GSA and Consumption-Based Cloud Pricing … Stay Tuned!

February 12, 2020 by Leave a comment

By Tara Franzonello, GSA Programs Consultant

The consumption-based approach is already widely used in the private sector and GSA hopes to leverage a similar model to recognize the same efficiencies, increase cyber security, foster competition and provide cost savings and transparency — benefits that are being realized today by commercial companies.

Cloud computing is offered in various models (i.e. consumption-based with not to exceed ceiling, subscription based, on-demand, per-use-based, tier-based) as well as pay-as-you go and fixed price combinations in the private sector. Each has its own advantages based on the customer’s specific needs (environment, consumption usage, usage term, etc.). The ideal procurement path for consumption-based cloud computing would provide agencies with a flexibility across both funding and consumption models that promotes cost efficiency and private sector best practices.  Read more of this post

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The Evolution of Cloud on GSA Schedule 70

February 19, 2019 by 1 Comment

By Adam Hyman, Director, Government Programs

As the government continues its initiative to modernize and transform IT across its ever-expanding network, cloud technology has been, and will continue to be, critical in achieving government missions.

While the government’s demand for cloud technology has grown, the largest IT government contract, GSA Schedule 70, has been slow to adapt. As a result, vendors have had to scatter cloud offerings under existing SINs, including 132-32 (Term Software Licenses) and 132-52 (Electronic Commerce), none of which are ideal because their terms did not align with how cloud is sold.

In 2015, GSA acknowledged the void and introduced SIN 132-40 (Purchase of Cloud Computing Services) to GSA Schedule 70 contracts. However, under this SIN, only the three NIST service models (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS) are in scope, while any supporting hardware, software, and services are out of scope and need to be added on other GSA Schedule 70 SINs.

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4 defense tech targets for FY17

November 7, 2016 by 1 Comment

Stephanie Meloni_65x85jef_5430By Stephanie Meloni, consultant

We’re one month into the government’s 2017 fiscal year and it’s clear where the technology bright spots will be for the next 12 months and (most likely) beyond: Autonomy, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and advanced analytics.

You’ll hear more about how these technologies are shaping the Department of Defense at the Third Annual Government IT Sales Summit on Nov. 17 in Reston, Va. immixGroup DOD expert, Lloyd McCoy, and I will go into more details during our DOD FY17 Federal Budget Briefing.

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Why you need to pay attention to DLA

November 3, 2016 by Leave a comment

mark-wisinger_65x85data-analytics_110316By Mark Wisinger, analyst

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is a large organization that handles logistics combat support for the Department of Defense. It also happens to have a $720 million FY17 IT budget. And as we recently heard from DLA Program Executive Officer, Bill Tinston, the agency has several IT initiatives that should be on the radar of data solution providers, as well as infrastructure and cloud vendors.

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Philly’s Cloud-First Plans Delayed…For Now

September 29, 2016 by Leave a comment

Rachel EckertPhiladelphia, cloud, Charles Brennan, IT infrastructure, SLEDBy Rachel Eckert, SLED Consultant

It was nearly a year ago that I blogged about Philadelphia’s mission to become a cloud-first city. The CIO at the time, Adel Ebeid, said the goal was to host 30 percent of the city’s IT infrastructure in the cloud—primarily through SaaS delivery.

But as state and local governments know all too well, plans around technology don’t always come together.

Philly’s cloud plans have been put on ice as officials tackle ongoing projects and a struggling procurement system. The new CIO, Charles Brennan, has made a few changes to the city’s technology teams, including separating Open Data and Web Services roles.

He’s also indicated an interest in more open data, tackling the city’s aging IT infrastructure, and reworking the procurement system.

Read more about my take on Philly’s plans in StateScoop.

I’m also presenting a state and local market overview at immixGroup’s 3rd Annual Government IT Sales Summit on Nov. 17 in Reston, Va. Early bird ticket prices end soon, so register soon.

