Benefits for the Research & Education Community


The OCRE Cloud Framework standardized contractual vehicle offers the R&E community the possibility to easily access to Cloud-based Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform as-a-Service (PaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technologies and related professional services, under special commercial terms, bypassing the complexity associated to the identification and selection of the proper services through a full tender process and to the finalization of agreements with individual providers.

In this respect, GÉANT and the NREN (National Research and Education Network) can provide procurement and technical advice to their member institutions and may assist in brokering contracts under the framework on behalf of individual institutions. Alternatively, within this framework, member institutions can sign an agreement directly with Sparkle without NREN involvement, named Call-Off Contract.

Main Benefits

  • Customers can access special discount programmes
  • Service Authentication is supported through eduGAIN, the global research and education infrastructure for Single Sign On access
  • Data Egress Charges Exemption: no charge is applied to the traffic generated from Google resources i.e. to the data transfer out from the cloud platform to the Internet, with no limit on the contract value
  • Network of selected Cloud Professional Service Providers established by Sparkle and identified on a geographic basis to serve Customers on-site and in local language, in order to offer consultancy, design and coordination of migration projects, development of cloud native applications, operations and management, training
  • Sparkle and Google Cloud can grant direct connectivity with GÉANT network leveraging on their common presence in several peering points
  • Customers are supported by a Contact Center operating 24x7 and by a Competence Center providing first specialist support as well as introductory workshops to facilitate Customer’s service on-boarding.

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