Cloud computing offers state and local governments a real opportunity to meet many technical and budgetary challenges by delivering applications, platforms and infrastructure without ownership or capital investment. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a central place to learn more about the technology, outstanding issues, implementation requirements and real-life, working examples in this sector? Fortunately, now there is. Plus...

Building security into the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a basic security principle, but one not always well followed. When it is, the result speaks for itself: a more secure system. For CGI, following this “security first” principle enabled us to become the first certified Cloud Service Provider (CSP) to deliver secure cloud services under GSA’s Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Our approach also makes it easier to comply with new forthcoming FedRAMP requirements. Plus...

Two weeks ago, Brian Cann and I gave a presentation on "the complete cloud" at the Gartner Symposium ITxpo in Orlando. Attendance was standing-room-only, with many excellent questions indicating the high level of interest among the audience of government and commercial executives as they make their moves into the cloud. Plus...

This is turning out to be a busy summer. The influx of federal cloud RFIs from April and May are continuing, and, since June, they are transforming into RFQs, which indicates positive momentum in the federal government’s adoption of cloud computing.Two more factors emerged last week to drive that momentum. Plus...