Cloud Procurement: Before You Sign on the Dotted Line
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released an issue brief focusing on state cloud procurement. The NASCIO Procurement Modernization Committee, in partnership with TechAmerica and the National Association of State Procurement Officials, continue to focus on state IT procurement reforms and highlight best practices at the state level. The publication, “Capitals in the Clouds Part VI: Cloud Procurement: From Solicitation to Signing,” is now available at https://www.nascio.org/publications/
As first reported in the NASCIO/TechAmerica/Grant Thornton 2013 State CIO Survey, The Enterprise Imperative: Leading Through Governance, Portfolio Management, and Collaboration, states continue to turn to cloud solutions, with services such as email and storage remaining the most popular. In fact, 74 percent of respondents said their state has some applications in the cloud.
Alex Pettit, co-chair of the NASCIO Procurement Modernization Committee and chief information officer for the state of Oregon said, “In just a few short years, cloud offerings have become one of the most popular ways CIOs can procure services for their states. With these new services come procurement challenges that CIOs must address.”
For several years now, NASCIO has discussed the transition in the state information technology environment as state CIOs sought new approaches to traditional delivery models. The recession prompted state leaders to examine new approaches and leverage technology opportunities. The use of cloud services by state government is the most obvious manifestation of this transition. In 2011, NASCIO launched its “Capitals in the Clouds” series on this topic. Three years later, states continue to investigate and to leverage cloud solutions, software as a service (SaaS) and infrastructure as a service, with services such as email and data storage remaining the most popular.
Gale Given, co-chair of the NASCIO Procurement Modernization Committee and chief information officer for the state of West Virginia said, “Embracing cloud services within states shows an eye-opening shift in how states procure information technology services and products. Adapting to this change won’t happen overnight.”
