Federal government outlines cloud computing deadlines

The federal government is continuing to move forward with cloud computing initiatives and is not worried about cloud security, the Federal Times reports. According to the Times, federal chief information officers have three months to identify three systems that can be used for cloud operations and create a strategy for moving them.

Within one year, CIOs must install at least one of these systems in the cloud. All three must be operating in the cloud by June 2012.

The plan is part of the Obama Administration’s “cloud-first” policy, which, according to the CIO Council website, requires "that agencies default to cloud-based solutions whenever a secure, reliable, cost-effective cloud option exists."

Cloud computing security remains a concern for many enterprises. However, the government says it is prioritizing security in its cloud strategy. "We really look at the whole security and the cybersecurity aspects as being as important as our efficiency drives and our cost savings drives," said Teri Takai, the Pentagon’s CIO, to the Federal Times.

The federal government has embraced cloud computing in an effort to reduce costs from maintaining data centers. Recently, it announced that it plans to eliminate 800 data centers in the U.S. by 2015.