EMC Addresses U.S. Congress on Federal Shift to Cloud Computing and Improving Trust in the Cloud

HOPKINTON, Mass., Sept. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud computing is a major transformational opportunity for changing the way the U.S. government deploys its information technology (IT) resources and provides services to employees and citizens, with trust a key requirement to make the journey to the cloud a success.   At a series of events on Capitol Hill today, EMC (NYSE: EMC) Corporation Federal Division Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Nick Combs joined other technology leaders in testifying before a U.S. House Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation as well as a separate Congressional Briefing on cloud computing.

Combs, who served 25 years in the Federal Government as a Senior IT leader, including high-level roles in the intelligence community, told federal legislators that  in addition to cost savings, increases in energy efficiency and productivity, that moving IT systems to cloud-based infrastructure and services could also help improve cyber security.  

Combs also said EMC supports updating the Federal Information Security and Management Act (FISMA), calling it important legislation that will update the law, enacted in 2002, to enable more effective operational risk management throughout the federal government.

"The Federal Government can have a positive and critical impact on cloud computing adoption," said Combs.  "IT is on the verge of dramatic change.  We have to remain focused to ensure we get it right.  This will be a journey and we will realize benefits such as efficiencies, cost savings and increased productivity while ensuring trust is critical to spurring cloud adoption, there should be tangible improvements in information security that will come with the shift to cloud that is underway.  Cloud computing also holds special promise for smaller organizations which, left to their own devices, could not necessarily afford the advanced expertise or technologies necessary for protection against today's advanced cyber threats."

The 15-member House Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation has legislative jurisdiction, general oversight and investigative authority on a number of areas, including technology standards, innovation and competitiveness. Later in the day, Combs is scheduled to join other industry and congressional leaders in the first U.S. Congressional briefing on the recommendations of the TechAmerica Foundation's CLOUD2 (Commission on the Leadership Opportunity in U.S. Deployment of the Cloud) panel.

Supporting Resources:

• View the full testimony
• Webcast of House Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation Hearing
• TechAmerica Foundation CLOUD2 report
• Connect with EMC via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and ECN  

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset -- information -- in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com.

EMC is a registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE EMC Corporation