Employing Cloud as a Security Tool: This Changes Everything

I will be speaking at the "Open Group Scottsdale Conference" on January 28th. My session will be entitled "Employing Cloud as a Security Tool: This Changes Everything". Here's a brief summary of this session:

There has been a lot of buzz and discussion about the effectiveness and efficiency of the cloud. There have also been many innovations aimed at enhancing the security the cloud itself. Nevertheless, there is a new trend calling for using the cloud as a tool and backbone of security. This emerging concept has many new architectural components that are now being developed to exploit such potentials. 

In this talk, we highlight the architectural principles that must be used to architect such solutions and we provide a couple of case studies as examples. The first case study is focused on a large next generation malware detection in the financial sector and the second highlights the largest implementation of a cyber security shared services platform in the US government.

Conference Event Timetable

Conference Home Page

You attendance is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated!

Cloud Reservoirs: a practical cloud consumption model for the federal government

I will be speaking at the "Open Group San Diego Conference" on January 30th. My session will be entitled "Cloud Reservoirs: a practical cloud consumption model for the federal government". Here's a brief summary of this session:

While the Cloud computing buzz continues to take the lion’s share of the federal government visions, strategies, and plans, real adoption is still lacking. Compliance program such as FedRAMP and various GSA or agency level BPAs have increased confidence and made the cloud more attainable. But much of the current cloud workloads are based on development and testing environments, low hanging fruits like online productivity, or smaller greenfield projects. Meanwhile, enterprise and mission workloads are still lagging behind.
One of the problems prohibiting adoption is the need for a good structure to ensure flexibility in accessing various cloud services while reducing risks and ensuring budget predictability.
In this session you will learn about an innovative way for structuring a cloud consumption model that allows government agencies to capitalize on the value and premise of cloud computing while mitigating the risks of budget unpredictability.

Conference Event Timetable

Conference Home Page

You attendance is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated!

Named CIOReview’s 20 Most Promising Cloud Solution Providers

I am very proud of all the work and team effort that led us to this recognition... Govplace named CIOReview’s 20 Most Promising Cloud Solution Providers.

https://magazine.cioreview.com/magazines/June2017/Cloud  

IT Optimization: Knowing your baseline and minimizing risks

The recording of the WTOP Federal News Radio Panel on IT Optimization is now available on this link: WTOP LINK

Moderator
Jason Miller, Federal News Radio

Panelists

• Thomas Beach, Chief Data Strategist & Digital Services and Big Data Portfolio Manager, United States Patent and Trademark Office
• George Jakabcin, Chief Information Officer, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
• Jeff Shilling, Chief of IT and Infrastructure Services, National Cancer Institute
• Majed Saadi, Chief Technology Officer, Govplace
• Bob Nicholson, Business Development Manager, Dell Federal

The ATARC Cloud Workload Management Whitepaper is Out

ATARC has just released an outstanding Cloud Computing White Paper, which features a variety of recommendations to government and was compiled at the ATARC Federal Cloud Computing Summit on July 26. I had the honor of being a participant in the discussions that guided the creation of this whitepaper. 

To view the Cloud White Paper, as well as the Session Outputs/White Boards, please visit: https://atarc.org/project/mitre-atarc-cloud-white-paper-july-26-2016/ 

Here are the list of topic areas discussed in the MITRE-ATARC Cloud Collaboration Symposium and the resulting whitepaper. 

Cloud Challenge Areas

• DevOps vs. NoOps: Managing Public Clouds

• Secure Cloud Access: From APIs to Mobile & IoT Devices

• Workload Management for Cost Savings

• Cloud Category Management

• Cloud Computing in Healthcare

Opening Remarks for Getting the Fix on SLAs

I had the privilege of providing the opening remarks for Dr. Robert Bohn, Cloud Computing Program Manager at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at  The FCW Cloud Summit 2016  which took place on August 10th. His session was entitled "Getting the Fix on SLAs".

https://nsp.performedia.com/node/15427?output=frame&p=html5


Here's a brief summary of this session:

One of the foundations of a cloud initiative is the service level agreement (SLA). Yet agencies often have found it difficult to define SLAs that achieve the intended results. In our afternoon keynote, Mr. Bohn will discuss a NIST effort to leverage a forthcoming ISO standard to create a government-wide base model for SLAs that can be tailored to meet the needs of individual agencies..

For more information about the session: Conference Home Page

I will be leading a panel discussion entitled: “Workload Management for Cost Savings”

This event is part of the ATARC Federal Cloud Computing Summit which will be held on July 26, 2016 at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center in Washington, D.C.

This educational, one-day symposium will examine the tools and technology the Federal government is using in cloud computing to enhance any agency's mission. For more information about the event, please visit this URL: ATARC Federal Cloud Computing Summit

I will be speaking at Cloud Expo 2016  (June 7-9th). My session will be entitled "Government Cloud Enablement, A Federated Model".

