The UK Government has very recently launched its new CloudStore as an innovative method of delivering IT applications via the G-Cloud.
Under set 12 months contracts suppliers provide access to online applications at a fixed entry and exit point. It is widely accepted that this new technology will help Government to reduce its IT costs whilst providing comprehensive and reliable solutions.
As the history of Government IT is littered with failed projects, the discipline of fixed term contracts provides suppliers with permanent incentives to give a high quality and resilient service. For smaller suppliers it opens up the Government marketplace quite radically “ SMEs can now compete on an equal footing with the IT giants that hitherto dominated Central Government computing.
Google Apps for Business (now Google Workspace) partner Ancoris is one of those small cloud providers, getting a foot in lot four.
"G-Cloud is a significant break from the old cartel of large suppliers running massive government IT projects which have dominated public sector IT," says David McLeman, Ancoris CEO.
Kate Craig-Wood, boss at cloud provider Memset, agreed: "G-Cloud has the potential to be enormously disruptive. It heralds the breaking of large systems integrators strangle-hold over government ICT."
As proof of the breaking of the stranglehold of large companies over Government IT, 50% of the current suppliers on the CloudStore are SMEs, which is an extraordinary, indeed, an historic achievement, and shows the extent to which the Government wishes to engage with smaller organisations.
The pre-qualification process was simplified to help SMEs overcome the barriers excessive bureaucracy previously placed on them. For those suppliers not already on the G-Cloud there will be a new opportunity to re-apply in the Spring.
