Adult Literacy Program May Move to a Public Cloud

The Education Department’s program to improve adult literacy may be moving to a public computer cloud, solicitation documents show.

The department’s Literacy Information and Communication System offers tools for adult literacy educators and learners including teaching strategies, interactive training and moderated discussions on adult literacy topics. LINCS tools are currently housed on equipment at a secure facility in Annapolis, Md., in a "private" cloud, but the office is considering moving the tools to a public cloud hosted by the private sector, according to a sources sought notice posted last week.

Private sector-hosted clouds typically are cheaper than government-owned or contracted clouds or data centers because agencies can pay for computing power as they would for a utility, only paying for the server space they actually use.

The sources sought notice means the department is only investigating the move and hasn’t committed to purchasing any new technology or services. The department is aiming to move LINCS to a public cloud within a year of finalizing any contract, according to the notice.

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