Apps.gov Gives Cloud Computing a Slice of the $75 Billion IT Pie

Written by Steven Walling / September 15, 2009 1:37 PM / 6 Comments

The government cloud computing service rumored since late July is here, and companies are jumping at the chance to join Apps.gov, an "online storefront" for cloud services and applications pre-approved for use by federal agencies. According to the post by U.S. CIO Vivek Kundra, Apps.gov will move at the same cautious pace Data.gov has, and currently the site is pretty bare bones. Certain areas are without any vendors and all but those related to social media are dominated by Salesforce.com and Google. Other big players, such as Amazon Web Services, are also looking to cash in by becoming a part of the site.

In the post on the White House blog, Kundra said that the federal government currently spends more than $75 billion on IT. In a time when the government is one of the only reliable sources of IT spending, enterprise vendors of all kinds are looking to enter that market. That includes cloud computing companies, from platforms like Amazon Web Services to software suites like Google Apps.

So why is the federal government providing a free shopping cart for these vendors? By giving the software and services in Apps.gov its official blessing, the feds are making it easier for sluggish agency IT departments to save money and update aging systems by embracing the cloud.

The first incarnation of Apps.gov is divided up into four sections:

Business Apps, which is everything from analytics to ERP. This is currently one of the areas where Salesforce.com and Google are predominate.
Cloud IT Services, which is currently labeled as "coming soon" and is devoid of apps.
Productivity Apps, another area Salesforce.com and Google appear almost exclusively.
Social Media Apps, which is the most diverse area of the site thus far.

The government is playing it safe in all of the areas right now. Salesforce.com and Google Apps crop up in all categories, even in those where there are far better options. The comparatively low risk area of social media is the most diversified right now, featuring around 20 popular apps like FriendFeed, YouTube, MySpace and Flickr.

The government has spent most of its energy on bringing cloud computing leaders on board with Apps.gov. Clearly federal agencies will benefit from the official endorsement of vendors they're likely to be familiar with already. But before Apps.gov becomes a truly useful resource, the site will have to diversify its marketplace.

hat tip to chris messina

Comments

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Hello & congratulations,
I'd like to know if it is possible for me , a non US citizen, to enroll & how to go about it.
In any case good luck & good continuation; I hope your example will be copied by all govs. around the world.
Regards,
Alfred Cassis.

Posted by: Alfred Cassis | September 15, 2009 4:40 PM

I haven't been following this initiative closely, but what a great idea. Kundra is the rare innovator in today's government.

Posted by: Mark Fidelman | September 15, 2009 6:11 PM

Apps.gov is yet another strong indication of the administrations focus on IT Optimization and the drive to faster innovation leveraging cloud computing. In effect, they are putting their money where their mouth is, and delivering initial capability quickly, instead of talking about it for years.

This initial release is focused on non-critical government applications that will not be subject to the more stringent and challenging government security requirements. Some work will need to be done to add additional vendors, and also to clarify the cost of solutions and address common questions such as "where will my applications reside?"

I would view this as the first step in a roadmap towards cloud computing. I have always encouraged a phased approach in any migration of technology, and this initial release of apps.gov is indicative of that approach. The phased approach would test and prove the potential of the technology with lower risk applications that are well suited to cloud computing. If success is realized, the concepts and challenges of any migration would be well understood and could be applied to more secure or next level potential cloud applications.

One caution that I voice consistently is that potential cloud users carefully consider interoperability and open standards when considering a cloud provider. Cloud technologies are developing quickly; many with proprietary data models and interfaces. A successful move to a cloud application could be negatively impacted by proprietary vendor lock in if careful due diligence isn't done prior to any hasty decisions.

So applause for a bold move. I'm eager to see this play out in a positive direction.

Robert Ames
Director, and Deputy Chief Technology Officer
IBM Federal

Posted by: Robert Ames | September 16, 2009 1:12 PM

So, let's get this straight. The US government has set up an online, app store, serving SaS, from some sort of federal data/computing cloud. The interface at apps.gov is for federal agency decision makers or employees... Apps.gov is where civil servants go to rent their wares. Like wordpress.com or google docs, right?

Posted by: Dr. M | September 17, 2009 12:10 PM

If there was any doubt that the era of cloud computing is alive in government, Vivek Kundra put those doubts to rest today in his NASA AMES address. The White House is taking the correct approach by making cloud services available to government agencies. By doing this, these agencies will ultimately better serve citizens --by accessing technology innovations to run their organizations at lower costs, procure information technology more easily, efficiently, and in a way that reduces government’s ecological footprint.

Government customers today seek -- and deserve -- a broad set of technology choices and solutions that address their diverse needs, which in most cases include both on-premise and cloud computing scenarios.

Vendors like Microsoft also posted relates blogs:
http://blogs.technet.com/msonline/default.aspx

Posted by: Vivek Bhatnagar | September 18, 2009 12:22 PM

It has been a whirlwind for the SaaS market. The SMB market first tested, experienced and confirmed the benefits of SaaS. Soon even enterprises started shifting gradually. And now the govt! Kudos to Kundra.

Pankaj
http://www.hyperoffice.com

Posted by: Pankaj | September 22, 2009 8:53 AM