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When Mr. Obama was elected as President of United States, we noted that he could tap into the Clouds to make government efficient and, soon, this prediction turned out to be true. Now, David Kralik, Internet Strategy Director for a non partisan group headed by former Republican speaker Newt Gingrich, also pushes for moving the government to the clouds. His post on CNET is a must read for anyone interested in Cloud Computing and, also, Open Government.

He points out to three benefits of Cloud Computing

• Cost
• Speed
• Ease of Use

He, then, argues how the government can leverage the technology to not only save money but also make it more efficient. He points out how FBI was handicapped due to lack of such a powerful technology in their quest to fight crime and terrorism. He concludes the article by giving some examples of lack of security in the current government process and then by arguing that Cloud Computing can offer a better alternative. It is a well written article and supports our arguments in favor of putting the government on the Clouds.

The cost savings associated with the move to Cloud will be significant. In the current economic turmoil, it is important for the government to remain extremely cost effective. A move to the clouds will cut down the capital expenditure drastically. Plus, such a move will also cut down the manpower needed to manage the government IT resources. This, in turn, reduces the operational expenses of the government. If we take a long term view, moving the government to the clouds will save tax payers tons of money from wasteful government expenditure. I am no conservative in my political ideology but I would like to see a lean and agile government efficiently tackling people’s problems. I feel a move to the clouds is the right step in the right direction.

There are few other benefits attached with moving the government to the Clouds.

• This will force the vendors to spend their resources on superior security technologies. This, in turn, will benefit both the consumers and enterprises. Maybe, enterprises will then trust the Clouds more than how they do now.
• This will accelerate the process of standardization in the field of Cloud Computing. This is a huge benefit gain.
• This will help government understand the security and privacy implications of the Cloud. It will drive them legislate better. It will also make courts understand that private data stored on the cloud deserves the same rights as the data stored in the local hard disk. It will help keep the strong arm of the government away from the private data of the individuals.

I think it is high time we make the government agile and efficient by tapping into the Clouds. Fortunately, we have an administration that can understand the technology behind Cloud Computing and shows a willingness to do it. Hopefully, we can have Government as a Service in the next few years. 

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