Judging by yesterday's ScotlandIS' Digital Technology where two of the seven were scooped by Cloud services companies, the Tartan Cloud is certainly emerging.

IFB claims it has been recognised as one of a limited list of UK providers ready to deliver next generation Internet services.  RIPE, the collaborative forum for those interested in wide area IP networks has awarded the IPv6 RIPEness rating to IFB, the only Scottish provider at present to secure this.   Under this system IFB can 'win' up to four ‘stars’ for IPv6 services. 

These are determined by the following criteria: IPv6 allocation, visibility in the Routing Information Service (RIS), route6 object in the RIPE Database and a reverse DNS delegation set up.

Graeme Gordon, operations director of IFB says, “The ICT sector in Scotland contributes 5% of Gross Value Added (GVA) and it employs one in 20 individuals. The expertise and skills present in Scotland within the ICT sector are phenomenal and its Naturally Cool environment makes it ideal for the location of data centres, driven by renewable energy sources.
 
“To drive the sector forward and make the Tartan Cloud a reality, it is vital that Scottish based companies look to the ICT expertise and services available to them locally, rather than opting for big names in overseas locations.  However, there are challenges associated with this process and it won’t happen overnight. 

EU regulations restrict preferential treatment to local companies in a procurement process and there is still a lack of confidence or awareness in the services available. Other countries such as France and Germany manage to award a large percentage of their contracts, with almost all of their contracts below £1million to in-country providers –  a model that I think Scotland can follow.”


Courtesy

The one day Information and Communication Technology: Supporting Public Service conference explored future of Scottish ICT, the state of public sector ICT infrastructure in Scotland, identifying what policy options are considered at Scottish and UK levels. Collaborative workshops, hosted by industry and public sector leaders will prepare delegates for post-election progress. 

Keynote speakers included (left) John McClelland, chair Scottish Funding Council, (right) Bill McCluggage,deputy Government CIO and director of ICT strategy and policy, Cabinet Office, UK Government, and (below left) Professor Jim Norton, president elect of the British Computer Society, and the Chartered Institute of IT.