Oracle and Quistor accelerate digital transformation in European Universities and Research Centres with cloud technology
OCRE (Open Clouds for Research Environments) is a GÉANT initiative (the pan-European data network for the research and education community) led in Spain by Red.es, aimed at supporting the development of the European Research and Education (R&E) fabric in its journey towards digital transformation through the cloud. Quistor, a 100% Oracle partner, has been officially awarded the OCRE Framework Agreement for Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Italy, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
This recognition positions Quistor as the exclusive distributor, within the terms of the OCRE Framework Agreement, for Oracle Cloud services for universities and research centres in these six countries for the next four years. During this period, Oracle and Quistor will support the R&E community by offering consulting, migration, implementation, training and management services to all those institutions that want to move to the Oracle Cloud, facilitating and simplifying the procurement process and public tenders.
Luis Mediero, Quistor’s Director of Technology and Cloud, pointed out that these institutions need to “stay connected, agile and adaptable to the change of pace. And to achieve this they need tailored solutions, consultancy and migration services, and disaster recovery capabilities”.
The power of Oracle Cloud solutions for the education and research sectors, coupled with Quistor’s expertise in cloud consulting, project management and managed services, has tipped the balance in favour of the Oracle partner, which will work with education and research organizations on their digital transformation following a unique roadmap.
Quistor, who won the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Partner of the Year award in 2020, is committed to delivering best-in-class tools, software solutions, 24×7 services, and expertise to provide maximum flexibility to the European research and education sector.
Javier Prego, COO of Quistor: “At Quistor we believe that this agreement is the definitive boost for Universities and Research Centres to join the Cloud and thus take advantage of all the potential that technology can bring them in the field of research and teaching. We are excited to be part of this much-needed digital transformation process. In the Quistor-Oracle alliance, they will find the companions that will accompany them on their journey towards the Oracle Cloud”.
According to Rocio Bueno, Cloud Account Manager for Universities at Oracle, “This agreement will mark a turning point in the digital transformation of Universities in Europe, allowing faster access to a multitude of first-class Cloud services and taking advantage of the full potential of Oracle’s autonomous capabilities and artificial intelligence”.
OCRE project, powered by GÉANT
The Open Clouds for Research Environments (OCRE) project was initiated by GÉANT, the organization that interconnects national technology networks, infrastructures, and services for Research and Education. This network, which is co-funded by the European Commission, has 39 National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) partners across Europe and connects a total of 50 million users in more than 10,000 institutions.
OCRE seeks to accelerate cloud adoption in the R&E community to keep up the pace with a market which is in constant transformation, where organizations must continually rethink their digital strategy.
To successfully undertake the project, OCRE has brought together cloud providers and the R&E community through out-of-the-box service agreements. These agreements will facilitate easier access to cloud services for institutions, eliminating the need for complex public procurement and tenders. Through funding from the European Commission, OCRE will make €4 million in loans available to research institutions.
OCRE have been working since 2019 to reach framework agreements with specialized companies that meet a series of specific requirements and that facilitate the adoption of the cloud and enable the institutions potentially benefiting from this project to achieve savings.
Press release @OracleSpain