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The federal government has launched a new online storefront for agencies to browse and purchase cloud-based IT services, clearing the way for wider adoption of cloud services.

In an announcement Tuesday, Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, said the Apps.gov Web site will help lower the cost of government operations while at the same time driving innovation.

“Cloud computing is the next generation of IT in which data and applications will be housed centrally and accessible anywhere and anytime by various devices,” Kundra said in blog. “By consolidating available services, Apps.gov is a one-stop source for cloud services – an innovation that not only can change how IT operates, but also save taxpayer dollars in the process.”

The service is a surprisingly bold initiative for the Feds, and another good sign that Kundra may be able to instigate change. As he noted in the blog, the federal government spends $75 billion annually on IT on everything from technology to defend the borders to the day-to-day running of government. However, purchasing technology – particularly new forms of technology – can be a time consuming and confusing process.

“Security procedures are complex, costly, lengthy and duplicative across agencies,” he notes. “Our policies lag behind new trends, causing unnecessary restrictions on the use of new technology.”

Several cloud computing technology vendors were quick to applaud the government on the initiative. Salesforce.com said in a statement that its applications would be among those initially available on Apps.gov. “This is a momentous step forward in bringing the power of cloud computing to the government,” Salesforce Chief Executive Marc Benioff said in the statement. Salesforce noted that its CRM applications were already being used by several government agencies, including NASA, the U.S. Army Experience Center, and the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund.

Other initially approved cloud service providers included Definitive Business Solutions in enterprise resource planning and financial applications, CombineNet in electronic commerce and auctions, Confirmit in surveys, and Google in network applications and tracking and monitoring tools.
 

Comments (2)

	1. 09-16-2009 00:42
	Wow, this is an extremely innovative step. I am sure the Federal Agencies would reap the benefits of Apps.gov. For one moment I thought this is a GTM strategy :-) It would have been strange to think of GSA as a competitor to Salesforce.com Registered

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	2. 09-16-2009 15:35
	Vivek Kundra has been under a microscope ever since he was named CIO. This initiative at least shows that he is serious about bringing real change to government IT. In a speech he gave announcing the Apps.Gov site, Kundra said the following: “Why should the government pay and build infrastructure that may be available for free? Some applications are free, and even if the government has to pay for the software, it might avoid the cost of buying servers and building data centers.” Now that is refreshing. Registered

Mel Duvall

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