Federal government endorses cloud computing, agile development

Federal government endorses cloud computing, agile development

Byjonturk | November 19, 2010

On Friday, the Obama administration revealed its new plans for IT investment and infrastructure improvement, which included both endorsements in cloud computing andagile development and management. According toDatamation, the aim of the initiative is to make federal IT more efficient, while saving the government money. Both cloud computing andagile development have proven to save organizations substantially.

Jeffrey Zients, deputy director of theOffice of Management and Budget, said the federal government will consider cloud-based solutions before making any final decision on new software and hardware investment. Similarly, items designed by organizations known to use agile development will receive preferred status. Using solutions designed with agile will allow the government to enjoy the benefits of frequent updates and new iterations rather than waiting for entirely new versions, which can force companies to use outdated solutions.

"Government agencies too often rely on proprietary, custom IT solutions. We need to fundamentally shift this mindset from building custom systems to adopting lighter technologies and shared solutions," Zients said.

"What this means is that going forward, when evaluating options for new IT development, [the Office of Management and Budget] will require that agencies default to cloud-based solutions whenever a secure, reliable, cost-effective cloud option exists."

While this is positive for modernsoftware development organizations, it is vitally important that companies continue to ensure that these solutions offer security on-par with traditional, on-premise software and hardware.

Software developers using agile can show off their solutions designed for use in government onApps.gov. The Obama administration created the website earlier this year to expedite the process of learning about new solutions available.

Zients said his office will continue to work with other areas of the federal government to ensure that the process enables them to function properly. According to Zients, the federal government has lagged behind the private sector in terms of technological adoption since the 1980s.

"These reforms will enable us to move away from the grand design, boil-the-ocean approaches of the past to the agile, modular approaches that have transformed the success rate of IT projects in the private sector, by breaking projects into manageable chunks then demanding the functionality every few quarters, not every few years," Zients said.

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