CLOUD COMPUTING FOR GOVERNMENT B. Victor Chakravarty October 6, 2009
GovTech Summit INTERNET AS CLOUD The Internet has been represented as a cloud right since it was conceived in the Sixties. “We always drew networks as amoeba- like things.” --Vint Cerf “As this Internet was being conceived, … some used cloudlike sketches to represent the Internet itself.” --Bob Taylor
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit CONSIDER Schlage LiNK, PRO: Flexibility. Scalability. No single point-of-failure. More professional? Cost? CON: Ownership? Subscription termination? Privacy? Bandwidth? Addressing? Exit strategy? Security? Malware for the deadbolt?
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit WHAT IS CLOUD COMPUTING? Beyond the hype, some characteristics: Commoditized service Appears personalized or branded Delivered via the Internet Rented/leased (not owned) Zero fixed cost Per-unit pricing Dynamically scalable & elastic
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit IS IT CLOUD COMPUTING? Purchasing from Drugstore.com? Using Hotmail? On-premise application? On-premise infrastructure? Schlage LiNK? Internet store that uses Amazon as the backend? Timeshare on a supercomputer?
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit A LOT TO THINK ABOUT What is it that you do best? Why do you want to keep the rest? Capital expenditure vs. pay-go? Legal residency requirements? PII? Discovery turnaround time? Owned property vs. rented/leased KPI -> SLA Service disruption Client devices (here to stay) Degree of customization
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit MORE TO THINK ABOUT Helpdesk Interfaces Pipe size Traffic shape Legacy data assets Legacy software assets Legacy hardware assets Exit strategy Internet outage
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit VARIOUS FLAVORS Vertical slicing: software, platform, infrastructure Horizontal slicing: private cloud, government cloud, public cloud Vendors position themselves opportunistically:
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit IN-HOUSE I.T. STAFF Focus shifts from keeping the engine running to solving actual business problems. Focus shifts from administration to governance. Creates new opportunities to collaborate more directly with the business. Cloud or not, adaptability and willingness to acquire new skills remain the most prized assets.
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit COSTS Short Term: Depending on the complexity of the transition, costs may actually go UP. Medium Term: Beyond the transition, costs will likely go DOWN. Long Term: At current level of competition, costs will likely remain low. Excessive consolidation may change the competitive landscape and drive costs back UP.
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit DYNAMIC SIZING Scalability: Seamless capacity provisioning for variations in demand (spikes and dips) Elasticity: On-demand scale-up and scale-down in granular steps Operationalize capital expenditure via predictable, periodic outlays through an installment plan.
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit GARTNER ON CLOUD
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit GOVERNMENT IN THE CLOUD Federal: USA.gov (claims 90% infrastructure cost reduction); Apps.gov Maine: MaineCare claims payment; Campground reservation; Central voter registry? Financials? HR? Private cloud data center? North Carolina-Apple data center Michigan public cloud Google Government Cloud: FISMA and SAS 70 compliant by 2010
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit SUMMARY: PLUSES Cost containment, pay-go No maintenance or upgrades Focus on actual solutions Scalability and elasticity Rapid deployment Greener (financial impact) More robust: security, fault- tolerance, backup, recovery, archiving, discovery, etc.
October 6, 2009GovTech Summit SUMMARY: MINUSES Pipe constraints? Rough transition: Data loss? Service disruption? Poor service? Inadequate contract? Relationship management overhead? Data residency? PII? Discovery? Broken customization & interface? Transition for in-house I.T. staff? Difficulty in changing providers -> Effective lock-in and monopoly?