The United States’ federal government is a major consumer of computing services. Previous articles have talked about the FedRAMP approval process used to ensure the security and functionality of cloud services before they can be adopted by any federal agencies. This time, we are going to look at how cloud services are being used by the civilian arm of the Federal Government.

Taking advantage of the benefits of cloud computing is not restricted to organizations operating in the private sector. In the United States, local, state, and federal governments make extensive use of public cloud resources. As is customary for all types of government contracts, some assessments and approvals must be obtained before the offerings of a cloud service provider (CSP) can be used by specific agencies. Government contracts can be very lucrative and service providers who want a piece of the business need to demonstrate that their products meet all requirements surrounding security and functionality.

One of the reasons that many organizations are attracted to cloud computing solutions is the promise of cost savings. But simply shifting an on-premises computing environment to a public cloud provider may not achieve the desired economic benefits. A move that was intended to save money can end up being more expensive if not done carefully.