The Department of General Services next month intends to publish revised draft rules for Software as a Service offerings, part of the state’s overall cloud-computing initiative, as well as a hold a public forum to discuss them.
The revised draft of the Cloud Special Provisions Software is expected to be released May 13 so suppliers can comment before a May 30 forum. If no additional meetings are needed, the final draft is slated for June 13.
The DGS rules are separate from the California Department of Technology’s CalCloud offering, a state cloud-computing initiative modeled after the federal government’s “Cloud First” policy. CalTech on Feb. 27 signed a $37 million contract with IBM and AT&T to develop CalCloud at the state’s data center. However, a multitude of concerns must still be addressed, including security, contracting models and confidentiality, according to Ron Hughes, deputy director of The Department of Technology’s Data Center Services.
The CalCloud is infrastructure-based with data center services such as networking and operating systems. It does not offer Software as a Service.
Other states are likewise grappling with issues related to cloud computing, and a survey by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers revealed 74 percent of respondents felt their states already have some applications in the cloud. NASCIO also this week released an issue brief on the subject titled "Capitals in the Clouds Part VI: Cloud Procurement: From Solicitation to Signing.”
"Embracing cloud services within states shows an eye-opening shift in how states procure information technology services and products,” Gale Given, co-chair of the NASCIO Procurement Modernization Committee and West Virginia CIO said in a news release. “Adapting to this change won’t happen overnight."
