Google Cloud sets up public sector-focused business division to trap more UK government business
Google Cloud is stepping up its efforts to court docket public sector IT consumers with the launch of a devoted business division geared in the direction of serving to government departments and companies use its instruments to present better-quality public companies to UK residents.
The public cloud big introduced the division’s launch on the primary day of its Google Cloud Next London companion and buyer convention, the place numerous members of the corporate’s senior management took to the stage to speak up the enterprise attraction of its generative synthetic intelligence (GenAI) choices.
The occasion additionally noticed a slew of Google Cloud prospects announce expanded partnerships with the corporate, together with retail behemoth the John Lewis Partnership, client items model Unilever and telco big BT.
During the opening keynote, Helen Kelisky, managing director for the UK and Ireland at Google Cloud, talked up the “incredible growth” the corporate has seen over the previous 12 months, with its cloud and generative AI choices taking the enterprise and startup world by storm.
“We’ve seen incredible growth across our business,” she stated. “In the UK, we’re now working with 40% of the FTSE 100 and have a thriving startups and digital natives [using our technology].
“Of course, the headline has been the explosion of generative AI, [which] is basically altering the best way we work and do business in entrance of our eyes.
“I’m really proud to say, globally, 70% of generative AI unicorns are Google Cloud customers,” stated Kelisky. “Today, more than half of the generative AI startups, headquartered in the UK, are Google Cloud customers.”
Public sector
Google Cloud is now turning its consideration to profitable over more of the public sector with its cloud and GenAI wares with the creation of a devoted business division, introduced by Kelisky in a weblog publish printed to coincide with the primary day of the present.
“We have an extensive history of working with the public sector,” she wrote. “For instance, we proceed to help the Department for Transport, serving to it utilise information to higher help decision-making throughout the pandemic. We partnered with the Office for National Statistics to ship the UK’s 2021 census. And we’re supporting the NHS to enhance entry to residents’ well being and care information throughout England’s Yorkshire and Humber area.
“Most recently, we signed a memorandum of understanding with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory to help accelerate the adoption of cloud technologies and artificial intelligence (AI).”
According to information shared with Computer Weekly by public sector IT market watcher Tussell, Google Cloud has earned £3.6m in gross sales from public sector shoppers because it opened its first UK datacentre area in July 2017.
The firm is one among various hyperscale suppliers that has beforehand signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK government – by way of its procurement arm, Crown Commercial Service (CCS) – to present public sector organisations with preferential pricing on its companies.
Computer Weekly contacted CCS to see what the standing of that settlement is, as it’s understood to have expired in 2021. A spokesperson for the organisation stated CCS is “looking to renew” the MoU.
The firm can be a part of the government’s hyperscale-focused Cloud Compute Framework, which is at the moment within the throes of being renewed and revamped.
The majority of this spend has come from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), a long-standing person of Google Cloud’s on-line business productiveness suite, Workspace, whereas the work it did with the ONS equated to a spend of £1.4m.
For context, although, over the identical time interval, its public cloud rival Amazon Web Services (AWS) has earned £811m in public sector cloud spend, in accordance to Tussell’s information.
As beforehand reported by Computer Weekly, the maintain that each AWS and Microsoft has on UK cloud market is ready to be the topic of a probe by the Competition and Markets Authority, on the again of a year-long evaluate into the market by communications regulator Ofcom.
Google’s determination to set up a public sector-focused business division may subsequently be thought-about fairly well timed.
“Google Cloud Public Sector UK brings the expertise and resources needed to help public sector organisations manage and protect their sensitive data,” stated Kelisky, in a weblog publish. “This contains frontline intelligence and help to assist forestall and reply to safety incidents; a contemporary, AI-powered cloud-native platform to drive safety operations; and a secure-by-design, secure-by-default cloud platform underpinning all of it.
“UK public sector organisations are focused on providing British citizens with digital services that are agile, secure and reliable. By bringing together our AI and cloud computing capabilities, diverse teams of experts and deep experience, Google Cloud Public Sector UK is ready today to help public sector agencies use technology to deliver improved public services across the nation.”
