Is G-Cloud being used as a back door to sell legacy kit?

Some suppliers brand the sale of products on G-Cloud 'dishonest' but others insist it is not an issue

Debate has been stirred in the channel about whether or not suppliers should be allowed to sell legacy products on the government's G-Cloud framework.

G-Cloud was set up in 2012 with the aim of getting suppliers selling commoditised cloud-based IT services to the public sector. The framework, which sits under the Digital Marketplace umbrella, is split into four Lots: Lot 1 - Infrastructure-as-a-service; Lot 2 - Platform-as-a-service; Lot 3 - Software-as-a-service; and Lot 4 - Specialist Cloud Services.

One supplier told CRN that another has been using the framework to sell on-premise kit, which they branded "dishonest" and not in the spirit of G-Cloud, due to its obvious cloud focus.

They directed CRN to another's supplier's service description which made reference to "local infrastructure".

The supplier said this is "unacceptable" and "slurs the reputation and potential success" of the framework.

Jessica Figueras, chief analyst at Kable Business Intelligence, said she has strong suspicions that the practice of selling non-cloud products is widespread.

"I would be amazed if it wasn't happening," she said. "G-Cloud has been selling anything except cloud. In the early days you can find records of them selling laptops, laptop bags - I mean everything. They have cracked down on the most egregious examples."

David McLeman, chief executive of G-Cloud supplier Ancoris, said that hardware should be allowed to be sold on the framework, but only if it is related to the use of cloud services.

"If it is not cloud related, it shouldn't be on there," he said. "It is not the purpose of G-Cloud.

"[But] there are a few hardware devices which work with cloud systems exclusively. For example, Chrome devices which work with Google Apps - I think that is perfectly legitimate because it works as part of the overall cloud solution. You have things such as Chromebooks for meetings and low-cost videoconferencing - those are there to enable a cloud service and I think that is perfectly legitimate as well. Those are valid and there are others as well. As the cloud matures there is a lot of blurring of the lines. But in my view, G-Cloud was not set up as a continuation of legacy [kit]."

Kable's Figueras acknowledged that the practice of selling any sort of hardware might upset those with a strict view of the framework.

"I understand that there are some suppliers who are very aligned with the original founding vision of G-Cloud - that it was going to be about cloud and nothing else," she said.

"And I get that some suppliers are going to be annoyed that there is other stuff in there which is going to complicate the picture."

But she said that the success of G-Cloud has not necessarily been down to the products and services sold on the framework.

"The fact is that G-Cloud's strength was not in what [public sector organisations] were buying, it was how they were buying off it. In many cases, public sector buyers are going to have to go down the hybrid cloud route in reality. Is it happening? Yes, probably. Is it a problem? No, I don't think so."

The Cabinet Office was not immediately available to comment.