Did You Know?
In recent years, roughly three-quarters of the federal government’s vast $80 billion IT budget has been siphoned off to maintain legacy technologies that are often well past their prime.
Virtually every function and citizen service performed by our government relies on information technology (IT). From predicting the weather, to processing Social Security benefits, to supporting our military abroad and at home, our government depends on technology to carry out its mission. Commercial cloud computing services are widely adopted in the private sector, and it’s time for the public sector to have access to the same level of innovation and modernization provided by commercial cloud solutions.
Benefits Of Using Commercial Clouds
The commercial cloud cuts down operational costs, provides scaling flexibility, offers built-in cybersecurity solutions, and helps with broader IT transformation efforts.
Cost
The ease of scaling with the commercial cloud helps companies become more nimble and, ultimately, helps lower operational costs. Instead of building data centers for the highest possible use at one time, the cloud allows public sector entities to pay only for what they use.
Scalability
Commercial clouds offer the flexibility to adapt to each project and reallocate resources depending on the amount of computing power that is needed. This ensures that an agency is able to complete its mission by allowing high availability and reliable services for its end users.
Cybersecurity
Commercial cloud providers offer cutting-edge “defense in depth” protections to keep data safe from a wide array of threats than ever before. They are unparalleled in security expertise, insight, and orientation and constantly update security capabilities to stay ahead of tomorrow’s attacks.
Internet Association member companies provide commercial cloud services for governments at the local, state, and national levels. Government departments and agencies are deploying the cloud every day in order to deliver services more efficiently and securely while saving taxpayer money.
Public sector commercial cloud usage increases system security and resiliency, delivers better services to citizens, allows for on-demand scalability and elasticity, and lowers the barrier for government innovation. IA and its member companies continue to work with lawmakers and stakeholders to promote government modernization and provide the best services while saving taxpayer money.
Industry Action
-
Work with policymakers to ease implementation of cloud procurement for government agencies, to include both system modernization and development of new systems.
-
Support the deployment of cloud services across federal, state, and local entities.
-
Support policies strengthening cybersecurity of public sector entities.
-
Promote IT modernization in the public sector