Cloud Computing in Texas, Chief Innovation Officers and Cyberthreats

Grazed from Governing. Author: Tod Newcombe.

In a sign of government’s growing confidence in cloud computing, Texas has announced plans to move 100,000 state workers onto Microsoft’s cloud. The deal is the “largest statewide cloud deployment” in the U.S., according to Microsoft. The contract will give workers access to Office 365, which includes email and collaboration tools and is in compliance with the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services as well as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act security standards.

The program’s ability to meet stringent standards was one of the main reasons Texas chose Microsoft’s cloud computing service, according to Todd Kimbriel, director of e-government for the Texas Department of Information Resources. Another reason Texas is embracing cloud computing is to hold down technology costs. “We’re paying about a 75 percent discount now compared to what we were paying a competitor four years ago,” Kimbriel said…

Cloud computing has taken off in the private sector, but government has been slow to embrace the trend, often citing security issues and the need to keep control of data, hardware and networks. But the recession’s severe impact on state budgets forced many states and localities to adopt and use the next generation of computing at a more rapid pace…

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