Global Computer Enterprises (GCE), a financial management solutions provider, appreciated the announcement made by the Office of Management and Budget's five-part overhaul with respect to procurement of information technology by the federal government.
Jeffrey Zients, chief performance officer of the Office of Management and Budget, announced the initiatives on Nov. 19, at the Northern Virginia Technology Council. He declared a "cloud-first" policy that President Obama plans to incorporate in the fiscal 2012 budget, directing IT managers across the federal government to look to lightweight, distributed IP-based systems ahead of building their own technologies in-house.
In a press release, Zients clarified, “What this means is that going forward, when evaluating options for new IT development, OMB will require that agencies default to cloud-based solutions whenever a secure, reliable, cost-effective cloud option exists.”
The following five points were added in the administration's strategy:
- Align budgets and acquisitions with the technology cycle;
- Strengthen program management;
- Increase accountability and streamline government;
- Increase engagement with industry;
- Adopt light technologies and shared solutions.
“With this move from the White House for more government-wide cloud platforms, we are making significant strides to providing more efficient IT solutions, reducing costs and ultimately saving time and money for the taxpayer," said Ray Muslimani, founder and CEO of GCE. He further added, “OMB's 'cloud-first' policy gets government agencies out of the business of building systems from scratch with the inherent risks of cost and time overruns. By looking first at what's already available as a cloud-based service, government agencies can now pick a proven solution at the best value. Just as important, it opens up opportunities for companies to create the types of services that agencies need, rewarding the entrepreneurs while shifting risk away from the government.”
GCE was recently in news when the company explained cloud computing for federal financial management systems.
Sujata Garud is a TMCnet freelancer with three years of writing/editing experience and two years of market research experience. As an editor she has covered the IT, electronics, banking, pharma, construction, mining and healthcare industries. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Tammy Wolf