Here's a brief summary of this session:

While many government agencies have embraced the idea of employing Cloud Computing as a tool for increasing the efficiency and flexibility of IT, many still struggle with large scale adoption. The challenge is mainly attributed to the federated structure of these agencies as well as the immaturity of brokerage and governance tools and models. Initiatives like FedRAMP are a great first step toward solving many of these challenges but there are a lot of unknowns that are yet to be tackled. This session focuses on providing a quick update about that state of the cloud in the federal government with an emphasis on current trends and drivers. It also introduces a new Government Cloud Enablement Model which aims which codifies the different functional areas that enablement must confront.

For more information about the session: Conference Home Page

The session was also featured on Sys-Con as part of their OpenStack journal. here's a link to the featured article http://ajax.sys-con.com/node/3836160 

You attendance is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated!

Cancer Genomics in the Cloud

Congrats to ISB and SRA. I am proud to be part of this team.

http://hitconsultant.net/2014/10/16/google-partners-create-cancer-genomics-cloud/

Securing the Cloud: A Pragmatic Approach @ Cloud Expo 2014

I will be speaking at  Cloud Expo 2014  (June 10-14th). My session will be entitled "Securing the Cloud: A Pragmatic Approach".

Here's a brief summary of this session:

Fueled by the global economic situation, the government’s focus on data center consolidation and the “Cloud First” initiative, Cloud Computing continues to be the buzzword of the year.  As government agencies start to adopt cloud computing, additional challenges including security in the cloud have become prominent barriers to adoption.
This presentation focuses on providing a quick Cloud Computing technology update with an emphasis on current Cloud Computing security trends and drivers. Examples of these trends include: the utilization and evaluation of Clouds in both active and passive surveillance systems and the use of High Performance Clouds for expanding scientist ability to access data. The presentation also introduces best practices and lessons learned for securing both public and private cloud environments. It offers insight into how Cloud Computing coupled with other technical advancements in mobility and security are changing government IT organizations and provides general guidance and best practices for developing practical and pragmatic cloud strategies.

For more information about the session: Conference Home Page

You attendance is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated! 

The Future of Public Health Informatics @ the 2014 Public Health Informatics Conference

I will be speaking at the 2014 Public Health Informatics Conference (April 29-May 01). The conference is co-sponsored by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

My session will be entitled "Strategic and Future Directions for Public Health Informatics".

More information about the session

Conference Home Page

You attendance is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated!

Quoted by SaaSAddict

Use this link to read the SaaSAddict article: http://saasaddict.walkme.com/government-adoption-cloud-services-interview-sra/

Building the Case for a Cloud-Based Government @ the DC Cloud Computing Symposium

I will be speaking at the Cloud for Defense, Intelligence and Homeland Security Symposium (April 24-25, 2014). My session will be entitled "Building the Case for a Cloud-Based Government – Trends, Drivers, Guidance and Best Practices".

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.


Conference Home Page

You attendance is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated!

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

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

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 ____________”

Sick & Tired of Cloud Predictions!!!

I am getting sick and tired of all these 2013 cloud predictions!!! Enough alright...

Well if you cannot beat them maybe you can join them.  I will keep it simple, Just three predictions, I promise...

1. The cloud is here to stay. Yes, it will go down every once in a while but it will stay. Why? Because it will get cheaper and cheaper as time passes. And it will continue to be more reliable and robust than many makeshift traditional solutions.
2. Hype is over, reality sets in. The cloud is not a magic pill. If you want to make use of its potentials, than you have to do your homework. Create a good strategy, clean up your infrastructure, prepare your people... 
3. Predictions go out of fashion. Who am I kidding... No they won't

Here you go I am now as guilty as the next predictor.  

Happy New Year :)

Presenting at the CDC CIMS Industry Day

I will be presenting, along side the SRA Capability Center team, at the upcoming Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Information Management Services (CIMS) Industry Day. The event will take place in Atlanta, GA on Nov 13th.

Presentation Topics:

• What is FedRAMP and what does it mean to me/CDC?/ How to take your Systems to the Cloud and Why?
• Why Agile Development Makes Projects Successful

Click here for more information about the event.

Managing the Perceived Green Effect of Clouds @ GDCON 2013

I will be speaking at the "The Green Data Center Conference" on January 31st. My session will be entitled "Using ITSM to Manage the Perceived Green Effect of Cloud Computing".

Here's a brief summary of this session:

Cloud Computing is promising a lot of efficiencies and cost savings but it’s also presenting a huge paradigm shift to many IT organizations. Cloud Computing does not only affect the way organizations consume resources but also produces a perceived green side-effect. This session focuses on utilizing best practices and IT Service Management guidelines to create a simple but proven framework to judge the environmental impacts of Cloud Computing. The session also discusses the opportunities and challenges of achieving and maintaining these perceived effects. 

More information about the session

Conference Home Page

You attendance is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated!