Web Watch: GSA Reaching for the Cloud GSA hopes to spearhead the federal government’s shift to cloud computing with a new website, apps.gov. Agencies can use the site to buy data storage, web hosting and other infrastructure on a pay-as-you-go basis. “Cloud computing is a major part of the president’s initiative to modernize IT and can reduce the cost of IT infrastructure by using commercially available technology,” GSA said. President Obama’s chief information officer, Vivek Kundra, is touting cloud computing as a way to stretch the government’s IT dollars by reducing the need to purchase new infrastructure and saving money on the energy required to run the infrastructure. In opening the apps.gov site, he said it will simplify the acquisition of cloud services. Since outside vendors operate and maintain the online infrastructure, critics have raised questions about the security of government data. “There are legitimate concerns around security that the government didn’t try to address historically; they accepted that security couldn’t be addressed,” Kundra said, according to Nextgov.com. He said the government will work with industry to resolve security concerns. In the meantime, he said agencies should move only non-sensitive data to the cloud. Apps.gov offers four categories of applications: business apps, productivity apps, cloud IT services and social media apps. For example, Google charges $45.94 a year for access to its Apps Premier for a single user. The first offerings on the site are limited. Kundra acknowledged that it will take years to make full use of the cloud. “By offering a centralized storefront for cloud solutions, GSA will help facilitate innovation and efficiency across government while reducing the cost of government operations,” said GSA Chief Information Officer Casey Coleman. “Through Apps.gov, GSA can take on more of the procurement processes upfront, helping agencies to better fulfill their missions by implementing solutions more rapidly. We will also work with industry to ensure cloud-based solutions are secure and compliant thereby reducing duplication of security processes throughout government.”