The UK government has announced a partnership with Google Cloud that should see public sector organisations of all sizes benefit from new technologies.
The deal is helped at improving the access to areas such as cloud computing among the country's public sector agencies, many of whom are still struggling with their digital transformation journeys.
The likes of local councils, public broadcasters, charities and the NHS will all now be able to get greater access to cloud computing, with eligible public sector organisations able to qualify for discounts on Google Cloud services.
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Google Cloud UK
The partnership centres on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Google Cloud and UK Crown Commercial Service (CCS), the UK Cabinet Office's executive agency and trading fund.
Along with its cloud computing services (including the top of the line hybrid and multi-cloud Anthos platform), Google Cloud will also provide access to infrastructure, analytics, AI/ML, app development, security and collaboration tools.
The partnership comes after months of talks that form part of the One Government Cloud Strategy, a joint initiative between Cabinet Office, CCS and Government Digital Service aimed at getting greater technology access for public sector bodies.
CCS says it will regularly review the agreement to make sure it offer the best deal for UK organisations, including SMBs that partner with such public sector agencies, as well as encouraging public sector digital investment as a whole.
“CCS provides commercial agreements which help organisations across the entire public sector save time and money on buying everyday goods and services,” said Simon Tse, CCS Chief Executive. “This MoU with Google Cloud unlocks large-scale business benefits for our customers, and demonstrates CCS's role in helping the public sector serve UK citizens in more innovative ways."
“This is a significant milestone for us, as we see the results of our focused investment in cloud services and solutions primed and tailored for the public sector ” said Mark Palmer, Head of Public Sector EMEA, Google Cloud. “The UK public sector is a major focus for Google Cloud, and this is an opportunity to further support Her Majesty’s government in their digital transformation.”
Google Cloud remains one of the most profitable arms of its Alphabet parent company, which earlier this year revealed the division's revenue increased by 52 percent to reach $2.78bn during the first quarter of 2020.
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