A new bipartisan House bill is calling on four Federal agencies to draft a roadmap for implementation of multi-cloud software technology with an aim to ensuring secure, widespread use across the government.
The Multi-Cloud Innovation and Advancement Act was introduced by Reps. William Timmons, R-S.C., Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., and David Trone, D-Md., last week.
The measure proposes that the General Services Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the U.S. Digital Service collaborate and issue guidance as to how agencies can implement multi-cloud computing to increase efficiency and interoperability within Federal networks.
The guidance would show how the government can deploy “multi-cloud software technology to allow for applications, data and programs to be portable and interoperable between public, private and edge cloud environments,” and lay out an implementation roadmap to ensure multi-cloud usage by all executive agencies no later than Jan. 1, 2025.
“Multi-cloud solutions allow users to distribute data across multiple different cloud systems, and they can improve efficiency, enhance security and provide increased flexibility for the federal government. However, the federal workforce must have the necessary capabilities to use this technology,” Rep. Eshoo said in a statement.
“The bipartisan Multi-Cloud Innovation and Advancement Act I’ve introduced will help move the federal government’s IT systems into the 21st Century by directing the federal government to examine how it can adopt multi-cloud computing and what resources it needs to do so,” she said.
The bill also calls on the Government Accountability Office to submit two reports to Congress: one to assess and offer recommendations on the Federal workforce’s digital skills and expertise gap in technology areas like cloud computing, and a second report to examine agencies’ implementation progress of the joint guidance.
“As we modernize the federal government with 21st Century technology, we must ensure that our data is protected,” Rep. Timmons said in a statement. “Implementing multi-cloud security helps to prevent leaks of sensitive information, allows for constant monitoring of cyberattacks and exposure risks, and creates centralized visibility. As businesses and the private sector move to multi-cloud technology, the federal government should have plans in place to be prepared for a multi-cloud future.”
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
