3rd Annual Cloud Connect event kicks off

Sessions begin tomorrow and include everything from “Attacking and Defending Cloud Computing” to “Building Trust and Compliance in the Cloud,” “How to Operate Securely Using the Cloud,” and “Cloud Regulation.”

Cloud computing may be a familiar term for chief information officers however that’s not the case for chief financial officers, according to two new surveys from CFO Magazine.

When asked to describe their current approach to cloud computing, 29 percent of the CFOs surveyed admit they aren’t sure what cloud computing as a matter of fact means. Another 27 percent say they are exploring cloud options now don’t know if they’ll use cloud services.

The CFOs currently using the cloud

Of the CFOs currently using the cloud and those that believe they will use the cloud, 44 percent say cloud computing will allow them to “significantly rethink and restructure [their] overall IT strategy.”

The General Services Administration already has a project management office set up for cloud computing where it is working on a few initiatives including infrastructure-as-a-service, software-as-a-service, and email-as-a-service.

So with infrastructure-as-a-service, can we align the service offerings from the commercial vendors after a fashion that the government wants to buy it in order to meet its cloud computing objectives. How can we tweak that a little bit to put it in the place and the way the agencies want to buy it in order to be successful in their operations?

The National Endowment for the Humanities doesn’t use cloud computing outside of a test environment currently however Brett Bobley, the agency’s chief information officer, is looking to change that.

He tells Federal News Radio one of his main priorities is pinpointing areas where the agency can use cloud computing to increase efficiency and save money.

It was a big week for cloud computing on Federal News Radio – from NASA’s Nebula cloud to more information on OMB’s Cloud Computing Strategy. Plus, we learned what budget cuts might mean for the cloud…

NASA demos open source cloud computingHear how NASA is pairing its Nebula platform with open source cloud initiatives to pave the way in governmentwide transitions between private and public cloud computing. We hear from NASA Chief Research Officer Chris Kemp.

OMB strategy lays a path to the cloudWe told you last week about the Office of Management and Budget’s new Federal Cloud Computing Strategy. While the Cloud/Gov 2011 conference last week, Sanjeev Bhagowalia, the associate administrator in the General Services Administration’s Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, gave more details on the strategy and where agencies need to go then when it comes to the cloud.

GSA gathers input to improve acquisition processMary Davie told an audience eventually week’s Federal Networks conference one of GSA’s priorities is helping agencies adopt a cloud-first policy. She said 12 cloud-related blanket purchase agreements will be ready for agencies in March and GSA will launch FedRamp in October.

IT opportunities exist in spite of budget doom and gloomCloud computing is one of the areas that will most likely see growth over the straightway few years in spite of spending reductions, according to a new Federal IT Services Industry Outlook report.

According to estimates, the departments of Homeland Security and Treasury have the most potential to save. Both agencies reported to the Office of Management and Budget they believe they could save over $2.4 billion each by using cloud computing. The Defense Department, Veterans Affairs, and Transportation believe they could save over $2 billion each.

The need to provide highly reliable

“The cloud computing model can significantly help agencies grappling with the need to provide highly reliable, innovative services quickly in spite of resource constraints,” Kundra said.

“By consolidating data cen­ters and leveraging cloud computing the Federal Government will reduce the Nation’s data center footprint, strengthen security, and yield savings in the form of real estate, energy, equipment, and maintenance costs that can at the time be redirected to­ward the projects with the greatest benefit to the American taxpayer.”

Sanjay Sardar is the deputy chief information officer at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In an interview on Federal News Radio’s Ask the CIO program, Sardar says FERC is testing or considering cloud computing options for email, Web hosting and data storage. Sardar says one of his top priorities this year is to improve the IT mobility of the agency’s employees.

The CSA is a non-profit organization

The CSA is a non-profit organization. It was formed in 2008 "to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within cloud computing, and provide education on the uses of cloud computing to help secure all other forms of computing."