Government Agencies Moving to Cloud Computing, Study Shows
August 11, 2011
Nearly a year after the federal government instructed agencies to opt for cloud-based technologies, about two-thirds have identified applications to move to the cloud, with half of those already commencing the migration process, according to a survey conducted by ScienceLogic, a Reston, VA-based provider of IT operations and cloud management software…
In November 2010, the federal government, in a cost-cutting move, issued a directive to agencies to opt for cloud-based technologies whenever possible, followed in February, 2011 by a report entitled Federal Cloud Computing Strategy that detailed the government’s cloud strategy authored by Vivek Kundra, U.S. Chief Information Officer.
According to the strategy report, as much as $20 billion, or 25 percent of the government’s $80 billion IT budget is a “potential target for migration to cloud computing solutions.”
Kundra first articulated the government’s so-called Cloud First strategy in December, 2010, under which all government agencies are required to identify and migrate three services to the cloud within 18 months, fully transitioning at least one service within a 12-month period.
Data from the ScienceLogic study was gathered from 113 attendees at the Federal Office Systems Exhibition, (FOSE), a government technology event, held July 19 – 21 in Washington, D.C.
The data showed that the move to cloud computing is not without impediments. Among those study participants that have begun cloud migration, some 92 percent worried about performance and availability of cloud-hosted services. About 63 percent said that they will need more tools to manage and monitor government cloud resources.
More than 32 percent of respondents said that to meet the cloud directive they will need to hire personnel with cloud skills. About 34 percent said that re-training of existing staff will suffice while 12 percent of participants said they will employ a combination of new hires and re-trained staff to meet cloud requirements.
Survey data also indicated that 79 percent of respondents are concerned about performance and availability of applications in the cloud; nine percent are worried about the performance and availability of services hosted in the cloud; and, 40 percent said that the government’s cloud initiative has impacted their planned IT operations while 38 percent are waiting to see how or if the cloud policy will make a difference to them.
Another concern of the study’s participants is Kundra’s forthcoming resignation from his position, slated for this month. About 65 percent of respondents are concerned that budget allocated to implement the cloud policy will recede after Kundra leaves.
“While our survey indicates the Cloud First policy has not achieved rapid adoption, two-thirds of respondents have taken some action towards cloud deployments, highlighting the continued desire for cloud computing within the government,” said David Link, ScienceLogic chief executive.
“An overwhelming majority however are concerned about safeguarding IT services in this new cloud environment, which may be why swift government cloud adoption has stalled,” he said. “This is not surprising considering the precursors to cloud, including virtualization and data center consolidation, present their own complex IT management challenges,” he said.
“With Kundra leaving office, uncertainty around budget, tools and staff have put government organizations in a holding pattern,” Link said.