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Are Local Governments Missing a Major Tech Trend?

August 4, 2016 by Leave a comment

Rachel EckertCountiesSurvey_080416By Rachel Eckert, SLED Consultant

One of the biggest surprises to come out of the Center for Digital Government’s 2016 Digital Counties Survey was a noticeable absence of cloud computing.

While cloud was present in the 2015 results at No. 10, it fell below this year. Half of county respondents reported that 10 percent or less of their systems have migrated to the cloud, only a slight increase of 3 percent over last year.

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What’s Next for Cloud in the Federal Government?

April 14, 2016 by Leave a comment

blog-ChrisWBy Chris Wiedemann, Consultant

immixGroup’s Event Center was packed to the gills the morning of April 12 with technology companies looking for insight into what’s next for federal cloud adoption. The good news is new federal policy, renewed emphasis from government leaders, and updated acquisition methods are creating opportunities for industry to sell technology as a service to the federal government.

So where are the cloud-specific opportunities? My colleague, DOD Manager Lloyd McCoy, and I talked on this issue for nearly an hour during our Market Intelligence Briefing portion of the event.

Here are some key highlights from this discussion that demonstrate where we’re seeing an uptick on cloud adoption in the federal IT community: Read more of this post

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3 Changes Jumpstarting Government’s Cloud Adoption

April 7, 2016 by Leave a comment

Cloud

Lloyd McCoy Jr.by Lloyd McCoy Jr., DOD Manager

New changes to cloud policies make for a positive outlook for federal cloud procurement. Many saw this coming with the convergence of expanding government missions and flat budgets. The trend has created an environment where the elasticity and efficiency that cloud technology brings, has been a force multiplier for changes in government policy — facilitating faster cloud adoption.

Here are a 3 recent developments:

  1. Not your father’s Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI)

The Federal Data Center Consolidation initiative is being replaced by a renewed focus on cloud adoption and more use of shared data center services. When an agency wants to create a new capability or stand up a new workload, the first priority for that acquisition has to be cloud. If not, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services Administration (GSA) are directing them to look at shared data center services. Only if these options are insufficient can a program manager buy on-premise hardware. This will create a clear incentive among federal agencies to adopt true Infrastructure-, Platform-, and Software –as-a-Service offerings. This emphasis on shared data centers will also create a core group of federal customers that act as cloud service providers.

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The End of No Child Left Behind Brings Technology Back to the Classroom

March 10, 2016 by Leave a comment

EduImg_100x100Rachel Eckertby Rachel Eckert, Consultant – SLED

As the No Child Left Behind Act draws to a close, the education market is seeing a shift in focus that will bring about much-needed change in school curriculum and learning approaches — all with an eye towards technology integration.

The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in 2002, provided an avenue for teachers to identify where students were progressing and where they might be falling behind. Gradually, its requirements became too limiting for teachers and ultimately ineffective. In its place is the Every Student Succeeds Act, signed into law December 10, 2015. This relatively new act fundamentally changes how content and curriculum are developed for schools. Rather than mandates and broad-brush minimums required by the federal government, the new Every Student Succeeds Act puts the states and then each school locality system in control of the decisions and benchmarks that make sense for them. Read more of this post

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New FedRAMP Initiatives Driving Cloud Adoption in DOD

January 28, 2016 by Leave a comment

FedRamp_SMStephanie Meloni_65x85by Stephanie Meloni, Senior Analyst

Matt Goodrich, the director of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) at GSA, recently published a blog outlining some big changes ahead in the mandated cloud security certification program. The changes center around accelerating authorization time so users can capitalize on the speed of building systems using cloud capabilities.

These technology enhancements will create a publicly available dashboard, demonstrating how agencies are using the cloud. Additionally, changes include finalizing requirements for high impact security systems so Cloud Services Providers (CSPs) can start working with data and applications at higher security classifications. All of these efforts are aimed at making FedRAMP scalable and increasing cloud adoption at government agencies. Read more of this post

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