Light To Guide Our Feet Victory Bulletin - Cloud-Based Infrastructure as a Service Comes to Government

Cloud-Based Infrastructure as a Service Comes to Government

WASHINGTON - - (October 19, 2010) - - The U.S. General Services Administration announced today that federal, state, local, and tribal governments will soon have access to cloud-based Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings through the government’s cloud-based services storefront, Apps.gov. GSA’s IaaS contract award allows vendors to provide government entities with cloud storage, virtual machines, and Web hosting services to support a continued expansion of governments’ IT capabilities into cloud computing environments.

“Offering IaaS on Apps.gov makes sense for the federal government and for the American people. Cloud computing services help to deliver on this Administration’s commitment to provide better value for the American taxpayer by making government more efficient,” said federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra. “Cloud solutions not only help to lower the cost of government operations, they also drive innovation across government.”

Each year, the government spends tens of billions of dollars on IT products and services, with a heavy focus on maintaining current infrastructure needs and demands. A major element of every federal agency’s IT infrastructure includes storage, computing power, and website hosting. These new Cloud Infrastructure offerings can be a way for agencies to realize cost savings, efficiencies, and modernization without having to expend capital resources expanding their existing infrastructure.

On Apps.gov, IaaS offerings will include on-demand self-service that allows government entities to utilize and discontinue use of products when and as needed. Resource pooling for practically unlimited storage and automatic monitoring of resource utilization are also features. IaaS offerings will also be provided with rapid elasticity for real-time, customizable scaling of service and automatic provisioning of virtual machines, storage, and bandwidth, and visibility into service usage and order management through measured services.

Prior to making IaaS products available through Apps.gov, vendors must complete the Certification & Accreditation (C&A) process at the FISMA Moderate Impact Data security level as administered by GSA. Once granted authority to operate, services will be made available for purchase by government entities through the Apps.gov storefront.

“Through offerings such as IaaS, GSA is providing government entities with easy access to cost-saving, high-value, more efficient technology solutions by doing a major part of the procurement processes upfront,” said GSA Associate Administrator of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies Dave McClure.” By continuously working with industry, GSA’s cloud-based services available through Apps.gov are secure, compliant, and save taxpayer dollars by reducing duplication of security processes across government.”

Awarded vendors have assembled skilled teams that will support the development of quality services for government agencies. Awarded vendors and their associated teams include:

o Apptis Inc. partnered with Amazon Web Services
o AT&T
o Autonomic Resources partnered with Carpathia, Enomaly, and Dell
o CGI Federal Inc.
o Computer Literacy World partnered with Electrosoft, XO Communications and Secure Networks
o Computer Technologies Consultants, Inc., partnered with Softlayer, Inc.
o Eyak Tech LLC
o General Dynamics Information Technology partnered with Carpathia
o Insight Public Sector partnered with Microsoft
o Savvis Federal Systems
o Verizon Federal Inc.

Courtesy US General Services Administration

Pub: www.ltgof.com Light To Guide Our Feet Victory Bulletin [LTGOFVB October 2010]