PSC Submits Cloud Adoption Recommendations to Department of Defense

Nov. 21, 2017

Arlington, V.A (Nov. 21, 2017) - In response to a Department of Defense (DoD) Request for Information (RFI) on cloud adoption, the Professional Services Council (PSC) on Nov. 17 submitted recommendations for removing policy and regulatory barriers to accelerating cloud adoption and IT modernization. 

“PSC strongly supports Secretary Mattis’ goals of accelerating the adoption of innovative technologies and leveraging commercial capabilities to improve our military’s warfighting capabilities while saving personnel resources and funding that could be redirected to our warfighters,” PSC executive vice president and counsel Alan Chvotkin said in a letter to DoD’s Deputy Secretary of Defense. “DoD today has a tremendous opportunity to access innovation and the best ideas that the private sector has to offer. However, the government faces procurement policy and regulatory barriers to acquiring commercial cloud-based or ‘as-a-service’ offerings. PSC appreciates the opportunity to offer policy recommendations to enable DoD to acquire these commercial capabilities.”

As a trade association, PSC focused its RFI response comments on policy and regulatory barriers that hinder enterprise cloud adoption. The shift to consumption-based buying for cloud-based and other “as-a-service” technologies creates challenges for DoD and other government organizations. PSC’s detailed recommendations include leveraging flexibilities in federal procurement rules and adapting current budget authorities and acquisition tools to accelerate IT modernization. PSC also encourages DoD to consider a more agile cybersecurity requirements framework for cloud-based solutions.

These recommendations to DoD build on PSC’s efforts throughout the year to promote federal IT modernization and bolster cybersecurity. As the voice of the government technology and professional services industry, PSC has long advocated for the recently-enacted MGT Act. Additionally, in September, PSC released its 27th annual CIO Survey in partnership with Grant Thornton, and offered recommendations to the White House American Technology Council on how to leverage commercial best practices to modernize government technology. 

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Media Contact: 
Ashlei Stevens
Director, Media Relations
703.875.8974 
stevens@pscouncil.org 
About PSC: PSC is the voice of the government technology and professional services industry. PSC’s more than 400 member companies represent small, medium and large businesses that provide federal agencies with services of all kinds, including information technology, engineering, logistics, facilities management, operations and maintenance, consulting, international development, scientific, social, environmental services, and more. Together, the trade association’s members employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in all 50 states. Follow PSC on Twitter @PSCSpeaks. To learn more, visit www.pscouncil.org.