IBM hosted its annual federal cloud innovation forum in Washington on Tuesday, inviting public sector representatives and IBM executives to discuss opportunities and barriers to adopting Internet-based computing in the federal government. A morning keynote speech by Colin Powell was closed to the media.
The forum is part of IBM’s broader federal strategy. IBM announced on Tuesday plans to open a center in downtown Washington where public sector clients can learn more about IBM’s federal cloud software. The company’s recent acquisitions suggest its growing emphasis on cloud services— mobile messaging service Xtify was acquired in October, and cloud infrastructure provider SoftLayer, in July. In the past few months, IBM has secured a couple of large federal contracts, including a $30 million, five-year contract with the General Services Administration.
One of the forum’s panels — “What’s Next in Government Service Delivery” — included a few tips for federal agencies deciding whether to embrace cloud computing, and for vendors selling the service. The panel was moderated by David McClure, the GSA associate administrator for citizen services, and featured Shawn Kingsberry, the chief information officer of the Recovery and Accountability and Transparency Board, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Chief Information Officer Joseph Klimavicz. Here are some take-aways:
1. Make sure management is on board with cloud adoption before you buy.
New software creates new management requirements and workflows, and it’s essential to have procedures in place before moving to the cloud, Klimavicz said. “
“You need the contracting officers to be on board, you need the acquisition personnel, the CFO, the corporate leaders all on board before you do any of this.”
Once an agency signs a contract and buys the software, it’s often “too late to find out how you’re going to manage it.”
2. Customizing isn’t always the best option
It’s important to assess what software is already on the market, because customizing a solution likely takes longer to deliver. “I want to see cloud solutions deployed six months after you sign the contract,” Klimavicz said. He noted that agencies should work together to acquire software and to assess security requirements. “Take advantage of cybersecurity work others have done.”
3. The current federal procurement process isn’t ideal for software-as-a-service
The procurement process for software differs on a per-agency basis which can be challenging for bidders, Kingsberry explained. Typical contract terms are better suited for discrete deployments of software and hardware, but it’s “not really transformed into a services environment,” McClure added.
But by working closely with contracting officers and becoming familiar with the process, vendors can “lean forward and get things done without going through a 12-month acquisition process,” Klimavicz said.
4. Both the public and private sectors must address common cloud fears
“The fear of loss of control is a huge challenge,” Klimavicz said, noting that he hears many potential cloud customers say they’d prefer to keep operations local, because they feel they have more control over security and access. “We need to work with industry to remove the loss of control.”