When I wrote about the Obama administration’s suggestion that government agencies consider using cloud computing, I focused on the idea of cloud as a means of cutting costs. So did several folks participating in a recent eBizQ discussion based on the question “Is Cloud a Natural Fit for the Government?” But wait. As consultant and professor of computer science Jerry Smith notes in the discussion, despite the government’s lip service on cutting IT costs, expense rarely factors into agencies’ IT decisions. So if cost reduction isn’t the same kind of driver for government agencies as it is for most private companies, will many of them be willing to consider cloud computing?
Unfortunately, I don’t think many agency CIOs are comfortable with this kind of thinking.