Purpose-built police intelligence tool available via the Azure cloud

Analysts using Chorus.

Chorus Intelligence, a provider of data cleansing and analysis software to law enforcement, has announced that its Analyser and Investigator solutions are now available to all police forces and law enforcement agencies via the Microsoft Azure cloud.

With secure access to critical data via the cloud, forces will be able to access Chorus’ tools that allow analysts and investigators to analyse key case data, answer key investigation questions and develop new lines of enquiry, fast.

Leveraging Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, police forces will be able to take advantage of elastic levels of processing power, to meet the analysis needs of both complex and simpler investigations, while only paying for what they need. With forces also trying to reduce CapEx, the cloud reduces the need for forces to make heavy investment in infrastructure and IT support.

Chorus launched its latest product, Investigator, in 2018 to enable front-line police staff to review case information at a high level. With Investigator available as software-as-a-service (SaaS), front line officers will be able to switch on the tool when they need it, in order to quickly piece together the crucial information necessary to solve crime.

Boyd Mulvey, CEO of Chorus, said, “We are pleased to offer Chorus in the cloud with Microsoft Azure, allowing law enforcement to embrace ‘cloud-first’ principles so they can cut costs and help investigators to work more securely, efficiently and collaboratively. After reviewing all potential cloud partners, it became clear that Microsoft Azure was the right cloud solution for Chorus, and our customers. Our solutions were developed with, and for, law enforcement, so it was important to us that any solution we chose mirrored our commitment to offering the best technology for the police.”

Mr Mulvey continued, “From county lines crime to missing persons, crime does not stay within force boundaries. We wholeheartedly believe that data and intelligence must travel securely with the case in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the investigation – and wider utilisation of the cloud to share data and analysis will provide the means to do that.”

In 2017, it was announced by Microsoft that its data centres had been reviewed by the UK’s National Police Information Risk Management Team, ensuring the storing of police information and access to it met its strict standards.

“Microsoft Azure helps Chorus Intelligence deploy solutions that enable law enforcement to focus more on solving crime and less on managing servers,” said Mike Riordan, UK Police Lead at Microsoft Corp.

“Chorus’ Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions allow police customers to take advantage of the flexibility and enterprise-grade reliability that Azure provides. All too often UK forces struggle to adopt improved operational services due to their legacy technology stack, and the SaaS delivery method from Chorus, which has been approved by those in the Police ICT Company, provides the speed to service which Policing requires in order to counter today’s threats.

“We are excited to see companies like Chorus Intelligence add value by integrating its solutions with Azure, where future enhanced capability can be quickly tested and deployed into operational use,” concluded Mike Riordan.