If you read technology news headlines, you already know about the buzz surrounding cloud computing. It is one of the hottest industry topics and organizations in nearly every vertical and throughout the world are taking notice of this platform (as it can increase functionality while reducing cost.)

The benefits of cloud computing have not escaped the current administration and Obama has been pushing for improved efficiency in IT systems. His administration has also been promoting the idea of greater transparency through the use of innovative technology.
 
With the introduction of a new mandate, Federal chief operating officer Vivek Kundra has begun his campaign for moving government IT into the cloud.

In a recent Industry Perspectives piece, Bruce Hart, chief operating officer of Terremark Federal Group, explores the potential changes and what this type of move means for the security of the infrastructure and subsequent data. Public-facing websites and user-friendly formats hold great promise, but does government IT have the tools in place to meet the demands of such an infrastructure?

Hart asks the even bigger question of whether or not cloud computing can meet these infrastructure demands. Traditionally, agencies throughout government have deployed and managed their own IT infrastructure, which increased the security and compliance of the data. In moving to the cloud, information owners and users would no longer need to work directly with the supporting physical infrastructure to gain benefit.

Moving on to the bigger question, Hart explores whether or not there is a model to increase scalability while also reducing the costs of the infrastructure. Never before have departments been able to access data publically for interdepartmental collaboration. As a result, chief information officers had predictable peak times.

This new approach presents many unknowns in volume and a lack of necessary resources can impede the availability of real-time information and put the organization at risk in times of crises. Extra capacity to accommodate peaks is possible, but would result in idle capacity and would not be cost effective.

On the flip side, IT decision-makers can deploy a massively scalable, shared virtualized infrastructure that allows for the avoidance of capital expenditures and reduces operating expenses. When spikes in volume occur, additional capacity can be immediately enabled and such resources can be retired when not needed.

Even with this availability, chief information officers are still faced with the challenge of ensuring they can secure their investments in the cloud. The will have a challenge in balancing mandated, broader access to data while also complying with various federal protocols for IT systems security. Managed security services should be delivered through the cloud to fully protect mission-critical data and services.

So far, this is somewhat uncharted territory, but not completely. Hart highlights the successes of two websites, USA.gov and Data.gov. The General Services Administration relied on Terremark's Enterprise Cloud infrastructure to provide hosting, storage and disaster recovery services for the Web portal that serves as the primary source of information about U.S. federal, state and local government services.

By moving to the cloud, GSA (News - Alert) (News - Alert) was able to avoid paying for idle server time without compromising its ability to perform as expected. Kundra noted that the organization was able to reduce annual costs from $2.5 million to $800,000 by moving to the cloud. In addition, such an agile computing infrastructure enables GSA to update USA.gov in 24 hours instead of six months.

So, does the cloud make sense for government agencies? Hart noted, 'Both the cloud computing provider and government users understand the challenges in federal, state and local government market, identify the areas that cloud computing can bring the most IT efficiencies, and raise the levels of awareness and trust in the model.'