Capita launches pay as you go cloud

Here is a rather curious thing. Capita IT Services has launched a new pay as you go cloud service and presented it as a product or `thing’. The implication of this is that any business considering building business services in the cloud just as to sign up to such a service and, ipso facto, is therefore `in the cloud’.

Capita’s target for this new service is any business or organisation – and its current customer base already spreads from major public sector operations like the NHS to large private sector enterprises – looking to `easily make cloud computing an integral part of their IT strategy’.

One has to say that, given the company’s normal mode of operation, namely taking on major projects for such customers and providing a full end-to-end, soup-to-nuts service where the customer does not have to think about the `how’ of many of its major business units or processes, this seems like a strange miss-reading of its market.

The company should certainly be providing cloud services, but they should be buried in the actual service being provided to the customer. It will be a component of and contributor to the delivery of whatever services the customer requires, but it should only be important to them if the cloud service fails them in some way.

Known as Capita Private Cloud, it has been built on VCE Vblock Systems’ converged infrastructure and is designed for companies wanting to adopt a blend of public and private cloud services without the complexity of managing multiple suppliers and contracts.  To be pedantic, there is an argument that it should therefore be called Capita Hybrid Cloud.

For many of the company’s customers, it does have one key advantages, in that it combines the flexibility of public cloud services, the security of a private cloud environment, and the storage of all data being stored in Capita’s UK datacentres.

The flexible nature of Capita Private Cloud means customers can choose exactly what they need and only pay for what they use, so it is good for cloud-bursting duties.   Furthermore, customers have access to 2,000 pre-tested cloud applications via a self-service portal, allowing them to easily tailor, monitor and manage services. 

Andy Parker, deputy chief executive at Capita, said: “Cloud computing has become an integral part of many businesses from across the public and private sector. Clients we work with at Capita, from NHS trusts and local authorities through to retailers and manufacturers, have told us that they want the benefits of cloud but are concerned about security and complexity.

“Capita Private Cloud takes that uncertainty away by offering a simple, cost-effective solution that customers can have access to within minutes. The combination of public and private cloud services, with the support of a dedicated account manager and technical experts, means businesses can meet all their IT requirements in one place. In addition, managing all cloud platforms together in Capita’s UK datacentres guarantees data security and sovereignty - a key for many public or highly regulated companies, such as banks and pension providers.”