about. [
Note: Virtualization allows for the ability to separate the physical layout of a network and its devicesfrom how uses are organized into workgroups
]
On risks and opportunities
“The advantages of cloud computing include minimal capital investments in infrastructure, essentiallyallowing a customer to pay as it goes for what is consumed. Therefore the government does not have to gettied into one vendor or a set of vendors. In addition, the ongoing overhead costs associated with hardwareand software upgrades are minimized. Cloud computing allows for multiple data centers and increasesavailability of computing resources across agencies, thus providing massive scalability. Fault tolerance,reliability, and scalability represent just a few of the many potential advantages of cloud computing asopposed to an on-premise computing environment. Effective planning is of paramount importance. Agenciesshould employ the federal enterprise architecture principles of architecting, investing, and implementingwisely in order to ensure a smooth transition to the target environment. As a continuous improvement effort,this performance improvement lifecycle enables optimization.Risk mitigation needs to be a part of any cloud computing strategy. The risks associated with cloudcomputing are the same risks associated with any investment in technology. We can manage it by usingfirewalls, encryption, authentication, VLANs and other devices at our disposal. In addition, regulatorycompliance will drive implementation. Securing the cloud computing perimeter is important, yet we need toacknowledge that the greatest risk to penetration resides within the perimeter.
On cloud computing pilots
DISA’sRapid Access Computing Environment (RACE) is a well-regarded cloud computing pilot. In this case,
there is a “fee for service,” where a customer comes to DISA and pays for services provided. RACE istherefore a shared services cloud that gives DISA customers on-demand, self-service access. RACE islocated in one place (within DISA) unlike many cloud computing platforms but customers get a full range of options that are available to cloud computing clients.
[Note: Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is heavily committed to cloud computing.John Garing ,the CIO of DISA has said: "If you deploy a force somewhere in the world for disaster relief ... or a special operations team, they ought to be able to connect to the network like you or I can from home, and bring together or compose ... the services and information they need for what they're doing at that particular placeand time, rather than have to connect to a bunch of applications."]
On lessons learned/best practices
I find it useful to think of the technology challenge as: what is the “as-is?” what is the “to be?” and "how doyou get there?". Agencies need to be flexible and responsive as technology changes. For instance, when Ibought my wife the Kindle2, I thought I was ahead of the curve. And yet the next day I read in theWashington Post that the Kindle3 is ready to roll-out! This is yet another example of how fast technologyevolves. Cloud computing represents the evolution of how infrastructure and software can be delivered andutilized as services. In line with President Obama’s participatory and collaborative government theme,sharing best practices is a step in the right direction.I still feel, though, that the biggest challenges are related to how we can change the culture of the agenciesand encourage service orientation,virtualization, and standardization.
On privacy
Handling privacy is an issue that needs to be addressed adequately. In a public cloud, a third party wouldown and operate the computer infrastructure, and federal agencies would need to rely on these providers,even in cases of classified information or where there are compliance issues. This may not meet federalneeds. What is more likely is that some services are likely to be kept within government perimeter and other services and data in a private cloud. Trust is perhaps the most important issue where privacy is concerned;we need to be cognizant of relevant laws and regulations such asSarbannes-Oxleyand HealthInsurance
Portability and Accountability Act(HIPAA). With different agencies building data centers, we need to managefor social engineering risks, as well as maintain security and build reliability using typical tools such asfirewalls etc. that I mentioned earlier.
Managing cloud computing
GSA, under the direction of CIO Casey Coleman, is the agency that has been designated by the Vivek
Kundra to lead the federal cloud computing program. This federal working group is building on the ITInfrastructure Line of Business (ITI LoB) initiative. Several different agencies are represented in the Federal
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