Cabinet Office Chief Information Officer

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The Government Cloud (G-Cloud)

A government cloud infrastructure is currently being developed that will enable public bodies to host their ICT systems from a secure, resilient and cost-effective service environment. Multiple services will be available from multiple suppliers which will make it quicker and cheaper for public sector bodies to switch suppliers if they face service or delivery issues. The G-Cloud is a key enabler of the £3.2bn savings per year outlined in the Operational Efficiency Programme as it provides the access point for ICT services, applications and assets.

What is cloud computing?

The term “cloud computing” refers to the delivery of ICT resources over the internet rather than hosting and operating these resources locally on an individual department’s network. The concept can be compared to changes in the electricity industry during the early part of the 20th century as organisations moved from buying their own generators to procuring electricity as a utility.

What are the benefits?

• Significant cost savings – G-Cloud is the key enabler of the £3.2bn savings per year outlined in the Operational Efficiency Programme.
• Reduced energy consumption
• Greater business flexibility:
• Public bodies can host their specific computer systems on the shared common infrastructure, and source capacity on an ‘on demand’ basis, avoiding the costs and delays involved in purchasing and running their own
• The hosting of internet sites such as DirectGov and BusinessLink, and identity verification services such as Government Gateway, can be undertaken strategically rather than individually outsourced to multiple third parties

Is it secure?

We recognise that there are concerns over data security within the cloud model. The G-Cloud is not yet in place and before data is transferred we will address the security challenges. In the relatively short term it will be possible to mitigate many of the risks by putting in place a private cloud for government.

How will Government keep up-to-date with a quickly developing technology?

We are working closely with the ICT industry to co-create the G-cloud environment and to ensure we adapt to changes in the landscape.

What’s next?

We aim to produce a prototype development infrastructure in early 2010. This will be used to validate the model for a number of initial services and the new approach should be ready to use as the standard model by the end of 2010.

Government Cloud (G-Cloud) (ICT Strategy) [PDF]

Contact
For further information email g-cloud@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk