VA Department has head in the cloud

The Veterans Affairs department has needed to catch up with the times for a while. According to Federal News Radio, the department has received criticism in the past for being too slow to adopt reliable data sharing systems. Now, the department is hoping to use cloud computing to address these issues.

According to Roger Baker, the department’s CIO and assistant secretary in the Office of Information and Technology, the department has had some issue with cloud adoption, including controlling use of cloud computing outside the agency firewall. "This is an issue we will continue to deal with going forward," he said.

“We have to figure out how to embrace [cloud computing platforms] and at the same time ensure that we are providing privacy and health information protections that we are committed to doing.”


Baker said the department will complete its medical device architecture to describe to users how to keep the network secure.

The department will have to deal with a tight budget in 2011. Congress is expected to cut its IT budget by $200 million.