Defence & National Security, Case Study

Case Study: Defence Share enables Government to securely deliver its Strategic Defence Review

Strategic Defence Review (2025)

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR), announced in July 2024 and published this Monday, considers the threats Britain faces, the capabilities needed to meet them, the state of UK armed forces and the resources available to the UK. For the first time, the Review has been externally led, as opposed to being conducted directly by the Government, running on a platform built and designed by Kahootz.

Due to the accelerated timeframe of the Review, it required a secure platform that is reliable, easy to use and scalable. In addition, the Review was tasked with engaging a broad range of stakeholders from across Government, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and broader industry on content that is considered vital to national security, so ensuring that the Review’s work is accessible but secure was imperative.

To meet this demanding timeframe, the Secretariat responsible for running the Review engaged Kahootz to rapidly build and deliver a secure stakeholder engagement capability and workspace platform to enable the SDR to proceed. This is based on the existing Defence Share platform, built by Kahootz, and allowing the Review team to work at pace. To support this critical Review, Kahootz was selected due to its ability to deliver an approved and certified platform at speed. In addition, its rapid setup and support services ensure that the Review would not face a staggered or delayed start.

Kahootz and its platform

The Secretariat’s decision to approach Kahootz demonstrates its value as a trusted partner of the Government, with variations of the Kahootz platform already in use across a range of government departments. Along with the MOD, these include the NHS, Cabinet Office and the Home Office, enabling vital information sharing in a secure environment.

Kahootz’s ability to quickly provide low-cost, effective and, most importantly, a secure online collaboration platform, made it well placed to support the Review throughout its duration. The platform’s proven record of support for highly sensitive working environments, such as Defence Share, combined with an intuitive user interface and accreditation for official-sensitive work, further demonstrates its suitability for similar future projects across the defence sector.

The Kahootz platform has been developed and improved throughout the last two decades and provides all the collaboration tools possibly needed in one platform. This avoids the fragmentation of workflows often seen using other workplace software alternatives, allowing for more efficient working, whether in the office or elsewhere. As shown through Kahootz’s ongoing collaboration with team defence information, the Review has also been able to engage with industry representatives, from major traditional primes to small and medium enterprises, each of which deserves to play a part in this vital Review.

It is clear that this collaboration is yet another successful partnership between Kahootz and the Government, showcasing the strength of relationships built through years of trust building and provision of support.

The Review covers an array of national priorities, ranging from reinforcing homeland security, increasing our cybersecurity capabilities, maintaining strategic partnerships across the globe, continuing support for Ukraine and ensuring a continued NATO-first defence policy, with our involvement in the alliance forming the base of UK security.

The Strategic Defence Review has demonstrated that the need for industry and Government to work more closely has never been more vital. Kahootz already reflects change, having received Ministry of Defence accreditation to host documents at an OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE level, in recognition of the necessity of ensuring online collaboration can continue, securely and with confidence. Hosting OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE documents enables the MOD and its industry partners to collaborate more effectively and at pace, a vital requirement when development cycles for new technology must be accelerated, to allow the Government and our Armed Forces to remain competitive against potential adversaries.