
By Kevin Jackson | Article Rating: |
|
August 20, 2012 12:00 PM EDT | Reads: |
7,384 |

Late last week the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) released an important whitepaper that reviewed its multi-year Pilot Texas Cloud Offering (PTCO).
This project was designed to allow a small group of agencies to choose a virtual private cloud-based infrastructure as a service from a marketplace of service providers made available by a cloud broker. For this project, Texas DIR selected Gravitant and its cloudMatrix technology. This approach was selected as it maximized the opportunity to produce the broadest spectrum of experiences for customers.
The cloudMatrix software helped to normalize the multiple services available, creating an “apples-to-apples” comparison in pricing and functionality as much as possible. In addition, this solution provided a single, unified web interface for end users to design, procure, provision, monitor, and govern the services. The PTCO allowed DIR and the pilot agencies to a gain a greater understanding of cloud infrastructure offerings for state government and document options and issues with provider selection, pricing, access security, data security, credentialing, provisioning time frames, service levels, service remedy options, terms of use, billing models, interoperability, mobility, scalability, capacity management, provider compliance, and monitoring and licensing.
As far as I know, the PTCO represents the only proven operational model of the cloud brokerage concept deployed within a government setting. Among the lessons learned, this project showed that the use of a cloud broker can:
- Help government agencies screen their applications for cloud feasibility and prioritizing cloud migrations accordingly;
- Address the challenges of cloud model comparisons due to the variables in product offerings, including the business models, service levels, and package inclusions;
- Translate capacity requirements into provider line items, thus allowing for accurate estimation of cloud cost;
- Provide a cloud service order review or approval workflow facility, a function not normally provided by cloud service providers; and
- Provide a means to regulate payment across multiple government entities.
If you are interested in learning more about the results of this pilot project, download the complete report at http://www.slideshare.net/kvjacksn/pilot-texas-cloud-offering.
NJVC is partnering with Gravitant to bring this advance cloud brokerage technology to the federal marketplace.
( Thank you. If you enjoyed this article, get free updates by email or RSS - © Copyright Kevin L. Jackson 2012)
Follow me at http://Twitter.com/Kevin_Jackson
Read the original blog entry...
Published August 20, 2012 Reads 7,384
Copyright © 2012 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.
Syndicated stories and blog feeds, all rights reserved by the author.
More Stories By Kevin Jackson
Kevin Jackson, founder of the GovCloud Network, is an independent technology and business consultant specializing in mission critical solutions. He has served in various senior management positions including VP & GM Cloud Services NJVC, Worldwide Sales Executive for IBM and VP Program Management Office at JP Morgan Chase. His formal education includes MSEE (Computer Engineering), MA National Security & Strategic Studies and a BS Aerospace Engineering. Jackson graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1979 and retired from the US Navy earning specialties in Space Systems Engineering, Airborne Logistics and Airborne Command and Control. He also served with the National Reconnaissance Office, Operational Support Office, providing tactical support to Navy and Marine Corps forces worldwide. Kevin is the founder and author of “Cloud Musings”, a widely followed blog that focuses on the use of cloud computing by the Federal government. He is also the editor and founder of “Government Cloud Computing” electronic magazine, published at Ulitzer.com. To set up an appointment CLICK HERE
![]() Apr. 22, 2018 07:00 PM EDT Reads: 4,972 |
By Liz McMillan ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 06:30 PM EDT Reads: 13,131 |
By Liz McMillan ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 06:30 PM EDT Reads: 13,549 |
By Pat Romanski ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 04:00 PM EDT Reads: 6,921 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 03:00 PM EDT Reads: 13,134 |
By Pat Romanski Apr. 22, 2018 02:45 PM EDT Reads: 2,356 |
By Pat Romanski Apr. 22, 2018 02:30 PM EDT Reads: 1,391 |
By Liz McMillan Apr. 22, 2018 02:00 PM EDT Reads: 1,705 |
By Yeshim Deniz ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 12:45 PM EDT Reads: 1,999 |
By Elizabeth White Apr. 22, 2018 12:15 PM EDT Reads: 1,758 |
By Pat Romanski ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 5,441 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 12:00 PM EDT Reads: 4,004 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 10:45 AM EDT Reads: 6,897 |
By Yeshim Deniz Apr. 22, 2018 10:00 AM EDT Reads: 1,020 |
By Pat Romanski ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 09:45 AM EDT Reads: 8,680 |
By Pat Romanski Apr. 22, 2018 09:15 AM EDT Reads: 2,274 |
By Yeshim Deniz Apr. 22, 2018 09:00 AM EDT Reads: 2,762 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Apr. 22, 2018 09:00 AM EDT Reads: 6,469 |
By Liz McMillan Apr. 22, 2018 09:00 AM EDT Reads: 2,633 |
By Yeshim Deniz Apr. 22, 2018 08:45 AM EDT Reads: 3,145 |