NCOIC and Cloud Computing: An Update

As the NCOIC gets it's arms around this new paradigm, the Cloud Computing Working Group has focused on establishing a roadmap for providing value to the industry. Using the established NCOIC Interoperability Framework, Network Centric Analysis Tool and Building Blocks, the working group's way forward will be to:

• Embrace collaboration with Federal Projects and stakeholders in order to aid their effort to leverage cloud computing across the Federal Government



• Embrace collaboration with Vendors & standard bodies



• Work with these organizations on pragmatic cloud projects, as and when appropriate



• Use Capability and Operational patterns to validate operational impact of cloud interoperability



• Identify key net-centric operations interoperability requirements and preferences within identified technical patterns



• Iterate with NCOIC stakeholder companies and government organizations



• Leverage analysis to drive cloud interoperability recommendations and best practices

In developing net-centric patterns for cloud computing, the working group will tackle four specific questions:

• Which interoperability capabilities are supported by cloud computing?
  –E.g. Search, Intelligent Inference, Semantic Metadata Representation, Elastic Compute/Storage/Network infrastructure


• Which interoperability challenges are mitigated by cloud computing?
  –E.g. Security, SLA management, Declarative Policies, Resource Monitoring & Usage


• Which cloud computing structural elements require interoperability guidance?
  –E.g., organizations, policies, physical assets, different cloud postures


• What operational & technical standards are relevant to interoperability problems in relevant operational scenarios?

The full presentation on this topic was given by Krishna Sankar during the recent SATCCI Spring 2009 Workshop for Federal Cloud Computing Stakeholders and is available online.