Google, Microsoft Vie to Sell Cloud Mail to U.S. Government. Army Outlines Cloud Computing Strategy -- Cloud Computing -- Inf. Application consolidation and server virtualization are steps in a broader plan to consolidate data centers and offer cloud services across Army operations. The CIO of the Army has imposed a moratorium on server purchases across Army operations. The move is aimed at stopping the proliferation of single-purpose servers as the Army begins consolidating data centers and creating compute clouds in select data centers. A memo announcing the moratorium was issued last month by Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, the Army's CIO. "We want to review all server purchases" before they're made, said Michael Krieger, deputy CIO of the Army, in an interview with InformationWeek.
With 1.4 million users and an IT budget of approximately $10 billion, the Army is one of the largest IT user organizations in the world. Phase one of the Army's data center consolidation initiative involves relocating data centers from Fort Belvoir (Virginia) and U.S. More Insights. The Pentagon sees its future in the cloud -- Federal Computer We. The Pentagon sees its future in the cloud The military seeks to make cloud computing a standard operating procedure There always comes a point as one technology chapter gives way to the next when the question that systems architects ask themselves changes from “Would the new way work for our project?” To “Why wouldn’t we use the new way?” That happened in the evolution from mainframe to client/server computing, then again in the transition from client/server to Web-based applications. Now it appears that point has come with cloud computing — a new model for scalable, on-demand computing services that users access via the Internet.
One would be hard-pressed to find a proposal for a new government technology project in which some form of cloud computing wasn’t at least an option. However, cloud computing has arguably had its biggest impact so far in the military. The most recent and biggest example is the Army’s Enterprise Messaging and Collaboration Services (EMCS) program. GSA releases cloud procurement request, debuts new web site -- W. GSA solicitation solidifies cloud commitment Agency also launches web site to support Apps.gov Efforts to make cloud computing services accessible to federal agencies gained new traction in recent days with the release of a long-awaited procurement notice for computing infrastructure services, the launch of a new cloud computing reference web site, and staffing moves to support FedRAMP, a program aimed at streamlining security certification. Katie Lewin, General Services Administration program manager for the Cloud Computing Initiative announced last week that GSA's revised request for quotation for computing infrastructure as a service, has been released for industry response.
GSA is focusing on procuring three kinds of infrastructure computing services: Cloud storage services, virtual machines, and Cloud Web hosting services. Related stories: NIST portal could get cloud standards to fly GSA readies acquisition of cloud infrastructure services FedRAMP: The dawn of approve-once, use often? The Cloud Computing Bookstore. Federal government seeks bids for cloud computing services. Local companies are hoping to help the federal government move into cloud -- or Internet-based -- computing, as the General Services Administration prepares to select vendors able to offer the services to federal agencies. The GSA and federal officials are touting the promise of the new technology, but the Government Accountability Office warns that federal agencies remain concerned about potential security risks. David L. McClure, associate administrator for the GSA's Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, said the agency plans to announce its selection of approved vendors in September.
Federal agencies are not barred from selecting contractors off the list, but such acquisitions can be more complicated. "We've devised an acquisition vehicle that allows agencies to get access to these services in a very competitively priced environment and one that's simplified, so we think it will be a win-win both for industry as well as for agencies," McClure said. Reinventing government e-mail: GSA accelerates shift to Web serv. You're 600 miles from the home office, immersed in a critical negotiation when disaster strikes: Your laptop spills to the floor, the hard drive crashes, and you can't restart.
Everything is lost — e-mail, address book, calendar, spreadsheets and critical documents. Now, imagine if all those critical files weren't actually residing on your laptop at all. Instead, they exist "in the cloud," accessible anywhere at anytime from any computer, and easily shared among you and your colleagues. That is how the General Services Administration sees the future of federal computing: a more efficient, less costly and more flexible approach that strips both files and programs from individual computers and instead makes them accessible via the Internet. GSA issued a request for proposals last week for a system that would replace PC-based programs with a single, integrated Web-based solution for e-mail, instant messaging and online conferencing. Security concerns Industry is optimistic Related reading.