Lawmakers Say Security, Broadband Key to Cloud Use Growth

Moving to the cloud will save money and increase productivity in the public and private sectors, said Subcommittee Chairman Ben Quayle, R-Ariz. But cybersecurity is a major concern, he said. “Users must have confidence that their data and applications will be secure and that their privacy will be protected.” Cloud providers should offer different security tiers based on the sensitivity of the data, he said. “Broadband networks must be up to the task of handling the massive amounts of data that will be transmitted over the Internet,” Quayle said. He also supported development of interoperable standards so users can transport data and applications from one service provider to another. The standards should be consensus-based and not “so rigid that they inhibit the opportunities for innovation that cloud computing offers."

"There are a number of security concerns associated with moving information to a remote data server that is operated by a third party and may be located in a foreign country with less-stringent data protection laws,” said Rep. Ben Luján, D-N.M. But cloud computing could save the federal government billions of dollars, he said. “It’s essential that we find a way to ensure the security and privacy of the cloud so that the federal government can reap the full benefits of this emerging technology.” Luján agreed standards are critical and applauded the National Institute of Standards and Technology for aggressively developing cloud standards for the federal government.

The High-Tech Caucus’ new Cloud Task Force will focus on “cloud policies and initiatives,” Matsui said at the TechAmerica briefing. It be “an important mechanism for members of Congress to engage with the tech industry on current developments in cloud computing,” she said. “We know that cloud computing will play an essential role in both the technology industry and our economy moving forward."

Matsui and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., urged industry to teach members and their staff about cloud technologies. At the briefing, Coons touted the benefits to government productivity brought by cloud technologies. Coons said he hoped for movement on cybersecurity and efforts to modernize the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. And it’s important to build technology infrastructure supporting cloud technologies, he said. Coons is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Cloud services are expected to halve email costs for the General Services Administration and the Agriculture Department, GSA Associate Administrator David McClure said at the hearing. But using the cloud still carries risks, said McClure, calling for “baseline security standards” for cloud providers. Interoperability and data portability standards are also necessary, he said. Using clouds could ultimately make data more secure, said Virtual Computing Environment Co. CEO Michael Capellas. “The cloud when properly defined allows you to offset” denial of service attacks because the network’s workload can be easily distributed to other, unaffected computers. If a computer goes down on the cloud, the network can continue using the other computers, he said.

Government should encourage investment in enhancing broadband speeds and research to support and improve cloud services, Microsoft Vice President Dan Reed said. “Networking is the oxygen that lets cloud services breathe,” Reed said. Delivering data “reliably and at high volume” is a major part of cloud services, he said. Cloud services are already challenging the speed of the country’s broadband networks, Reed said. The government should find a mechanism to speed broadband deployment, he said. Increasing traffic on wireless networks means more spectrum and more efficient spectrum use is needed, he said. Government can also promote cloud growth by adopting and encouraging the purchase of the services, Reed said.

"Cloud has potential to reshape the IT landscape and shift wealth between nations,” said Capellas. Cloud computing is “poised to grow rapidly” and will be “important in terms of U.S. competitiveness, including job creation and productivity,” he said. It will make companies, agencies and organizations “more nimble and competitive by boosting productivity and increasing the speed of business,” he said. The U.S. leads the world in cloud, but should not stand idle, said Reed. “It’s ours to lose.”