Hurd: Feds' cloud security concerns are overblown
Agencies wary of moving to the cloud should look to the CIA's example, congressman says. And "server-huggers will have an uncomfortable time" in front of Congress.
Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas)
Is security the biggest issue facing federal agencies that are considering a move to the cloud?
"It shouldn't be," said Rep. Will Hurd, (R-Texas) at the Bloomberg cloud computing conference in Washington on Nov. 17. Hurd said some of the most forward-looking and sophisticated cloud applications in the federal government are being used by the CIA.
As one of the key Capitol Hill watchdogs on federal IT, Hurd thinks the federal "Cloud First" policy and the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act are levers to push the federal government out of its current IT inertia. He remains solidly behind both, and promised to come down hard on laggards in his position as chairman of the IT Subcommittee of the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform.
"Server-huggers will have an uncomfortable time" if they appear before the committee to talk about why they're lagging behind on IT reform efforts, Hurd said.
According to Hurd, agency concerns about cloud security are a "huge misconception." None of the recent high-profile government computer breaches have been made through a cloud provider, he noted.
"If the CIA is using it," civilian agencies looking to move to the cloud shouldn't use security as an excuse not to, he said. "Things move fast" at the CIA he said. "They need agility. ... They're constantly looking for cutting edge solutions" that also deliver services securely.
Hurd said he understands the rising concerns about cybersecurity. He said even though he represents a relatively rural district in south Texas, he still gets hammered with questions from constituents about cybersecurity: "We know it's a problem."