Flying Through The Cloud: Acquisition Turbulence & Cyber Hail

OMB's "Cloud First" directive funnels an ever-expanding share of the $70 billion IT budget into cloud computing services and technology, creating a whirlwind of acquisition and cybersecurity issues outpacing the regulatory framework, procurement practices, and security rules guiding federal agencies and contractors. In his Briefing Paper on "Cloud Computing Acquisitions & Cybersecurity" published by Thomson West, C&M's David Bodenheimer sheds light on the latest NIST standards for federal cloud acquisitions and security, the major drivers accelerating the "Cloud First" implementation in the federal marketplace, the cybersecurity challenges and FedRAMP authorization process, and the complexities and pitfalls raining down on cloud acquisitions, including current and future protests involving competition, restrictive requirements, privacy, security, and organizational conflicts of interest.