Report: Government adoption points to cloud dependability

While many enterprises have recognized the various benefits offered by cloud services, some have remained reluctant to migrate entirely to the cloud because of security concerns.

According to a Forbes report, recent adoption of cloud services by a number of federal government agencies may indicate the cloud is now sufficiently secure for organizations' sensitive data.

In December 2010, two government agencies adopted new cloud services on a wide scale, according to the report. The U.S. Department of Agriculture adopted a cloud-based communications and collaboration solution for its 120,000 IT users. The General Services Administration also embraced the cloud by adopting a web-based email service for its 15,000 employees.

According to the report, government willingness to utilize cloud services indicates confidence that the cloud is now secure enough for mission-critical tasks and data. Government confidence in the cloud may, in turn, lead more enterprises to adopt cloud services.

According to a recent InformationWeek report, the United States federal government is planning to encourage all of its agencies to adopt managed cloud services, as part of a "cloud first" policy set to be implemented in 2012.