Cloud Quotes: What CIOs Have to Say About Cloud Computing
State and local governments are eager to reap the benefits that cloud computing offers, but as we learned at NASCIO 2013, it’s just not that easy. In addition to security and privacy concerns, CIOs have to consider uptime, cost, culture and networking. For all the benefits states can gain from cloud solutions, there are challenges that must be overcome. Regardless, cloud is one of the hottest topics in government today, and innovative leaders are tackling challenges head-on.
Here a few of the most interesting quotes we heard at NASCIO’s annual conference on cloud computing.
How States Overcome Cloud Challenges
“Cloud to us means a liberation.”
— Ed Valencia, CTO of Minnesota
“We need to revise the way that we buy things in order to allow for the value that cloud solutions provide.”
— Mike Powell, CIO of Maryland
“It’s really important for us to make sure that as we move to a cloud service that the performance of that service isn’t going to get impacted by poor connectivity.”
— Bill Oates, CIO of Boston
Reaping the Benefits of the Cloud
“Cloud computing means different things to different state organizations, depending upon where they are — or not — with consolidation and transformation.”
— Samuel Nixon, CIO of Virginia
“We were one of the first states to move most of our email into the cloud. That’s gone really, really well; I think it’s exceeded expectations. When we think about doing major information technology projects in this state, the default is cloud.”
— Mike Powell, CIO of Maryland
"Security, reliability — they can then focus on other stuff that are more business oriented or core-function oriented."
— Reuben Molloy, CIO of the U.S. Virgin Islands
