Feds Launch Site Hawking Cloud Services
Kundra: Apps.gov to Start Small but to Scale Rapidly
In a speech at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., federal CIO Vivek Kundra said the new portal, run by the General Services Administration, is a one-stop source for cloud services that should save taxpayers money.
"The federal government spends over $75 billion annually on information technology," Kundra said. "This technology supports every mission our government performs - from defending our borders to protecting the environment. IT is essential for the government to do its work, and it is essential that we have access to the latest and most innovative technologies."
Kundra noted that federal agencies and departments encounter many difficulties in deploying new IT services and products, and that procurement processes can be confusing and time-consuming. "Security procedures are complex, costly, lengthy and duplicative across agencies," he said. "Our policies lag behind new trends, causing unnecessary restrictions on the use of new technology. Past practices too often resulted in inefficient use of purchased IT capabilities across the federal government. We are dedicated to addressing these barriers and to improving the way government leverages new technology."
Still, Kundra conceded that it will take time before the government realizes the full potential of cloud computing, in which services, applications and data are accessed over the Internet.
"Apps.gov is starting small - with the goal of rapidly scaling it up in size," he said. "Along the way, we will need to address various issues related to security, privacy, information management and procurement to expand our cloud computing services. Over time, as we work through these concerns and offer more services through Apps.gov, federal agencies will be able to get the capabilities they need to fulfill their missions at lower cost, faster, and ultimately, in a more sustainable manner."
