London – November 6th 2012 – Skyscape Cloud Services Limited, the easy to adopt, easy to use and easy to leave Assured Cloud Services Company, today announced that it had signed a contract with the MoD for the hosting of their GEMS Online system. The Infrastructure as a Service contract was awarded via the G-Cloud Framework, which enables the rapid sourcing and deployment of secure, low cost utility services to the UK public sector.

GEMS Online is a new digital Staff Engagement and Innovation system which will enable MoD and Armed Forces personnel to make suggestions to help the MoD transform, and will enable the MoD to rapidly access and act upon the innovation and experience of its own staff.

Phil Dawson, Skyscape’s CEO said “Skyscape Cloud Services is a UK sovereign SME, delivering a range of cloud services specifically designed for the UK Public Sector, using world class technologies from QinetiQ, VMware, Cisco, EMC and Ark Continuity.  We are proud that the MoD has the confidence to buy cloud services directly from an SME, and shows that there are real opportunities for SMEs to play key roles in the delivery of critical national infrastructure for UK public services”.

Jonathan Slater (DG Transformation and Corporate Services) said “Using the G-Cloud Framework has enabled the access a wide range of pre-procured services and suppliers. We have avoided a complex procurement and by using utility based technology have been able to move exceptionally quickly from proof of concept through to live deployment. The whole process has been very easy from start to finish and we have made substantial cost savings too. GEMS Online hosted on Skyscape is an excellent example of how new ways of transacting and consuming ICT are helping government to rise to its challenges and transform”.