Government IT, as one of the largest buyers of IT software, services, and hardware, is poised to reap massive savings over the long term through SaaS adoption. At the local and state levels, where cloud-based computing is taking hold because budgets have become very constrained, SaaS comes to the rescue in many ways. With SaaS, you can provide high-end, enterprise-level services at a discounted price and reduce maintenance costs. In essence, SaaS lets an analyst or administrator build and configure new applications with point-and-click ease. The end users themselves can experiment with the tools to innovate and improve services. The efficiency they create at a low price has a big positive effect on the local or state government services they deliver.
Some of the biggest concerns about shifting to the cloud include handing over my data to another company that is out of your control. Do you trust that company? Is your data safe?” This is one of the largest areas of misinformation around the cloud. SaaS vendors add features and processes to satisfy a large array of customers’ needs, adding up to a much more secure environment than an individual organization can provide. A SaaS company is highly motivated to keep your data safe. SaaS providers must ensure the security of your data and infrastructure. They can afford to put the staff and infrastructure in place to ensure a level of security that some government entities may not be able to afford. They perform security tests and audits far more frequently than any government agency. So the area of greatest fear to CIOs actually represents an area of greatest strength for many SaaS vendors.
In response to national security concerns, the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) also requires federal agencies to safeguard information by developing, documenting, implementing, and annually reviewing and reporting on agency-wide programs that safeguard information systems. So, look for a SaaS vendor with a cloud-based IT service management solution that supports FISMA with “Low” and “Moderate” National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) security controls. The security support must stretch across the entire IT environment, from infrastructure to services and applications.
By Marc Ferrentino