Study: Government agencies slowly adopt cloud storage

Even as the U.S. government plans to deploy more cloud computing solutions, a recent study by CTOlabs.com found the majority of federal agencies are still relying on legacy technology to store data.

Earlier this year, federal CIO Vivek Kundra introduced a new IT strategy which mandates agencies consider a “cloud first” approach to technology deployments. Through the cloud, Kundra stated, agencies would be able to reduce the cost of their IT solutions and address a number of their inefficiencies.

In fact, in his report, Kundra noted that a quarter of the government’s proposed $80 billion IT budget could be used for cloud-related technology.

However, according to CTOlabs, the transition to the cloud has not yet been implemented among many agencies. This may present a number of challenges going forward as the amount of data generated by agencies continues to grow at a rate of 30 percent each year.

According to the report, if agencies fail to deploy solutions that address this data growth, they may soon become overwhelmed with digital information, potentially impacting the performance of their IT systems and causing them to spend more on data management. Additionally, if poor data management practices continue, agencies may be faced with data security and recovery challenges.

Among the solutions to which agencies are turning, the report noted, are virtualization and deduplication. According to CTOlabs, 72 percent of agencies have already deployed virtualization, while 80 percent are currently using or plan to use deduplication within the next 12 months.

“It’s no surprise that server virtualization is a high priority within the federal government, but as more agencies implement the technology they’re experiencing an increase in the time needed for backup due to virtual data growth,” said CTOlabs founder Bob Gourley. “Data deduplication technologies hold great promise in addressing the storage and management needs of today’s federal enterprises.

In addition to the improved IT performance the government is seeking by moving toward the cloud, experts have noted the technology can also enhance the country’s cybersecurity practices. In a February report, the Center for Strategic and International Studies stated the cloud can bolster national cybersecurity efforts, because it enables agencies to shift the responsibility to service providers, many of whom are better prepared to deal with cyber threats, Network World reports.