This week the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) marked another milestone in the US Federal Government’s march to the cloud with Cloud Computing Workshop IV. Held at the NIST Gaithersburg campus, November 1-3, attendees had the pleasure of hearing Federal CIO Seven Van Roekel as the first day’s keynote speaker.

Mr. Van Roekel highlighted the great partnership that has been establish between government and industry around cloud computing. He also reaffirmed the administration’s support for cloud computing, praising NIST for their effectiveness in fulfilling a unique leadership role.

Describing cloud computing as a “once in a lifetime opportunity”, the Federal CIO was most excited about the newly released US Government Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap. Citing the incredible pressure now being levied by citizens around what they expect from their government, he stated that cloud computing would clearly help in addressing many important needs.

During the keynote address, Mr. Van Roekel also highlighted how the Federal Risk and Authorization Management (FedRAMP) will affect federal cloud service procurement. In explaining recent late changes in the upcoming cloud computing risk management process, he noted that FedRAMP will:

• Standup a common federal baseline for cloud computing
• Reduce the cost and increase the speed of cloud transition
• Will be mandatory for all agencies going to the cloud
• Will be used by DHS to monitor federal cyber security

He also warned against making false trades between cyber security and innovation stating that cloud computing can give the government more security by providing an opportunity to re-think and re-architect federal cyberspace.

The USG Cloud Computing Roadmap is being released in three mutually supporting volumes. Volume I, High-Priority Requirements to Further USG Agency Cloud Computing Adoption, is aimed at interested parties who wish to gain a general understanding and overview of the background, purpose, context, work, results, and next steps of the USG Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap initiative.

It reflects the collective inputs of USG agencies through the Federal CIO Council-sponsored Cloud Computing Standards and Technology Working Group. Volume II, Useful Information for Cloud Adopters, is designed to be a technical reference for those actively working on strategic and tactical cloud computing initiatives. It integrates and summarizes the work completed to date, and explains how these findings support the roadmap introduced in Volume I.

The third volume, Technical Considerations for USG Cloud Computing Deployment Decisions, will serve as a guide for decision makers who are planning and implementing cloud computing solutions by explaining how the technical work and resources in Volume II can be applied, consistent with the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy ―Decision Framework for Cloud Migration.

Kevin Jackson is currently General Manager, Cloud Services, at NJVC, LLC.
Mr. Jackson is the founder and author of “Cloud Musings“. His first book, GovCloud: Cloud Computing for the Business of Government was released in March 2011. Kevin has also been recently named CIO of GovCloud.com (http://www.govcloud.com)