Progressing according to plan; proposed future CEO named
Since the announcement of Bleu in May 2021, Capgemini and Orange have been working closely together to confirm the target model, validate the technical solution with Microsoft, and initiate the development phase. In parallel, Capgemini and Orange are progressing with ANSSI to ensure Bleu Cloud services are designed to comply with SecNumCloud3 requirements. The new company is expected to be set up in 2022, after receiving the necessary regulatory approvals. Jean Coumaros, currently Chief Transformation Officer and member of the Group Executive Committee at Capgemini, has been selected by the two shareholders as the proposed CEO of the future Bleu joint venture.
Bleu will start engaging with the market by the end of 2022
Once established, Bleu will promote its services and invite clients to prepare for their trusted cloud (“Cloud de Confiance”) migration through the Bleu “Readiness Program”. The objective of this program, which will be supported by Capgemini, Orange and an ecosystem of future partners, will be to ensure that clients are ready to transition when the platform is available. It will enable organizations to get trained, to initiate key preparation tasks, and to run trials and pilots.
Bleu’s Cloud platform to be available in 2024
In 2024 Bleu will be able to offer Microsoft Azure services and core Microsoft 365 services. The Bleu platform will be launched on a geographically distributed set of datacenters in France, meeting high resilience and availability requirements. Regular update processes will ensure that Bleu clients benefit from innovations delivered by Microsoft for Azure and Microsoft 365.
“Since the initial announcement of Bleu in May last year, Capgemini and Orange have been working hand in hand to progress the technical and regulatory aspects required to make this trusted cloud (“Cloud de Confiance”) project a reality,” comments Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer of the Capgemini Group. Bleu brings a unique combination of benefits for clients in terms of security, service offering, and the widest range of the latest technology innovations. We are now looking forward to the implementation of the planned next steps so that organizations can prepare a smooth migration journey.”
“As an independent French company, 100% owned by French shareholders, Bleu will bring an unprecedented value proposition to French State and critical infrastructure operators. From now, our main ambition with our partner Capgemini is to make sure that clients are ready to benefit from Bleu services as soon as the platform is available and initiate their transition with the best support and guidance. This is the purpose of the Bleu Readiness Program. Trust is at the core of Orange value and is a key trigger for the French and European cloud ecosystem rise,”comments Christel Heydemann, Chief Executive Officer of Orange.
With this unique partnership, Bleu will offer Microsoft 365 and a broad range of Microsoft Azure services, including IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, in a “Cloud de Confiance” environment.
1Timing is subject to regulatory approval.
2 The “Cloud de Confiance” label complies with the French State’s cloud doctrine that requires SecNumCloud qualification from the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI), as well as compliance with legal provisions.
3 SecNumCloud is a referential of the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) which enables the qualification of cloud services demonstrating a high level of security and trust