FedRAMP

GSA expands to 15 the number of #FedRAMP-accredited Third Party Assessment Orgs (3PAO) 1.usa.gov/Ke1ugG #GovIT #cloud #digitalgov @aolgov

Cloud computing isn’t just about technology – it is about transformation, leadership and change. When it comes to government IT, cloud is typically 80% of the discussion, but only 20% of the budget.

With the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 18-month “Cloud First” deadline passing in June and the federal government hoping to accredit three cloud service providers under FedRAMP by the end of 2012, cloud computing is at the forefront of government IT. Keep reading →

With cloud computing becoming an integral part of the business of government, the recent Derecho storm raised legitimate concerns about the increasing reliance on large, grid-dependent data centers.

As smart, self-healing grids are still years out, cloud service providers are starting to see a new selling point in offering grid-independent solutions. Keep reading →


The Defense Department has launched a barrage of programs across the services to provide its civilian and uniformed personnel with mobile devices. Overseeing this vast and varied process is the Defense Information Systems Agency, which is responsible for running many of the department’s mobile pilot programs and setting up the infrastructure to provide applications and services to warfighters.

The head of DISA and top technology officers outlined how individual agencies fit into those efforts at the Defense & Security Mobile Technologies Symposium in Washington, D.C. last week. Keep reading →

Federal agencies are steadily moving to adopt cloud computing architectures for their IT services. But their progress is still spotty, and there is still a large amount of uncertainty about the technology in the public and private sectors, said Dave McClure, assistant administrator, Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, General Services Administration.

McClure has a bird’s eye view of that progress. His office is responsible for overseeing and managing the GSA’s Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), which is a government-wide effort providing standardized assessment, security and continuous monitoring of cloud products and services. Keep reading →


The benefits of cloud computing are too compelling and numerous for agencies not to take serious adoption steps in this budget-constrained fiscal environment. Some estimate the government can save as much as $14.4 billion through cloud adoption.

Looking ahead, cloud will provide a platform for integrating mobility and BYOD into agencies’ day-to-day operations. The benefits of an increasingly commoditized IT world will be passed along quickly to taxpayers in the form of better and more cost-effective government services delivery. Sooner than expected, the government will be in the “Everything as a Service Era” with the vast majority of IT services being provided virtually via the cloud. Keep reading →

Cloud computing leaders from the governments of Canada, China, Japan and the United States pledged their continued international cooperation to fulfill cloud computing‘s potential to transform public services worldwide.

The leaders made their comments, while also touching on a range of legal, security and data standards issues during an executive session at the 5th annual Cloud Computing Forum & Workshop, sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Tuesday. Keep reading →

Though efforts to consolidate government IT services have failed in the past, experts indicated at a summit on the topic Monday that those lessons will contribute to the ultimate success of the more recent and updated approach known as shared services.

Nearly 200 industry and government executives gathered to learn about the business case for shared IT services and governing the process toward the effort at the Government Information Technology Executive Council (GITEC) Summit in Baltimore, Maryland. Keep reading →


The federal office charged with promoting the sharing of security credentials for government cloud computing systems, known as FedRAMP, has released the first list of accredited Third Party Assessment Organizations (3PAO) approved for testing security controls.

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. Keep reading →

Our organization, (ISC)² recently participated in the IT Acquisition Advisory Council’s 40th IT-AAC Leadership Roundtable, where high-level cloud stakeholders came together to discuss cloud security, FedRAMP and beyond.

Although I was unable to engage live in the roundtable discussion, I do have some thoughts for government officials to consider as they address the many complexities of securing an initiative that holds more promise for the federal government than any other IT innovation in decades — the cloud. Keep reading →

Page 2 of 512345