The General Services Administration wants federal agencies to better communicate with them, each other and private sector providers when it comes to their cloud infrastructure strategies, announcing May 16 that its Cloud Information Center is open for use.
“Getting agencies to the cloud is a high priority for GSA and we’re committed to making sure they have the right tools and support to navigate the complex world of cloud acquisition,” said GSA Acting Assistant Commissioner of Information Technology Category Bill Zielinski in a news release.
“We’re developing the Cloud Information Center as a one-stop-shop for cloud resources so agencies can easily access the information they need to transition to the cloud.”
The CIC enables agencies to access GSA cloud tools — such as the market research service tool, best practices, acquisition guidance and templates — while collaborating with other federal acquisition officials.
Members of industry will also be able to discuss their available offerings through the CIC’s community of interest forums in the near future.
According to the GSA news release, the CIC helps to address White House initiatives, such as the Cloud Smart Strategy released in September 2018 and the Centers of Excellence program, that helps move agencies forward in IT modernization.
“Within the Centers of Excellence we believe it’s important to work with our industry partners to help translate the value proposition of the cloud as it relates to agency operations and missions,” said GSA Executive Director of the Centers of Excellence Bob DeLuca. “The Cloud Information Center will be a valuable resource for helping agencies make informed decisions as they transition to the cloud.”
Cloud adoption has been a central emphasis for federal IT efforts, with congressional initiatives like the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act continually measuring how many data centers agencies are able to close — which often necessitates a move to cloud — and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management program increasing its security evaluations to include private clouds that can hold classified agency data.
Jessie Bur covers federal IT and management.
