How the cloud helps SMEs gain public sector clout

In the past, contracts for important public sector projects were awarded only to big, established firms. Now cloud computing is democratising the system, paving the way for nimble, specialised smaller companies

Once upon a time, it was difficult for smaller businesses to win public sector contracts to provide IT services, particularly for central government.

The biggest challenge was that many procurement officials believed getting volume discounts in one transaction was the best way to deliver value for taxpayers’ money. This may sound logical, but once supply is aggregating to a high-enough level, there are only a few suppliers that can come close to satisfying demand.