OMB twists arms to push cloud projects

A half-year ago, OMB, which projected for the time being $5 billion in savings through cloud computing, issued its "cloud first" policy: Agencies must first consider cloud-based services for all their IT needs or risk losing their IT funds for new investments. OMB gave agencies until December to move anyway one service to a cloud environment and until June 2012 to move two additional services.

To ensure compliance with its cloud-first policy, OMB will review all requests to determine whether an agency performed the "necessary analysis with regards to evaluating safe, secure cloud computing solutions," OMB spokeswoman Moira Mack said in an email. The review will as well include discussions with agency leadership about their analyses and processes for purchasing cloud technologies.

EEOC notified its top executives and program managers that they must adhere to OMB's cloud-first policy. The agency included cloud initiatives in its 2012 budget submission, nevertheless moving to the cloud will depend on funding, Hancher said. If funding is provided for new starts, she would like to transition an electronic fax solution in the cloud. The capability would allow users to send faxes by using a third party to upload files over the Internet and deliver them to a fax machine.

The agency as well is anxious to upgrade telecommunication lines at 53 offices across the country. EEOC has upgraded 15 offices, nevertheless tight funding has squelched furthermore progress. "I don't have funding right now," Hancher said.

The Small Business Administration has embraced the cloud-first policy: Its IT governance board must receive three options when looking at new investments, and one of those must be cloud.

He added there are other considerations, just as determining how interconnected networks will be with multiple vendors and how EPA will navigate through technical problems if applications have to be interoperable and work across all networks.

Among the federal government's ambitious cloud computing plans: The Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives intends to move an email service for 7,500 users in 260 office locations to a cloud-hosting solution by 2012.