Softcat, Bechtle and SoftwareOne are among the big winners in a new cloud framework aimed at UK and European universities and other research institutions.
Operated by GÉANT in partnership with Jisc in the UK, the OCRE 2024 framework is designed to boost commercial cloud services in research and education institutions in 39 countries across the continent.
Softcat bagged a slot as one of just three UK suppliers for both AWS and Azure via the framework. It is also the sole UK supplier for IBM.
SoftwareOne and Bechtle also tasted success on the framework, with the former bagging UK supplier status with AWS and Google Cloud and the latter with Azure and Ionos.
Phoenix Software, meanwhile, was named the top-ranked UK supplier for Azure, while DSP was top dog for Oracle (see full list of winners here).
Aggregating cloud purchasing power
The OCRE – or Open Clouds for Research and Education to give it its full name – framework is designed to hand education and research instutitions predictable, safe and cost-effective access to a portfolio of cloud providers.
The framework is open to higher-education institutions, further-education colleges and Research Council establishments in the UK.
It is designed to bring down costs by aggregating purchasing power across the UK and Europe.
The UK had the largest projected spend of any country on the last iteration of the framework, which ended in November 2024. It yielded savings in excess of £10m for UK institutions alone, Jisc claimed.
Softcat said the framework would help UK research and education institutions by streamlining procurement, reducing costs and shortening timescales.
“By being part of this prestigious framework, we are better positioned to offer our customers enhanced access to reliable, cutting-edge technologies that will empower their institutions and foster innovative learning environments,” said Rachel Clay, Head of Education and Non-Profit Organisations at Softcat.
“The GÉANT Cloud Framework OCRE 2024 is a real kickstarter and driving force for digital transformation and innovation in European research and education,” added Jakob Tendel, DFN and co-lead of the GÉANT project’s Cloud Team:
“Together with the innovative service providers selected in the framework, such as Softcat, we anticipate greater acceptance of commercial cloud services in the Research and Education community, ultimately fostering the digitisation of education, advancing global research and science, and transforming the way institutions access and utilise resources.”
