Cloud Is No Longer the Exception, but the Rule

Remote work, necessitated by the pandemic, accelerated many agencies' move to cloud computing. With remote and dispersed teams here to stay, cloud is a critical, if not primary, infrastructure for a number of organizations. With this wide reliance on cloud, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been releasing Trusted Internet Connections 3.0 Use Cases, which give federal agencies guidance on applying network and multi-boundary security for remote users.

Similarly, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) recently combined its Cloud Computing Program Office (CCPO) with its services directorate and ecosystem. This move, creating the Hosting and Compute Center (HaCC), recognizes the long-term reality of cloud and the role it plays in delivering services and powering everyday work for the agency. The HaCC will be "responsible for providing the warfighter with critical hosting and compute functions using modern data center and cloud capabilities." This functionality supports a number of Defense Department initiatives including Joint All Domain Command and Control.

Acquisition-focused organizations across government have been reworking policies and protocol to ensure cloud technologies can be securely and easily procured by the government for some time. Now with cloud becoming a cornerstone of infrastructure, the ability to quickly buy and begin using cloud technologies is more critical than ever. The General Services Administration (GSA) will launch a cloud marketplace to serve as a one-stop-shop for federal agencies seeking cloud solutions. The marketplace will feature both post-award contract management tools and professional IT services, along with a "foundational set of requirements" to ensure cloud solutions comply with security requirements and FedRAMP guidance.

GovEvents has a wide variety of events that address the many facets of implementing cloud solutions in government - from acquisition to technology innovations, to security, and more.

• SNG Live: Cloud (December 7, 2021; virtual) - The pace of change in government IT has never been faster and data center optimization and cloud initiatives have driven digital modernization. This session will feature IT leaders on the front lines of cloud adoption exploring successes and challenges facing agencies at both the state and the federal level.
• AF IT Modernization and Digital Transformation Forum (December 15, 2021; virtual) - The remote workforce is here to stay. This relatively rapid expansion of the Air and Space Force's digital footprint comes with a growing number of infrastructure challenges and cybersecurity threats, requiring leaders to re-assess how networks and services are delivered. While JADC2, zero trust, artificial intelligence, and machine learning remain at the forefront of most senior leader discussions today, many of these are dependent on an aging infrastructure unable to meet the demands of our warfighters today.
• Issue Brief: ATARC Federal Cloud Infrastructure Survey Results Summary (whitepaper) - The Advanced Technology Academic Research Center (ATARC) conducted a research study with the purpose to identify the current status, challenges, and successes in the implementation and utilization of multicloud services and solutions in the Federal space. Survey respondents painted a picture of a Federal IT landscape that has made substantial progress in its cloud journey but where the challenges associated with multicloud management, understanding security and compliance requirements, and achieving FedRAMP ATO for cloud services continues to form a significant barrier.
• Ten Considerations for a Cloud Procurement (whitepaper) - Cloud procurement presents an opportunity to reevaluate existing procurement strategies so you can create a flexible acquisition process that enables your public sector organization to extract the full benefits of the cloud. Cloud procurement considerations are key components that can form the basis of a broader public sector cloud procurement strategy.

Check out all of the cloud-related events on GovEvents and browse the GovWhitePapers library of informative resources to get up to speed on the latest cloud technologies and strategies.