SACRAMENTO, Calif.,
July 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The
California Department of Technology and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today
announced CalCloud, a new technology model powered by cloud
computing to build and deliver more innovative government services
and savings.
The platform, now available to municipalities and all state and
local government agencies on a subscription basis, is the first of
its kind to be implemented in the United
States at the state level.
Through CalCloud, the California Department of Technology is
providing next-generation tools that offer access to IT services at
the rapid pace that customers demand while minimizing upfront
capital investment and controlling financial risk.
Instead of separate IT systems for each department, the CalCloud
service model allows government entities to share a common pool of
computing resources and operate much more efficiently than they do
today. Immediate access to modern back-end services frees up state
department to focus on projects with direct impact on the
public.
"CalCloud is an important step towards providing faster and more
cost effective IT services to California state departments and ultimately to
the citizens of California," said
Marybel Batjer, Secretary of the
Government Operations Agency.
More than 20 state departments have already requested IT
services through CalCloud.
As part of this public-private partnership, IBM is supplying and
managing the infrastructure, while the California Department of
Technology will manage all other aspects of the service offering.
Additionally, IBM will work closely with the state to transfer
essential knowledge and best practices in security and systems
integration to the Department of Technology.
California's move to offer
shared IT services through CalCloud gives state and local
government the ability to buy only the computing resources needed
with the flexibility to quickly scale up or scale down resources as
workloads demand. CalCloud is designed to allow around the clock
access to a shared pool of easily configurable resources including
compute, storage, network and disaster recovery services. CalCloud
meets stringent security standards based on National Institute of
Standards (NIST) for cloud based services and FedRAMP.
"Transforming how the State of
California delivers technology services is not only more
efficient and cost effective, it will spur innovation with cloud
capabilities that are open and secure," said Erich Clementi, Senior Vice President, IBM
Global Technology Services. "California is setting an example for other
states on how to use cloud technology to improve coordination
across agencies and municipalities while reducing the barriers and
duplication that can impede the delivery of government
services."
In addition to IBM, CalCloud partners include AT&T, which
will provide excellent network services for the core and edge
networks, and IT consulting firms Alexan International, Inc., and
KPMG, LLC to drive CalCloud's adoption rate and migration to the
new service.
About IBM Cloud Computing
Today, IBM has 100+ cloud
SaaS solutions, thousands of experts with deep industry knowledge
helping clients transform and a network of 40 data centers
worldwide. Since 2007, IBM has invested more than $7 billion in 17 acquisitions to accelerate its
cloud initiatives and build a high value cloud portfolio. IBM holds
1,560 cloud patents focused on driving innovation. In fact, IBM for
the 21st consecutive year topped the annual list of US patent
leaders. IBM processes more than 5.5M client transactions daily
through IBM's public cloud. For more information about cloud
offerings from IBM, visit http://www.ibm.com/cloud. Follow us on
Twitter at @IBMcloud and on our blog at
http://www.thoughtsoncloud.com. Read more about CalCloud at
http://www.asmarterplanet.com. Join the conversation #ibmcloud.
Journalists and bloggers can download broadcast photo and video
about CalCloud
at http://www.thenewsmarket.com/CustomLink/CustomLinks.aspx?GUID=034ba3ff-fb5b-49a4-8b8a-ffd194c371e3&bhcp=1
Contact:
Sara Delekta
Galligan
IBM Media Relations
sdelekta@us.ibm.com
415-545-6715
Lynda Gledhill
Deputy Secretary, Communications
California
Government Operations Agency
Lynda.Gledhill@govops.ca.gov
916-651-9028
SOURCE IBM