MODNET Evolve: Modernising the Desktop, Device and Digital Workplace Across Defence

Overview

Transformation in Defence is often discussed in terms of satellites, fighter jets and AI-enabled targeting systems. But for the vast majority of the 220,000 people who use MOD IT systems every day, digital transformation starts with something far more immediate: the laptop on their desk, the mobile device in their pocket and the collaboration tools they use to do their jobs. MODNET — the MOD’s principal enterprise IT system — is the platform that delivers all of this, and its modernisation is one of the most far-reaching programmes in Defence Digital’s portfolio.

MODNET provides secure, managed desktops, mobile devices and communications platforms across the UK and deployed environments. It spans endpoints, email, network access, collaboration tools and compliance with strict information assurance requirements, as well as hardware lifecycle services for all services and Top Level Budgets. Its device management platforms cover virtual teleconferencing, mobile and desktop device management, and enable commands across Navy, Army, RAF and Strategic Command to maintain control and security over every endpoint in the estate.

While there is no single programme formally titled “MODNET Evolve,” strategic documents and the MOD’s acquisition pipeline make clear that MODNET is being progressively integrated into the broader Digital Backbone. This transformation is essential to reduce complexity, automate workflows, increase cyber resilience and prepare the MOD for cloud-native, connected environments. Major initiatives include transitioning from legacy networks to multi-cloud, hyperscale-ready, secure digital platforms following the Common Technology Architecture. The modernisation drive is rooted in the need to retire legacy IT, reduce cyber risk, accelerate automation and keep pace with rapidly evolving information architectures.

Strategic Purpose and Objectives

The User Experience of Defence

MODNET is critical for the MOD’s day-to-day business, operational communications and secure execution of both staff and mission requirements across Defence. It is the foundation for user experience across every service and command, and it enables the transition to the Digital Backbone and multi-classification cloud services. Its modernisation is central to reducing legacy IT and cyber risk, providing business and mission continuity, and enabling the agile, information-centric Defence model set out in the UK’s Digital Strategy for Defence.

The modernisation programme focuses on improved device management, mobile and remote-work capabilities, integration with corporate tools from Microsoft, Google and cloud-based software-as-a-service providers, and a continuous push for tighter endpoint and network security monitoring. This evolution enables MODNET to support innovative projects such as NEXUS, CIRRUS and the RAF’s joint digital airspace operations by providing user access, data mobility, device security and seamless integration with emerging battle management, business and collaboration systems. In practical terms, it means that a serviceperson or civil servant should be able to access the tools and data they need, securely, from wherever they are — whether that is a headquarters in Whitehall, a deployed headquarters overseas, or a warship at sea.

Budget and Financial Structure

Programme Value

MODNET management constitutes a major, multi-year IT managed service contract portfolio. Values exceed £900 million across the historic MODNET rollout. Current modernisation and device management contracts routinely fall in the £5–30 million annual range, while new Digital Backbone, cloud and cross-domain solution upgrades sit within the larger Defence Digital budgets exceeding £2 billion per year. The combined scale makes MODNET one of the largest enterprise IT programmes in UK government.

Budget Division and Holder

MOD Defence Digital holds strategic responsibility for strategy, funding, standards and architecture. Major input comes from MOD Commercial, DE&S for IT contract management, Navy Command, single-service IT owners and Corporate and Business Services. Budget holder responsibility sits with Defence Digital, the MOD CIO and device management and digital operations leadership, supported by Navy Command, Army and RAF for service-specific procurement and operational deployment.

Procurement and Acquisition

Acquisition Pipeline

MODNET and its modernisation appear in the broader MOD Acquisition Pipeline under core user experience, digital workplace modernisation, device management and Digital Backbone IT refresh headings. These are often tied to Digital Backbone and CTA transformation lines. Procurement runs via the Defence Sourcing Portal, G-Cloud and CCS frameworks.

Tender Information

MODNET refresh, device management and new endpoint and collaboration frameworks are regularly retendered, with continuous upgrades scheduled as part of the Digital Backbone and cyber risk reduction programme from the late 2010s through 2025 and beyond. Recent device and teleconferencing management awards have been noted from 2023 onwards. Tender references are held within a portfolio of endpoint management, networking, office productivity, collaboration and cyber risk contracts, each mapped by MODNET, Digital Backbone and CTA procurement series and disclosed in the MOD Acquisition Pipeline, Defence Sourcing Portal and CCS framework documentation.

Why It Matters

MODNET may lack the headline appeal of a sixth-generation fighter or a satellite constellation, but it is arguably the programme that touches more people in Defence than any other. The 220,000 users who depend on it every day include everyone from deployed commanders making operational decisions to civil servants managing procurement and policy. If MODNET does not work — securely, reliably and at the speed that modern workflows demand — then Defence’s ability to function is compromised at every level.

The modernisation programme is also a prerequisite for the broader digital transformation. Cloud-native applications, AI tools and real-time collaboration systems are only useful if users can access them through secure, modern devices and interfaces. MODNET Evolve is the programme that ensures the user layer of the Digital Backbone is as modern and capable as the cloud and network layers beneath it. Without it, Defence risks building a world-class digital infrastructure that its own people cannot use.

For industry, the programme offers significant and sustained opportunity in enterprise IT, endpoint management, device lifecycle services, collaboration platforms, cybersecurity, mobile device management and cloud-enabled workplace solutions. The regular retender cycle and use of frameworks such as G-Cloud and CCS ensure that the market remains accessible and competitive. Companies with expertise in secure enterprise IT at scale, modern workplace solutions and zero-trust security architectures will find MODNET a consistently relevant programme.

‍