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https://digitalmarketplace.blog.gov.uk/2016/09/02/g-cloud-9-discovery-where-were-going-from-here/

G-Cloud 9 discovery - where we’re going from here

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: G-Cloud, User research

We’ve started our discovery for the next iteration of G-Cloud and we’re taking this opportunity to think again about what public sector cloud technology procurement should look like. Our discovery is focused on better understanding Digital Marketplace users and their needs for buying and selling cloud services and technology.

These are the questions we will be answering in our discovery:

  • how can the Digital Marketplace improve the buying experience for users?
  • what activities does the Digital Marketplace need to support - how do buyers want to search for and compare services, and how should they maintain their audit trails?
  • what user needs aren’t met by the current version of G-Cloud?
  • how can we help the public sector to successfully adopt more cloud-based technology?
  • what are the security needs of the public sector and how can we address security concerns in a transparent way?

Digital Marketplace G-Cloud 9 discovery

For this discovery we’re talking to a diverse range of people to ensure that we have a wide perspective on public sector cloud technology needs. We’re speaking to public sector buyers across central and local government and the police, health and education sectors.

We’re also speaking to cloud technology suppliers from a range of large, medium and small organisations. With the support of techUK, we’ve held a workshop with suppliers to find out what we could do to make things better for them. We’ll be blogging about that soon.

And, we’re making sure that the Digital Marketplace can help the public sector buy technology that is safe and secure. For this reason, we’re talking to technology experts and working with cyber security and assurance experts to learn more about the future of cyber policy.

What we’ve learned so far

We’ve found that user guidance is an important area for us to look into. Some users are still not clear about how best to use the Digital Marketplace to buy cloud technology. For example, how buying works, or when and how to engage with suppliers. This is something we want to improve.

The current four categories of cloud services we offer (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS and SCS) are not consistent with how users want to search for and buy cloud technology. We’re looking at how we can redesign the categories in a way that puts the user first, and helps them to find the right supplier quickly.

Finally, we need to look at security. We need to make it easier for users to identify the things they need to consider to make sure their technology is secure. We also need to make it easier for suppliers to demonstrate to buyers how they can meet their security needs.

Get involved

We plan to start G-Cloud 9 alpha in September ahead of the framework officially going live in mid-2017. We want to speak to as many people as we can. If you’d like to be involved as we design a new, improved way to buy and sell cloud technology on the Digital Marketplace please get in touch.

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14 comments

  1. Comment by Mark Hall posted on

    Hi, mark Hall from Redcentric, when you click the get i touch link, you get unable to access as permission is restricted to the organisation owner, can you please confirm how we can get it touch or when the link is fixed.

  2. Comment by David J Reed posted on

    Cannot enter the "get in touch" link. Tells me I do not have permission

  3. Comment by John Glover (Kahootz) posted on

    FYI - your get in touch link says this:

    "You need permission
    This form can only be viewed by users in the owner's organisation.
    Try contacting the owner of the form if you think that this is a mistake."

    So either you are only consulting GDS staff or there is an error in your implementation of this link?

    • Replies to John Glover (Kahootz)>

      Comment by Gemma Phelan posted on

      Hi, apologies for that. That should be working now.

  4. Comment by James Beacham (Leidos) posted on

    Hi,

    The "Get In Touch" link does not work for me either

    Thanks,

    James

  5. Comment by Jenny M posted on

    Great that you're doing this consultation to improve the way procurement works 🙂

    • Replies to Jenny M>

      Comment by G Jones posted on

      Do we have a view on when G-Cloud 9 will be advertised?

      • Replies to G Jones>

        Comment by Laura Flannery posted on

        Hello,

        Thank you for your comment.

        We anticipate that G-Cloud 9 will open for supplier applications in the first quarter of 2017, and go live in the second quarter of 2017.

        We'll share more specific dates in January.

        Thanks,
        Laura

  6. Comment by Lorna Manning posted on

    Dear Laura,

    Is G-Cloud 9 still on course to be open in January 2017?

    Kind regards

    Lorna

    • Replies to Lorna Manning>

      Comment by Laura Flannery posted on

      Hi Lorna

      Thank you for your question.

      G-Cloud 9 isn't opening in January. We're planning to open G-Cloud 9 for supplier applications within the next few months, and we'll share specific dates in a couple of weeks.

      Thanks,
      Laura

  7. Comment by Mike posted on

    Hi Laura
    Any updates on G-Cloud 9 oe when we can expect some?
    Thanks in anticipation
    Mike

    • Replies to Mike>

      Comment by Laura Flannery posted on

      Hi Mike,

      We'll be sharing a blog post with a timeline for G-Cloud 9 later this week and there will be more updates to follow.

      Thanks,
      Laura