SCC helps pave ISV way into G-Cloud

Integrator claims its deal with ISV IIZUKA and the Pensions Ombudsman is the start of a new G-Cloud era

SCC has signed a first-of-a-kind partnership with ISV IIZUKA to supply the UK Pensions Ombudsman with a cloud-based case management product.

The Bimingham-based integrator claims the partnership is a new kind of deal which will pave the way for other ISVs to get involved in G-Cloud.

Under the deal, IIZUKA's case management offering will be combined with SCC's secure multi-tenanted cloud service (part of its OptimiseCloud offering), and the IL3-rated service will play a central role in the ombudsman's operations from early 2013.

Tracy Westall, SCC's UK public sector director, said: "The Pensions Ombudsman project sums up the essence of what G-Cloud is trying to achieve. By connecting small, flexible and highly expert ISVs with the public sector via a trusted and secure platform, not only are Britain's SMEs enabled to supply solutions direct to the heart of government, but civic bodies are able to deploy efficient, reliable and cost-effective solutions capable of delivering tangible improvements to frontline services."

She added: “As a company that started life as an SME itself, we are delighted to be playing a pivotal role in helping small, specialist businesses sell direct to public bodies and government organisations.”

IIZUKA – which already supplies a range of organisations including Sunderland City Council and Cleveland Police with its case management software offering – claims its partnership with SCC has reduced the workload and resources involved in providing cloud-based services to the public sector by up to 80 per cent.

Greg Hayes, managing director of IIZUKA, said: "Our partnership with SCC offers a range of benefits. The confidence and credibility provided by its pan-government accreditation has been of significant value, enabling us to provide the public sector with the high levels of security it demands without incurring the considerable outlay required to secure such ratings in our own right.

"While the company’s infrastructure expertise has allowed us to focus on our speciality, its track record in the public sector and extensive client base has also opened up a new route to market for our service that we believe offers huge potential for the future.”