Well, we’re starting to get some glimpses inside Obama’s IT training camp. Vivek Kundra is imposing a new workout regime – although questions abound about his operational plan and very aggressive timelines. At the same time, IT’s constant sparring partner – the Hill – is making some important funding moves. So, let’s take a closer look at the action in the two biggest fights in Fed IT – cloud computing and cybersecurity.

 

Four developments last week make the cloud outlook more real. GSA will issue its cloud RFQ shortly after July 4th. At the same time, the rocket scientists are helping with the math – Chris Kemp, CIO at NASA Ames, briefed Casey Coleman on the agency’s real-world experience with Nebula, its established cloud program. In other news, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved significant 2010 funding to consolidate DHS’ 24 data centers into two secure facilities – primed for a cloud play. And, OMB and GSA rolled out the Federal Cloud Computing Governance Framework and named Casey Coleman, CIO at GSA, and Carl Staton, deputy CIO at Energy, as co-chairs of the Executive Committee, setting strategic direction. Importantly, recognizing that it will take more than the CIO nod to realize cloud success, the framework names Pete Tseronis, deputy associate CIO at Energy, to chair the Cloud Advisory Council, which brings together agency IT infrastructure and enterprise architects. A 30-something with strong ring experience, Pete has the vision and operational spark to bring the Fed cloud to earth.   

 

We clearly have challenges in cybersecurity. Melissa Hathaway’s 60-day Cybersecurity Review makes it difficult to sleep easy. And, the Hill seems uncomfortable with Defense leading the charge on cyber. We need a cyber czar to light the path forward. On the bright side, some positive news broke last week. Tony Sager, the reigning cybersecurity champion at NSA, threw down for more progressive red team/blue team cyber sparring as a way to improve our vulnerability testing. NIST, DoD, and the Intelligence community released the first of three phases of the plan to secure government’s cyber space – the Unified Information Security Framework. As the Senate Appropriations Committee funded DHS’ data center consolidation, it also approved $398.7 million to expedite efforts to combat the cybersecurity threat by reducing points of network access. 

 

So, is there real change afoot – or is it all prefight hype? We’re still in the early rounds – it’s too early for the judges to make a call. But for skeptics who have grown deaf to the talk of change, I’d point out that not all talk is cheap. Our community is starting to take some critical steps in operationalizing the change – Mr. Kundra, please show us a roadmap with deliverables and associated key dates so that more people will buy into the vision. We should all remember that some fellas who make a lot of noise can back it with their hands – just listen to Sonny Liston.