DHS Allows Component Agencies to Lead Cloud Adoption Efforts; Kshemendra Paul Quoted

The Department of Homeland Security is letting the Citizenship and Immigration Services, Customs and Border Protection and other component agencies to advance the adoption of cloud platforms, Federal News Network reported Thursday. 

“They’re way out in front of headquarters. Headquarters is playing catch-up, but there’s an opportunity when you’re playing catch-up, when you’re not the first mover,” Kshemendra Paul, cloud action officer at DHS’ office of the chief information officer, said of the department’s component agencies. “We get to learn from the early adopters. We get to leverage their investment, and that’s key to what we’re doing.”

Paul cited the department’s move to set up a cloud steering group, develop its cloud policy and establish the cloud center of excellence. Paul also discussed how the workforce, acquisition and security aspects of the cloud smart strategy guide DHS’ cloud adoption as well as the department’s commitment to a multi-cloud platform.

“That CCoE is coalescing our capabilities, Cloud Factory, [and] other activities, to build a couple of landing zones within the cloud and figure out how to better operate and migrate as a group that portfolio in headquarters to the cloud,” he said Wednesday at FCW’s cloud smart summit in Washington.

“We’re not going to pick one cloud. There will be multiple clouds, but that doesn’t mean an unlimited number of clouds,” he added. “Part of the conversation that we’re having internally and we’ll have with industry through an RFP process is what is the optimal configuration that balances scale, manageability, innovation [and] capability?”