Defense Department Chief Information Officer Teri Takai today said industry collaboration will be crucial to the department’s cloud and mobility strategy.
“While these are issues specific to DOD, I believe these are issues that will face all of us, more and more, they will become ubiquitous,” Takai said, speaking to attendees at “The Intersection of Cloud and Mobility” event hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
On a visit to California last week, Takai met with a Silicon Valley executive who said there is a renewed interest in how to effectively synchronize clouds. Cloud synchronization is something Takai is focusing on at DOD. Given the size and complexity of the DOD environment, the department must have the opportunity to move from one commercial cloud provider to another without interruption and while maintaining competition.
Takai also said DOD is working on finding ways to leverage a single cloud infrastructure for both public and private data.
“There is a connectivity issue today,” Takai said, adding that it’s important to understand how to manage applications and data, and how to introduce new cloud and mobility capabilities that don’t introduce new legacy environments.
DOD’s main cloud and mobility focus areas include:
- Addressing security concerns in the cloud and supporting the DOD Cloud Services Model;
- Designing cloud-based services to empower disconnected user issues;
- Research and development to field new technologies for improved information access; and
- Facilitating cloud interoperability standards and increase trust of third-party providers.
