Capitals in the Clouds, Defining and Evaluating Cloud Computing
LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, June 16, 2011 — Cloud computing must have governance according to the latest issue brief, “Capitals in the Clouds, The Case for Cloud Computing in State Government, Part I,” released today by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). This report is available for download on NASCIO’s website at www.nascio.org/publications.
Published as a first of NASCIO’s series on cloud computing, this report presents considerations for evaluating cloud computing and principles for guiding cloud service management. It highlights the necessity for establishing governance, preparing the organization for cloud computing, and managing cloud services within a services portfolio. An enterprise cloud strategy will help ensure state government avoids redundant investment in cloud computing and manages cloud computing services within an enterprise services portfolio that provides orchestration of cloud services across the state government enterprise. Proper governance includes necessary attention to statutory requirements, security, and other state government IT management disciplines.
"We realize cloud computing will be an ongoing option for delivering IT services," said David Behen, chief information officer for the state of Michigan and co-chair of the NASCIO Enterprise Architecture and Governance Committee. "We anticipate creating a number of issue briefs on cloud computing that will help guide state government in creating strategy for evaluating cloud services and employing cloud services when they are the best option for enabling and supporting the delivery of government business services to citizens. Cloud computing is not a silver bullet, but it is an option that must be considered. We believe that it will gain increasing adoption as an alternative for delivering IT services economically and efficiently.”
“As we explore cloud computing, we see a new and necessary role for the disciplines of enterprise architecture, security, and project management,” said Carolyn Parnell, chief information officer for the state of Minnesota and co-chair of the NASCIO Enterprise Architecture and Governance Committee. “Reliance on these disciplines is critical to successfully planning, evaluating, and engaging cloud services. Cloud computing also brings to light the opportunity to explore multi-state communities that can share cloud services across jurisdictions. This will require appropriate governance and oversight.
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