Aker Systems enables secure, HMG-wide information sharing

The Client

Cabinet Office INDEX is a secure, cloud-native digital service managed by the Cabinet Office for His Majesty’s Government. Established in 2021, INDEX was built to transform how the national security and intelligence assessment community collects, stores, shares and collaborates on assessed information - drawing on HMG departmental data, allied government reporting, and open-source intelligence (OSINT).

Using AWS cloud-native infrastructure and advanced analytics, INDEX provides HMG-wide access to geopolitical analysis, foreign policy assessments and national security risk analysis.

By centralising access to government analytical reports, curated public-domain data and best-in-class analytical tooling, INDEX frees intelligence analysts to focus on the most important parts of their work - forming evidence-based judgements that drive better national security outcomes.

The Challenge

Cabinet Office recognised that INDEX could not scale to onboard new data sources, HMG departments and users without a fundamental uplift to its security posture, automation and operational resilience.
Key challenges included:

•       Data Protection Impact Assessment(DPIA) approval was outstanding, blocking broader HMG department onboarding

•       Scalable security controls were needed to support onboarding of new HMG departments and OSINT data sources

•       Programme deadlines demanded rapid mobilisation and high-confidence delivery within fixed timelines

Cabinet Office required a partner with proven expertise in secure cloud data infrastructure and DevSecOps, capable of reviewing and uplifting INDEX’s architecture, technology and processes to ensure regulatory and NCSC compliance - efficiently and at pace.

The Solution

Cabinet Office originally commissioned Aker Systems to review and uplift INDEX’s security posture, with a specific mandate to ensure the platform would pass its NCSC IT Health Check within programme timelines. Aker mobilised an expert team within one week, with deep expertise in DevSecOps, data platform engineering and security compliance.

Aker conducted a comprehensive review of INDEX’s architecture, technology and processes against the AWS Well-Architected Framework, NCSC Principles, industry best practice and prior ITHC recommendations. Delivery was structured across two iterative phases in a collaborative, multi-supplier environment alongside Naimuri, under an outcome-based, fixed-price engagement model.

Phase 1 —Security & Data Processing Approval

Aker delivered over 200 architectural, technology and process changes to INDEX, addressing all outstanding security vulnerabilities and aligning the platform with NCSC Principles and AWS Well-Architected best practice. This phase encompassed:

•       Architectural hardening across compute, networking, identity and access management, and data storage layers

•       Technology and configuration changes to address ITHC findings and embed security-by-design throughout the platform

•       Process improvements covering DevSecOps practices, operational procedures and incident response

Outcomes: Successful ITHC pass; DPIA approved; cross-HMG Security Working Group established.

Phase 2 —Capability Expansion

Building on Phase 1, Aker delivered additional security controls, automation uplift and resilience enhancements to INDEX, enabling the platform to scale to new data sources and users:

•       Additional security controls to support onboarding of further HMG departments and OSINT data sources at scale

•       Automation improvements reducing operational burden and increasing platform reliability

•       Resilience enhancements ensuring highly available, mission-critical platform operations for the intelligence community

INDEX emerged from Phase 2 as a fully automated, secure and scalable platform - ready to serve the wider HMG intelligence community with confidence.

The Technology

INDEX is built on a cloud-native AWS foundation, with Elasticsearch at the core of its search and intelligence analytics capability. The architecture is designed around NCSC security principles and the AWS Well-Architected Framework - prioritising data security, high availability, and operational resilience across the HMG intelligence community.

Cloud Platform - Amazon Web Services (AWS)

The INDEX platform runs entirely within a hardened AWS environment, providing the scalability, resilience and sovereignty controls required for an HMG national security workload. Core AWS services include:

Search & Analytics - Elasticsearch (Elastic Stack)

Elasticsearch is the intelligence search and analytics engine at the heart of INDEX - enabling analysts to rapidly query, discover and surface relevant intelligence across large volumes of structured and unstructured cross-government data in near real-time. The Elastic Stack provides the full data pipeline, from ingestion through to visualisation:

Security & Compliance Controls

Security tooling is embedded throughout the INDEX platform, aligned to NCSC Principles and the AWS Well-Architected Security Pillar. Key controls include:

Infrastructure as Code & DevSecOps

All INDEX infrastructure is defined, versioned and deployed as code, enabling consistent, repeatable and auditable environments across development, test and production. This approach underpins the platform’s security posture and supports continuous compliance.

The Value

By combining deep security expertise with codified delivery accelerators, Aker enabled Cabinet Office to achieve security approval and scale INDEX with confidence - giving the HMG intelligence community centralised, trusted access to cross-government information.

•       Secure by design - NCSC-compliant architecture with all THC findings resolved and DPIA approved

•       Scalable platform - new HMG departments and OSINT data sources onboarded with confidence and speed

•       Resilient operations - automated, highly available infrastructure suited to mission-critical national security workloads

•       Cross-HMG governance - Security Working Group established to sustain and evolve the programme over time

•       Programme certainty - fixed-price, outcome-based delivery with rapid one-week team mobilisation

Through its partnership with Aker, Cabinet Office INDEX is now secure, scalable and resilient - ensuring the HMG intelligence community has easier, centralised access to cross-government information, increasing efficiency and enabling better outcomes.