Cloud
Study: Government to save billions in the cloud
As more federal agencies turn to cloud computing solutions to enhance their IT solutions, the government is expected to save billions in the next 12 months alone, a new study predicted.
As more federal agencies turn to cloud computing solutions to enhance their IT solutions, the government is expected to save billions in the next 12 months alone, a new study predicted.
According to a report by government IT network MeriTalk, federal CIOs and IT managers believe they will save as much as $14.4 billion in the first year of government-wide cloud deployments.
The study, which surveyed 167 federal IT professionals, cited cost reduction as the primary benefit of the cloud. In the survey, 64 percent of respondents indicated the cloud would help them reduce costs while simultaneously improving IT solutions.
In January, federal CIO Vivek Kundra issued a report stating that federal agencies are to consider cloud computing before on-premise solutions. This, he said, is part of a 25-point federal IT reform strategy aimed at reducing costs and improving efficiency within the government.
However, despite this “cloud first” mandate, cloud adoption among federal agencies is still relatively low. According to a separate study by CTOlabs.com, 67 percent of federal agencies are still relying on legacy technology, such as backup tapes, to store their information. This, along with other legacy solutions, costs agencies $35.7 billion a year to support, MeriTalk noted.
On the other hand, cloud adoption is beginning to pick up. MeriTalk found 52 percent of federal CIOs plan to deploy at least one cloud service within the next 12 months, while 48 percent plan to use two services within 18 months.
Of the cloud solutions expected to be adopted, email ranked highest with 42 percent of IT managers considering making the move. Administrative applications and collaboration solutions ranked second, each with 27 percent.
And though some agencies have been slow to deploy cloud solutions, many have already saved millions using the technology. Speaking for a Senate subcommittee last week, Kundra noted that the General Services Administration and the Department of Agriculture have saved $40 million by moving email services to the cloud, InformationWeek reports.