As agencies look for ways to cut costs and consolidate IT systems, the government’s move to a secure cloud computing environment is accelerating. The Coalition for Government Procurement is proud to announce an additional speaker to join our Cloud Computing Breakfast event on February 28th, 2012. Mark Day, Director of GSA’s Office of Strategic Programs at the Office of Integrated Technology Services (ITS), will be joining Dave McClure, Associate Administrator of the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies at GSA to discuss a host of issues concerning cloud computing. Mark Day manages GSA’s strategic government-wide information technology programs, including responding to Executive Orders, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives and the changing needs of customer agencies. He oversees ITS’ Center for GWAC Programs and Center for Strategic Solutions and Security Services. During the breakfast, important topics will include the certification and approval process for FedRAMP, a breakdown of security controls and requirements, and how the FedRAMP program fits into the government-wide cloud computing and IT strategy.
As reported in an article by Federal News Radio, Dave McClure recently announced that GSA is planning to launch an online market place for cloud computing solutions by the end of 2012. According to McClure, GSA wants to “create a robust environment so that the government is maximizing the use of its computing environment, which is not occurring and which has not occurred historically.” The marketplace will allow agencies to offer excess storage, virtualization, and other software-as-a-service offerings to other agencies for a fee. Some of the areas that have been identified as probable offerings in the marketplace include financial management, human resources, customer relationship management, and geospatial services.
Consistent with the constrained budget environment, the recently released FY2013 budget detailed efforts to cut costs by consolidating IT systems across the government in order to increase the utilization of a secure cloud-based environment. In addition to increased investment in cybersecurity and the revamping of information systems, the budget lays out a number of cuts to increase efficiency and decrease costs in information technology systems. Overall the FY 2013 budget request from President Obama calls for a cut of slightly more than 1 percent in funding for all of federal IT. The move to the cloud is an increasingly critical issue for the contracting community. The constant threat of cyber attacks from various entities has ushered in a new focus on protecting networks and data. To hear the latest on cloud computing and the future of Federal IT programs, join Dave McClure and Mark Day and register for the Coalition for Government Procurement’s Cloud Computing Breakfast!
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