Triad leads an impeccable 50,000-device Windows 11 rollout to 150 HM Prison and Probation sites across England and Wales

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a major UK Government Department responsible for overseeing the country’s justice system. End User Services provide MoJ staff with secure and reliable digital services to users across HM Courts and Tribunals Service and HM Prison and Probation (HMPP) Service.
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  • Over 50,000 devices at over 150 HMPP sites were using the Microsoft Windows 10 platform.
  • End User Services asked Triad to plan and execute a migration to Windows 11 for all HMPP devices. This needed to be done by October 2025. Any devices left on Windows 10 after this time, would be at risk of a security breach and subject to a £50 per device licence fee.
  • This project would need to run concurrently with an ambitious Government initiative on early Prisoner release scheme that required significant resource from on-site staff.
  • 1
    Already running at 85% of capacity, this ageing network was unable to support a mass Windows 11 update.
  • 2
    Developed a simple, phased approach that had a low impact for on-site staff and was tailored to each site’s individual parameters and risk profile including broadband capacity and prison category.
  • 3
    Utilised Jira and sprint planning techniques, applying an Agile approach of nine delivery tranches each two weeks long, following a two-week hyper-care phase per site.
  • 4
    Microsoft tools were used to identify devices that had not processed the upgrade for a variety of reasons. Then On-site teams were passed this information to resolve the issues with the devices.
  • From initiation to post implementation review, and from technical solution through to completion, Triad delivered this £2m Windows 11 migration on time and to budget.
  • Successfully migrated 50,000 devices across 150 HMPP sites to Windows 11 in just 6 months.
  • Avoided HMPP paying up to £2m in Windows 10 licence fees and delivered this change with zero business disruption.
  • Created a blueprint for how business as usual teams could deliver large scale projects across the prison and probation estate.

Their story

Triad oversaw the Windows 11 migration of over 50,000 devices at over 150 HMPP sites during a six-month window. Failure to upgrade the devices would have cost £2m and left prisons in England Wales vulnerable to security breaches and operational blackouts.
Restricted by an ageing network

Already operating at 85% of capacity, this ageing
network was unable to support a mass update or
patch. This meant that we had to deploy a siteby-
site approach across over 150 sites and 50,000
devices, initially updating 30 devices at a time and
eventually increasing to 1,000 per day. We avoided
an IT blackout, during which the prison would have
had to shut down, stopping daily activities such as
prison transfers.

Limited on-site support

We co-ordinated a core team of 12 staff, with an
additional 50 providing hands-on support when
needed for multiple sites. This work was in addition
to their own projects and day job of supporting IT
across each Prison.

Saved £2m with no service outages or security breaches.

With zero business disruption, we ensured that no
devices remained unsupported on Windows 10.
This avoided £2m in Licensing costs and eliminated
the risk of unsupported devices being vulnerable
to hacking.

Created a delivery blueprint

Working with service architecture and service
support teams, we communicated a simple, phased
approach to each site. This has created
a blueprint for future IT operations. Triad received a
commendation from the Service Transition Director
for delivering this initiative without any issues.

“Great job leading the Windows 11 rollout for the Prison Estate. The transition went
smoothly with a proactive approach and dedication that contributed greatly to the
project’s success, overcoming significant challenges along the way.”

Stephen Harper, Service Owner for End User Services - Ministry of Justice