Kainos extends partnership with Ministry of Defence

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded Kainos, a leading digital technology company, a three-year contract worth £50 million to enhance and evolve its Defence Data Analytics Platform (DDAP). Additionally, Kainos will provide ongoing support for end-users across the MoD including the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force and other MoD Support Organisations to transition to the platform.

Launched by Defence Digital to support delivery of the objectives set out by the Data Strategy for Defence, DDAP is a secure data and analytics solution. The platform, built on Amazon Web Services, aims to democratise data access, standardise approaches and tooling, and encourage interoperability and sharing of best practice across the MoD for better defence outcomes.

Kainos, which has over 30 years of experience delivering technology transformation in national and local governments, will assume responsibilities from the incumbent partner to provide platform management, maintenance and support of DDAP. Crucially, Kainos will enable the seamless integration of data from various sources within the MoD, making it accessible for enhanced analytics capabilities through DDAP.

With these measures, Defence Digital can establish DDAP as the core data and analytics platform for the MOD. A shared approach to data and virtualisation will help to limit the duplication of analytics initiatives across the organisation. The MoD will benefit from increased adoption of the most advanced analytics tools available today, leveraging high-quality data streams to inform decision-making.

For the last year, Kainos has worked with the Defence Digital to create skilled data teams to design and roll out end-user applications on DDAP to support analytics and bespoke use cases. This will continue under the new contract but will also see experts work with Defence Digital to liaise with end users on their specific data analytics requirements. This will establish a feedback loop to identify how DDAP can better accommodate the unique requirements across the MOD. These requirements will guide the development of new capabilities that facilitate the onboarding of more users onto the platform.

An MoD spokesperson said: “The MoD already holds excellent analytical minds and capabilities across defence. The evolution of DDAP will encourage minds to further unite under one true enterprise system, to help meet the ambitions of the Data Strategy for Defence for standardised, assured and efficient data analytics, as well as accelerate the delivery of new technology capabilities including AI innovation. Kainos brings the technical expertise to evolve the platform as well as invaluable digital experience. As a partner, Kainos will help us create a data-first mindset and skills across UK defence.”

Brendan Mooney, CEO, Kainos said: “It is a great privilege to expand our partnership with the MoD to drive forward an evolution of how data analytics is used across UK defence. DDAP is a pioneering initiative which we will help to strengthen by introducing new approaches to data management, tooling and governance, and importantly by working closely with personnel across the MoD to understand their specific data needs. By continuously evolving the platform, DDAP remains at the forefront of data and AI analytics, maximising the value extracted from data assets, and supporting the overall digital vision of the MoD.”