Lawmakers worry about lack of cloud computing guidance

The federal government's push to move agencies to cloud computing suffers from a lack of clear standards and uncertain costs, two House lawmakers said on Wednesday.

In a letter to General Services Administration Chief Information Officer Casey Coleman, Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., and Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., expressed concern about the absence of clear policies, procedures and standards to support the federal government's initiative to move many agency networks to platforms operated by contractors, or in the cloud.

"While there are compelling arguments for the federal government to utilize cloud computing, the technology is still a relatively new concept," wrote Towns, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and Watson, chairwoman of the Government Management, Organization and Procurement Subcommittee. "As such, there are a number of questions and concerns about the federal government's use of cloud computing."

In September 2009, the Obama administration launched the Federal Cloud Computing Initiative, including Apps.gov, an online storefront for agencies to browse and purchase cloud-based IT services, in an effort to cut IT costs, speed the adoption of new systems and increase governmentwide adoption of cloud technologies.

In support of the initiative, GSA issued last month a revamped request for proposals for cloud services and deployed info.apps.gov, a central information portal for federal agencies.

Towns and Watson highlighted that no security, interoperability and data portability standards, cost overruns, delays and an unclear governmentwide transition plan. The letter requests GSA provide information regarding a final implementation plan, cost estimates, standards development and procurement challenges by June 18.