US Federal CIO Vivek Kundra unveiled an ambitious 25-point implementation plan for delivering more value to the American taxpayer.
This plan focuses on execution and is designed to establish early wins Some highlights of the implementation plan includes:
- Turnaround or terminate at least one-third of underperforming projects in IT portfolio within the next 18 months
- Shift to “Cloud First” policy. Each agency will identify three “must move” services within three months, and move one of those services to the cloud within 12 month and the remaining two within 18 months.
- Reduce number of Federal data centers by at least 800 by 2015
From the Report:
The shift to “light technologies,” that is, cloud services, which can be deployed rapidly, and shared solutions will result in substantial cost savings, allowing agencies to optimize spending, and allowing agencies to reinvest in their most critical mission needs.
For example, GSA recently entered into a contract to shift email services to the cloud, resulting in a 50% cost reduction over five years – a savings of about $15 million. Agencies must focus on consolidating existing data centers, reducing the need for infrastructure growth by implementing a “Cloud First” policy for services, and increasing their use of available cloud and shared services.
Cross-posted from Cloud Musings