Is the cloud computing callout a big deal or not?
Yes, because it gives clear direction from the top that federal agencies should pursue cloud computing technology, according to several academic and industry sources. The Obama administration has voiced its desire to adopt other emerging technologies, but this is the first time that it has backed that up with budgetary information to support the concept. “In many ways, agencies have been waiting for this type of formal announcement to move forward with pilot projects as this plan suggests,” said Susie Adams, chief technology officer of Microsoft Federal. Is now the right time to push for this? Several industry experts think so, because cloud computing works well with ongoing data center consolidation and virtualization projects. Although those efforts reduce costs, agencies need other ways to further drive down infrastructure spending, and cloud computing fits the bill, said David Mihalchik, manager of Google’s federal business development team. But agencies will need to proceed cautio
