Government Cloud Computing Policies: Potential Opportunities for Advancing Military Biomedical Research

Abstract

Introduction: This position paper summarizes the development and the present status of Department of Defense (DoD) and other government policies and guidances regarding cloud computing services. Due to the heterogeneous and growing biomedical big datasets, cloud computing services offer an opportunity to mitigate the associated storage and analysis requirements. Having on-demand network access to a shared pool of flexible computing resources creates a consolidated system that should reduce potential duplications of effort in military biomedical research. Methods: Interactive, online literature searches were performed with Google, at the Defense Technical Information Center, and at two National Institutes of Health research portfolio information sites. References cited within some of the collected documents also served as literature resources. Results: We gathered, selected, and reviewed DoD and other government cloud computing policies and guidances published from 2009 to 2017. These policies were intended to consolidate computer resources within the government and reduce costs by decreasing the number of federal data centers and by migrating electronic data to cloud systems. Initial White House Office of Management and Budget information technology guidelines were developed for cloud usage, followed by policies and other documents from the DoD, the Defense Health Agency, and the Armed Services. Security standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Government Services Administration, the DoD, and the Army were also developed. Government Services Administration and DoD Inspectors General monitored cloud usage by the DoD. A 2016 Government Accountability Office report characterized cloud computing as being economical, flexible and fast. A congressionally mandated independent study reported that the DoD was active in offering a wide selection of commercial cloud services in addition to its milCloud system. Our findings from the Department of Health and Human Services indicated that the security infrastructure in cloud services may be more compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 regulations than traditional methods. To gauge the DoD's adoption of cloud technologies proposed metrics included cost factors, ease of use, automation, availability, accessibility, security, and policy compliance. Conclusions: Since 2009, plans and policies were developed for the use of cloud technology to help consolidate and reduce the number of data centers which were expected to reduce costs, improve environmental factors, enhance information technology security, and maintain mission support for service members. Cloud technologies were also expected to improve employee efficiency and productivity. Federal cloud computing policies within the last decade also offered increased opportunities to advance military healthcare. It was assumed that these opportunities would benefit consumers of healthcare and health science data by allowing more access to centralized cloud computer facilities to store, analyze, search and share relevant data, to enhance standardization, and to reduce potential duplications of effort. We recommend that cloud computing be considered by DoD biomedical researchers for increasing connectivity, presumably by facilitating communications and data sharing, among the various intra-and extramural laboratories. We also recommend that policies and other guidances be updated to include developing additional metrics that will help stakeholders evaluate the above mentioned assumptions and expectations.