Computas won cloud contract for research communities in 9 European countries
The four-year-deal can grow to a value of over NOK 1 billion and is meant to assist research and educational communities in using, simplifying, and streamlining their work in the cloud.
– There is enormous potential for research and educational institutions in using cloud technology to a greater extent. This contract is very important to us, and we look forward to delivering great value to those who utilize it, says CEO of Computas, Trond Eilertsen.
It is through the project Open Clouds for Research Environments (OCRE) that the organization GÉANT has carried out procurement processes for cloud contracts in the European knowledge sector. This is a segment covering more than 50 million users from thousands of research institutions across 40 European countries. The goal is to offer European researchers easy access to common commercial cloud services, without extensive administrative and bureaucratic processes. In 2020, new, pan-European tenders were instigated.
– In the tender procedure you can deliver one offer, per cloud platform, per country. In total, approximately 1,200 offers were submitted, covering all the 40 countries involved. This has resulted in 50 suppliers winning a total of 500 cloud deals, says Eilertsen.
He discloses that Computas, a Google Cloud Premier Partner, provided offers on Google’s cloud platform in nine European countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Romania, Moldova, North Macedonia, and Greece. The result was a great success.
– In November, we were informed that we had won the tenders on the Google Cloud Platform in all nine countries, in spite of the tough competition, Eilertsen says.
Increased cloud usage in the research environment
Computas and GÉANT have entered the framework for the deals through 2024 in all nine countries. GÉANT is the collaborative organization for national research networks in Europe, and the Norwegian branch is represented by Uninett – the knowledge sector’s ICT infrastructure company in Norway. Uninett offers its Norwegian customers access to the commercial cloud service deals struck through the OCRE project.
– In Norway, there are approximately 25 institutions in the research community currently using the framework agreement from OCRE. This is a growing trend, and we expect to see far more cloud usage in the future. In addition to better terms, as well as easy and equal access to all platforms, we are also pleased to offer complementary expertise via our partners such as Computas, says Department Director at Uninett, Bjørn Helge Kopperud.
Can reach the billion-kroner mark
The value of the cloud contract for Google Cloud in the nine countries in which Computas won the tenders is estimated to NOK 1.5 billion.
– These deals constitute a great opportunity for us, and we look forward to contributing with our expertise to the research and education environments, says Trond. In addition to cloud services, GÉANT offers access to a high-speed research network that enables researchers to work efficiently and collaborate seamlessly across Europe.
Read more about Computas Offering to GÉANT member institutions here