Case Study: Australia’s Department of Defence achieves secure multilevel desktop access and significant cost savings with Forcepoint Trusted Thin Client

Increasing Security and Reducing Costs Through the Single Information Environment and the Next Generation Desktop

Australia’s Department of Defence embarked on a major ICT modernization to consolidate distributed data centers and create a Single Information Environment (SIE). A core challenge was the Next Generation Desktop (NGD) program: deliver streamlined desktop and application access for roughly 100,000 users, with 15% requiring simultaneous multilevel access to the Defence Secret Network (DSN) and Defence Restricted Network (DRN), while reducing hardware, administration and operational costs and improving security.

Defence selected Forcepoint Trusted Thin Client (ASD‑evaluated) integrated with Citrix on Hyper‑V and App‑V; a pilot deployed to 500 users across 14 sites proved server‑based virtual desktops could deliver stable, responsive, multilevel access (including printing). The solution enables single‑device access to multiple networks, supports hardware and administration reductions, strengthens security, and aligns with Defence’s SRP ICT savings targets, with wider rollout planned to realize the anticipated cost and operational benefits.

Department of Defence

Daniel McCabe

Assistant Secretary Infrastructure Architecture Branch