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DISA Sets Eye on Becoming DoD’s Leading Cloud Provider

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DISA CTO Dave Mihelcic, Photo: disa.mil

The Defense Information Systems Agency said this week it wants to become the Defense Department’s leading provider of cloud computing platforms and services.

In an interview with Nextgov, DISA Chief Technology Officer Dave Mihelcic said his agency is “uniquely positioned” to be DoD’s cloud provider of first resort both for unclassified and classified data.

Mihelcic suggested DISA’s cloud environment, consisting of 14 data centers worldwide and connected by DoD’s global broadband network, would meet both the Pentagon’s security and money-saving goals.

In fact, according to Nextgov, Mihelcic said the best way to ensure cloud security, a particularly potent topic for sensitive defense information stored there, is to use DISA’s offering over commercial solutions.

DISA’s chomping at the bit to become DoD’s leading provider is borne out by its experience. In October, the agency began hosting the Army’s email on the cloud, which will save an estimated $100 million a year.

While Mihelcic said DISA is already the “go to” shop for DoD, the agency could face increased competition from the private sector.

That’s because the Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress late last month, directs the Pentagon to assess the cloud services offerings of not only federal agencies, such as DISA, but commercial providers as well.

The Office of Management and Budget initiated a “cloud-first” strategy last month, mandating that federal agencies and departments identify services to migrate to the cloud.

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