GÉANT offers a wide range of Infrastructure as a Service offerings in two frameworks: The 2016 IaaS Framework and the 2020 Iaas+ Framework by OCRE. These frameworks were developed by the GÉANT community, for the GÉANT community. Together with your country’s NREN Cloud Manager, they allow institutions to procure IaaS cloud services fast, efficiently and cost-effectively.
GÉANT 2020 Cloud Framework by OCRE
OCRE (Open Clouds for Research Environments) is an EC funded project to provide research and education users easier access to cloud services across Europe. It supports 40 European countries with a framework of 473 commercial cloud contracts to ease access and provide volume discounts to research and education institutions.
Working in conjunction with members of the GÉANT project, this framework offers substantial benefits to the R&E community.
Reduced Cost and Complexity
The framework reduces the cost and complexity of cloud service procurement
- No institutional tendering is required
- Significant discounts are available thanks to pan-European aggregation and the economies of scale
- Advantageous terms and conditions on offer
The frameworks are in compliance with all relevant EU Regulations (Procurement, VAT, GDPR etc.). Call-off Contracts with supplier are under local laws and local in-country platform support and call-off is provided as standard.
Improved Service
Cloud service access is enhanced through supplier peering at points of presence on the GÉANT pan-European network with significant data ingress/egress waivers in place to reduce costs and improve pricing stability.
All platforms support SAML2/OIDC protocol with eduGAIN to improve user accessibility, reduce onboarding costs and complexity and provide assurances for identity and privacy management.
The new framework includes not only Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) but also Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) - often called IaaS+
Ready to Go?
Before institutions can take advantage of the GÉANT 2020 Cloud Framework by OCRE, they need to be verified by their local NREN. The application process uses a simple web form to gather details and verify institutions which is then forwarded to the country NREN contact. After NREN approval, all the documentation will be forwarded for processing and procurement.