Technically News is a new feature on Technically Speaking that scans thousands of industry articles to present you with a weekly source of IT news, information and ideas that impact the public sector.

I hear very often that cloud platforms, specifically private clouds, are simply the next evolution of virtualization. This is incorrect and hides a massive amount of complexity, concern, and good old fashion work in a fog of assumption & misunderstanding. I'm not the type to be a real stickler for proper terms of art; generally if I can figure out what you’re after in a conversation I let it slide. However, this one is too big to leave alone.

DLT Solutions sponsored last month’s 3rd Annual Amazon Web Services (AWS) Public Sector Summit, where I saw firsthand that Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) are gaining acceptance and increasing traction as the Public Sector migrates workloads to the cloud.

Do you have questions about FedRAMP? What is FedRAMP? How will FedRAMP impact my agency? What do I need to know about FedRAMP to procure cloud computing services? These are only a few of the many questions we are hearing from customers. To address these questions and others, Shamun Mahmud, the security architect of the DLT Cloud Advisory Group, recently published a white paper entitled The Benefits of FedRAMP. The white paper details how federal IT agencies are being impacted by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) recently published the latest in a series of issue briefs on analytics titled "Is Big Data a Big Deal for State Governments?" The objective of this first issue brief on Big Data is to put a foundation for future briefs and discussion forums in place. All aspects of Big Data technologies are examined while also exploring its potential relevance to state IT operations. The document is an excellent starting point for both technical and non-technical decision makers in state governments who are considering expanding the use of technology to deliver new citizen services and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of existing services and IT operations.

The DLT Cloud Advisory Group is focused on the emerging cloud landscape and proactively engages with the public sector community interested in cloud computing. We also actively contribute to establish standards through our participation in various Standards Development Organizations. Along with IEEE, NIST, and the CSA, we are active contributors to the Cloud Standards Customer Council (CSCC). Most recently, we have been assisting the CSCC Security Working Group’s research efforts for their recent whitepaper, “Security for Cloud Computing: 10 Steps to Ensure Success.”

As Featured on Technology Marketing Corporation’s Website, TMCnet.com The General Services Administration (GSA) is in the midst of launching an ambitious program designed to accelerate the safe adoption of cloud services within the U.S. Government. That program, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), is a collaborative effort between the GSA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Defense (DOD). FedRAMP will ensure cloud service providers (CSP) maintain adequate information security; reduce duplicated effort; decrease risk management costs; and streamline the procurement of cloud services.

Contrary to a sea of white papers and hours of slick video clips, the point when your back is against the wall is NOT the time to start looking to “the cloud” to save you. Instead, you need to start with a controllable situation of your own choosing that is as far from the fire, but as close to reality as possible. The IT battlefield is littered with mangled reputations and dead careers from those who picked up the shiny new technology-of-the-month and went chasing windmills, while hordes of very real IT problems overpowered them in a cruel game of attrition. Cloud technologies can help even the odds in many situations; however they very rarely can go straight into production without a proper evaluation. After all, you’re not just playing with technology here, but with workflow & mindset as well.

This year’s RSA conference was a deluge of technology centered on the usual security suspects with an addition of recent year themes surrounding the challenges of cloud computing. Two years ago the conference was all about cloud, last year it was “Bob and Alice” (the challenges of compliance vs. defection surrounding lack of trust in cyberspace).This year’s “Mightier than the Sword” theme was the next logical step towards cyber warfare. After all, regardless of the strength of security controls, the presence of global information availability coupled with the absence of trust inevitably tends toward war. Perhaps it is time to work on this “trust” problem. After all, it’s all about risk… right?