Quoted in the Washington Post: SRA releases new federal cloud service

  Use this link to read the Washington Post article: http://wapo.st/1bmzCIc

The Perfect Mobile Phone – Designed By Me for Me

It’s been almost 16 months since I switched my iPhone 4S with the Android based Samsung Galaxy SII and once again I find myself facing a dilemma. You see, I am now eligible for an upgrade which means that I have to, once again, decide on which phone platform to choose. Things have changed a bit since I bought my SII. Both Blackberry and Microsoft have introduced new substantially more competitive phones. The big dogs (Apple, Samsung and HTC) have released more powerful and much cooler versions of their flagship phones. And they all are working on even niftier phones that might be released towards the end of the year…

I did research and read about the current top 3 contenders (Apple’s iPhone 5, Samsung’s Galaxy S4, and the HTC One) but I did not fall in love with any of them. They all have their merits but none of them complete my world!!! So I decided to design my own imaginary phone. “The Perfect Mobile Phone”


So here, for your amusement and plausible new venture funding, are the specs of my perfect phone:

Feature	à la
Make it fast. Give me your best and most powerful CPU	HTC One
With a lot of RAM please (2GB or more)	Galaxy S4
A usable form factor that can fit nicely in most pockets, does not require an NBA player sized palm, and provides a good size screen (say 4.5” to 4.7”)	HTC One
Make it an HD screen with outstanding resolution and good pixel density (say 460 ppi or higher)	HTC One
Oh and make it light (130 g or less)	iPhone 5
Give me a good camera. I mean a real good camera. One that can replace my point and shoot. (12 MP or higher)	Galaxy S4
Now couple that camera with a faster shutter (<0.24 s lag), a physical camera button and AF tracking	iPhone 5
Good quality stereo speakers that can rock the room	HTC One
Reduce proprietary stuff. A standard USB charging cable please	Galaxy S4 & HTC One
Strong long lasting battery please (>2200 mAh)	Galaxy S4
Power button on top. Yup, I am picky like that	iPhone 5 & HTC One
Finally, give me all the accessories I can take	iPhone 5

Now why not splurge and get some more functionality out of this phone. Here’s is a list of my nice to haves:

• An infrared port so that I can control my less than smart TV
• Make it expandable with an SD card slot. With storage clouds this might not be my priority…
• A simple reliable kickstand. Yes. I do not want to have to buy a cover for that
• Smudge proof glass… ya ya, once they get their act together and invent it!!!

Note: I focused this list on hardware specs only with the goal to come up with a list for the software side too. Before all of this becomes obsolete!!!

Trying Google Glass @ TechAmerica's 2013 Awards Dinner

AFFRIM 2013 Federal CFO-CIO Summit

 Let's talk Cloud! 

Join me & the SRA team @ the AFFRIM 2013 Federal CFO-CIO Summit at the Washington Convention Center. http://www.affirm.org/partner-events/2013-federal-cfo-cio-summit

Determining High Value IT Initiatives @ the Open Group Conference in Philly

I will be speaking at the "Open Group Philadelphia Conference" on July 15th. My session will be entitled "Determining High Value IT Initiatives". Here's a brief summary of this session:

As IT budgets shrink, enterprise architects must increasingly focus on identifying and achieving infrastructure cost savings based on quantified ROI and risk. Typically, the complexity and heterogeneity of infrastructure environments makes optimization difficult but budget pressures necessitate performance improvements. Utilizing portfolio management and enterprise architecture techniques, this presentation describes an approach to identify solutions with "high return" cost savings.


Key takeaways:

• Understanding of the key efficiency levers that can result in reduced costs
• Approach for prioritizing and selecting highest value initiatives

Session material has been co-authored by Sandra Ambrose (Director, Infrastructure Services Practice @ SRA International)

Conference Event Timetable

Conference Home Page

You attendance is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated!

Building the Case for a Cloud-Based Government @ Cloud Expo 2013

I will be speaking at  Cloud Expo 2013  on June 12th. My session will be entitled "Building the Case for a Cloud-Based Government".

Here's a brief summary of this session:

The US Government, as well as governments around the world, is looking to invest heavily in Cloud Computing. The cloud promises a lot of efficiencies and cost savings but it also presents a new revolutionary way to approach citizen services. This session offers insight into how Cloud Computing coupled with other technical advancements in mobility and security are changing government IT organizations. It also provides general guidance and best practices for developing practical and pragmatic cloud strategies. 

More information about the session

Conference Home Page

You attendance is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated! 

Speaking at a UVA Jeffersonian Dinner

I will be speaking at a University of Virginia Jeffersonian Dinner. The dinner will take place on March 27th at Paolo's in Reston Town Center.

The topic of my presentation was voted on by the UVA MSMIT community and will be entitled: "Cloud Computing a Strategy, a Concept, or a Solution"

Please use the following link to register or to learn more about the event: http://hoosonline.virginia.edu/jeffersoniandinner

You can also check out the following TED Talk to learn more about the concept of Jeffersonian Dinners http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuAT0YHQz94

Go Hoos!!!

Mythbusting and Misconceptions Panel @ George Town University

I will be participating in a panel discussion entitled: “Mythbusting and Misconceptions: Understanding Current Perceptions and Debating the Realities Surrounding Cloud Security and its Implications to Cloud Economics, Efficiencies, and Adoption”

This event is part of the Federal Government & Cloud Computing Symposium which aims at Addressing the Challenges and Resolving the Tensions Between Security and Efficiency in the Evolving Enterprise.The event is sponsored by the Homeland Security & Defense Business Council and Georgetown University’s Center for Secure Communications, in Conjunction with the Bipartisan Policy Center and The Civitas Group

This half-day symposium will be held on February 19th at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. The program will include two integrated panel sessions with a mix of leading cloud experts from government and industry. In order to encourage robust, interactive discussion, these panel sessions will be closed to the press and not for attribution. The program will also conclude with a capstone “National Conversation” (open to the press) between leading experts from the public and private sectors that builds off the panel discussions and discusses the outstanding issues and the way forward. For more information about the event, please visit this URL:http://homelandcouncil.org/the-federal-government-a-cloud-computing-symposium.html


Here is more information about the panel discussion:

Examining the myths surrounding the cloud is an essential component of the government’s ability to decide whether, when, and how to utilize cloud solutions, as well as an important aspect of improving government and industry collaboration.  In this panel, public and private sector experts will focus on cloud security and its impact on cloud economics, efficiencies, and adoption.  They will examine the current perceptions, address misconceptions, and help to identify what is fact and what is fiction.  

It will look closely at the strong perceptions held by both government and industry regarding cloud security, including:

• “Establishing and maintaining a high level of security in the cloud is/is not cost effective”
• “The cloud is less secure/more secure than traditional IT models”
• “Government information is more/less vulnerable in a cloud environment”
• “The government is afraid to virtualize for fear of a data spill”
• “Security mechanisms inhibit agility in the cloud”
• “Email does not need a high level of security in the cloud”
• “My agency cannot go to the cloud because ____________”