IBM Federal Community Cloud (FCC)

The IBM corporation started the new initiative of Federal Community Cloud designed to help the federal government organizations to react more quickly to requirements of modern technologies. This protected private environment of cloud computing is a part of the specialized "federal data processing centers" of Federal Data Centers (FDC) created by IBM which provide a full range of the safe certified computing opportunities for clients from public sector.

IBM Federal Community Cloud (FCC) will allow to place data and services in safe and scalable data processing centers for quick and convenient access to them of the federal government organizations on the terms of individual share in expenses. The dynamism and scalability of opportunities helps the organizations to conform to requirements of strategy of the consolidation developed by Vivek Kundra who is responsible in Obama's administration for informatization of the U.S. Government. Among advantages there is FCC:

• The protected private environment of cloud computing of collective access developed for the satisfaction of increased requirements of the federal government organizations
• Necessary flexibility for control of technology environments and operating expenses to conform to the changing requirements
• Cost reduction due to elimination of need for own infrastructure or licenses to use of the software
• The accelerated implementation of environments for development and testing, hosting of applications and Web resources, backup
• Access to the distributed information and the advanced analytical solutions through applications and services of the environment of cloud computing
• Access to consulting services and solutions of category "Infrastructure as a Service" ("infrastructure as service"); with the subsequent implementation of the services based on the principles of "Platform as a Service" ("the platform as service") and "Software as a Service" ("the software as service")

Now certification of IBM Federal Community Cloud on compliance to requirements of the Federal law on control of information security of FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act) is performed; these requirements are obligatory for suppliers of information technologies and IT services for the organizations of public sector. IBM Federal Community Cloud will function and be serviced in compliance with provisions of strategy of federal security (Federal Security Guidelines).

Complexity of specifics of work of the federal government organizations will continue to grow in the next years, against the background of expansion of scope of advanced technologies in the course of activity of the federal agencies. So, state institutions use modern technologies for electronic processing of applications for receiving benefits; identifications of cases of waste, fraud and abuses in a social security system; carrying out researches in the field of health care; implementation of "military modeling" (role team games); modeling of processes of global warming; forecasting and regulation of traffic in real time. Along with these processes, the ministries and departments need to maintain security, to quickly unroll new applications and services for joint work, to provide respect for environmental standards and to follow other set requirements, and, at the same time, to reduce costs. As the result, will still be felt the shortage of capacities of data processing centers, and operation of independent IT infrastructures becomes too risky problem and expensive use of taxpayers money for the federal government.

IBM works with 15 federal government USA the organizations over application of opportunities of cloud computing and data processing centers for fast creation, management, operation and the analysis of difficult computing environments. Among these organizations: Department of Housing and Urban Development (Department of Housing & Urban Development), Department of Defense, Ministry of national security (Department of Homeland Security), Department of Education, Department of Agriculture and Ministry of Health and social services (Department of Health & Human Services). These clients and other government organizations of federal level get access to cloud services of IBM Federal Community Cloud through services of providing GSA IT Schedule 70 or GWAC, or IDIQ now.

Along with an initiative of Federal Community Cloud, IBM also announced possibilities of technology of cloud computing for government agencies of level of the state and local government authorities (level of the city and the district). The offer of Municipal Shared Services Cloud is based on a unique combination of the advanced means of data analysis and opportunities "deliveries of the software as services" (Software as a Service) for integration of software products from numerous suppliers and Web applications based on a single convenient platform which the municipal governments through the whole country can use jointly. IBM cooperates with such organizations as New York Conference of Mayors and Michigan Municipal League now, coordinating participation of their members in pilot testing of new service.

More detailed information on solutions of IBM for the federal government organizations can be obtained on the Website www.ibm.com/federal.