Industry Views on the Current and Future Cloud Computing Adoption and Next Steps David LeDuc - June 6, 2012

Building the Plane While Flying it This is the right approach for USG, we can’t afford to wait. Redefining the approach, considerable redesign from a policy and performance perspective. USG effort, led by NIST, to help accelerate a Reference Architecture (RA) and standards are critical to ensuring that we don’t get left with a short term approach in the long term. Dealing with solutions on multiple time scales and stretching existing policy approaches into new areas. Standards that support interoperability, portability, and security--developed with input from stakeholders, and in an open and transparent process--will help movement to the cloud.

Industry-developed, Internationally Recognized is Key Public-private cooperation key to single RA and set of standards. For companies to innovate and thrive in the cloud space, standards are best developed, managed and evolved in industry-led, open consortium. USG and NIST need to ensure that the role of government is as convener, and/or contributor, but not a creator. Similarly, efforts around SLAs must remain industry-driven.

RA and Standards Must Balance Common Frameworks and Innovation Common frameworks and open standards are critical, but this must be balanced with the objective of not creating undue constraints on innovation or market dynamics. This is particularly true with respect to data portability, as the definition of portability is less clear, as well as the details of how this can be achieved while providing for maximum innovation and customization of solutions. Companies differentiate products and services through developing and implementing new features and functions. If requirements of portability are too broadly interpreted, there might be pressure to assure that there is a unitary and global feature set and functionality.

SIIA – Public Sector Innovation Group (PSIG) Recommendations for USG Continue to Advance and Promote a Cloud First Policy SIIA Recommendation #1: USG should continue to promote the “Cloud First” policy as an integral part of the overall strategy to reduce the cost of government, improve the return on investment of our IT spend and improve citizen services.

SIIA – Public Sector Innovation Group (PSIG) Recommendations for USG Culture and Acquisition Models Must Keep Pace with Technology Recommendation #2: OMB and GSA should work together and with industry to review and recommend changes to capital planning and procurement regulations that might hinder the rapid acquisition of innovative technologies by government. –Review the current OMB Exhibit 300 process to ensure its relevancy in today’s world of on- demand computing.

SIIA – Public Sector Innovation Group (PSIG) Recommendations for USG Culture and Acquisition Models Must Keep Pace with Technology (Cont.) SIIA Recommendation #3: Promote changes to the federal acquisition process and culture that will keep pace with evolving technology. Key to this are issues raised in the original 25 Point Implementation Plan that have not yet been fully addressed: –Develop and deploy a cadre of specialized IT acquisition professionals. –Identify and share IT acquisition best practices. –Develop and issue contracting guidance and templates that support modular IT development.

SIIA – Public Sector Innovation Group (PSIG) Recommendations for USG Lower the Barrier of Market Entry for Small Businesses SIIA Recommendation #4: Lower the barrier of entry for small innovative IT companies and make the FedRAMP open, fair and accessible to all CSPs by fully implementing Point 16 of the 25 Point Plan.

SIIA – Public Sector Innovation Group (PSIG) Recommendations for USG Develop a Comprehensive Federal IT Strategy Roadmap SIIA Recommendation #5: OMB should review, revise and consolidate the policy memorandums and implementing guidance associated with the Cloud First, Shared First/Shared Services Strategy, and the FDCCI, into a single Federal IT Strategy Roadmap.