Feb-March 2003

While many mobile workers want quick access to time-sensitive or secure company data while on the road, few need it faster than fire-fighters on their way to an emergency. Gloucester-based Excelerate Technology, having developed its e2work hardware platform for emergency service applications, is now rolling it out to any company requiring secure data transmission of data and voice communications between mobile workers and their central office.

E2works provides an encrypted data "tunnel" between the public GPRS network and virtual private networks (VPNs). Avon, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire and West Yorkshire are among the fire services using e2works to access data about buildings whilst crews are en route to an emergency. Connections to the Excelerate interface can be via a laptop computer or mobile phone, and each e2work platform can support up to 100 mobile devices.

e2work gives remote access to other corporate information sources including email, management information, digital filing and archiving systems. It also allows IT managers to check and solve portable PC device glitches remotely.