0845 371 0339
Does Public Sector Need G-Cloud?
2011-06-09 03:47:53
Guest Article by Chris Ward of Business Cloud News
http://www.businesscloudnews.com/public-sector/336-does-public-sector-need-g-cloud.html
G-Cloud to be scrapped?
It’s a topic that has gone quiet in recent months, but now news is circulating that the Government’s proposed G-Cloud venture is about to be canned. Could this be a detrimental step backwards for public service IT? We talked to UK-based cloud provider, SymetriQ, about the public sector organisations making positive steps to change their IT infrastructure; regardless of G-Cloud.
The big pull-out?
G-Cloud was never going to be as cool as Apple’s iCloud or get as much media attention, but the potential it has for streamlining governmental IT infrastructure and saving public funds is unquestionable.
And so, it seems odd that at a time when Apple officially unleashed cloud computing into the mainstream, news is filling the airwaves that the UK’s public sector cloud computing scheme, G-Cloud could be about to get scrapped:
“They’ve canned the project,” HP’s Nick Wilson, a man heavily involved in government IT planning, reportedly told IT PRO last week.
“They thought cloud was a bit too much nirvana, so in the short term, the projects that are being looked at are data centre consolidation.”
The news of the scheme’s removal from IT policy has led to a backlash in many industry quarters; especially with cloud providers, who saw the G-Cloud as a great way of further pushing cloud computing into all aspects of UK business.
“It would be very disappointing if the government is backing away from cloud computing and taking a short-term view of the investment necessary to save vast amounts of money in the long term,” Costas Galonis, managing director of Cirrus Stratus, told eWeek Europe today.
“The G-Cloud is a step in the right direction and the British public should know that if this statement by HP is accurate it will cost the British taxpayer dearly.”
However, is this really the case? Won’t most public sector organisations make the necessary steps into cloud computing regardless of G-Cloud’s existence?
Johnny Paterson, Business Development Director for Glasgow-based cloud provider, SymetriQ, believes the removal of G-Cloud might not be as catastrophic as some are suggesting:
“If these reports [about G-Cloud] are correct, then we would hope that this is not a general move away from cloud but perhaps a realisation that a national Government Cloud is not required.
“Not when there are already options for government bodies who wish to use secure Public Cloud solutions. It wouldn’t be great news for the large players involved in G-Cloud, but we believe that there is still plenty of scope for Government bodies working with cloud providers like us.”
One such example is South Lanarkshire Council in Scotland, which have so far developed use of SymetriQ’s own public cloud in Scotland to radically cut costs in their IT department, and soon their entire organisation. As Johnny Paterson explains:
“South Lanarkshire didn’t need to wait on G-Cloud – they decided to make the move to cloud by running Microsoft Project Server.
“We were able to facilitate a cost-effective, no-risk pilot project for the Council, which enabled them to prove the benefits of deploying in the SymetriQ Public Cloud. Microsoft Project Server (or any project software) is a very good use case for Cloud Computing due to the ‘spikes’ in demand driven by project based activity.”
However, with one of the biggest concerns surrounding G-Cloud and the potential reason for its potential demise being security, how did SymetriQ provide the necessary assurance for this public body to feel safe in making the move?
“Fortunately, SymetriQ are able to guarantee location of data in a secure UK data centre, which meets the relevant criteria for hosting Public Sector data (ISO, SAS, IGSOC, N3 etc). This enables Public Sector bodies to work with SymetriQ, but we understand that there are major reservations about using any other service which is not hosted in the UK, or in a fully accredited datacentre.
“In our experiences with Public Sector, we have actually found them to be pretty forward thinking. Public Sector organisations understand that the Cloud can deliver the cost-savings that they require in these difficult times, and are willing to work through the organisational changes required to implement Cloud services. We believe it is possible to implement secure Public Cloud solutions for Public Sector organisations, without a complex, centralised framework such as G-Cloud.
“It was always going to be interesting to see whether or not G-Cloud delivered the savings and efficiencies which have long been discussed, anyway. Let’s face it, history shows that this is not always the case in large government projects.”
So, while the UK cloud computing industry may with baited breath for confirmation of G-Cloud’s demise, it appears certain areas of the sector will move on whether or not the scheme ends up going ahead. And certain cloud providers, such as SymetriQ, don’t appear to be losing any sleep over the Government’s decision.
SymetriQ will be exhibiting at the Cloud Computing World Forum on 21st and 22nd June at Olympia, London. To register for the event, visit www.cloudwf.com
Bill McCluggage, Deputy Government CIO and Director of ICT Strategy and Policy for the Cabinet Office, will also be speaking at the event with G-Cloud expected to be a featured discussion.
Share and Enjoy:
