Agencies Face Many Cloud Procurement and Compliance Challenges
Some agencies continue to vacillate on their cloud use because they fail to acknowledge that it’s a consumption model, and they need a strategy that reflects this fact.
What’s more, the Trump administration has revoked many of the Biden administration’s executive orders related to cybersecurity compliance and is evolving the Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 and General Services Administration’s rebranded Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program 20x. Complying with one program doesn’t guarantee an agency is in compliance with the other.
To get even more granular: Not every cloud capability that Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud or Microsoft offers is on the FedRAMP approved list because the process takes 12 to 18 months.
Plus, the agencies responsible for setting cloud policies may change as government continues to be restructured.
DISCOVER: Agencies must reduce barriers to cloud innovation.
Industry Partners Can Help With Cloud Planning
Understandably, many agencies — such as the Air Force — have implemented a strategic pause on cloud procurements until leadership changes are finished. Others are running ghost IT projects to address their problems, rather than wait for new policies or procedures to be announced.
As these strategic pauses end, agencies will need to look toward industry partners who can assist with cloud consumption and compliance planning.
Agencies may resume procurement to find cloud costs have increased and skilled contractors supporting the cloud have become unavailable due to other commitments. CDW Government can help navigate these waters.
Ensuring an agency’s approach to compliance is multifaceted is important, and that requires adhering to new security directives while refining procurement strategies, investing in workforce development, and establishing methods for tracking cloud consumption and justifying spending.
