next wave of transformative hybrid cloud adoption with 5G-enabled edge computing and software-defined networking.

Over the past year, Kyndryl has served as a trusted infrastructure advisor to Defra, offering both proactive project support and critical assistance during periods of peak network demand. Kyndryl played a key role in helping Defra refresh critical end-of-life infrastructure, ensuring continued operational resilience.

"This renewed partnership with Defra is an exciting step forward as we continue to support them in managing their core network infrastructure all while ensuring the delivery of critical services that millions of UK citizens rely on daily," said John Chambers, President of Kyndryl United Kingdom and Ireland. "Defra's ambitious roadmap for a cleaner, greener, and more prosperous country aligns perfectly with Kyndryl's commitment to empowering the UK's public sector to deliver better services and enhance people's lives."