Technology experts believe US can benefit financially from cloud computing

Thursday, September 29, 2011

According to a recent InformationWeek report, the federal government's plan to adopt cloud computing is not simply to adopt innovative technology, but to remain on par with technological developments occurring worldwide.

"The cloud is the foundation of the 21st century digital economy," Microsoft corporate vice president Dan Reed recently told the House Subcommittee on Technology.

Reed also indicated that the country is in the lead in terms of cloud computing adoption rate and that it is the United States' race to lose, the report stated.

Co-chairmen of TechAmerica's cloud computing missions Michael Capellas said the technology has the ability to shift the wealth of power between nations due to its on-demand and centralized service potential, according to InformationWeek.

Cloud computing was one of the key visions of former federal chief information officer Vivek Kundra. In an interview with the New York Times this summer, in addition to the savings from closing 800 data centers, Kundra said the U.S. government can save $5 billion a year by adopting cloud computing services.