Booz Allen Hamilton commenced internal technology and pilot implementation studies and prototype client projects to investigate Cloud Computing's implications and determine best paths to success for customers. This article discusses Booz Allen's approach to help customers plan, manage resources, and overcome obstacles.

1. Ready for what’s next. www.boozallen.com
Adopting new IT requires planning. Virtually every
type of IT—from simple applications to network
devices and high-performance storage devices—
brings a planning requirement to maximize effective
IT implementation and utilization and to minimize
disruption. Cloud Computing not only requires the
level of attention and planning of any major IT invest-
ment but also brings a new level of potential sophis-
tication to planning.
Booz Allen can help you be ready for what’s next
Booz Allen Hamilton, a leading strategy and technology consulting firm, can help lead the way in
“cloud” migration. Booz Allen recognized early the significant impact that Cloud Computing would
have on how the government procures, implements, and manages its IT investments. With this
early recognition, Booz Allen commenced internal technology and pilot implementation studies
and prototype client projects to investigate Cloud Computing’s implications and determine best
paths to success for customers. Booz Allen also addressed major issues customers would face
in organizational education and change management, technology transition and organization
transformation, technology maturity, security and trust, service levels, and performance percep-
tions. These obstacles historically recur in virtually any major new technology shift. In Cloud
Computing, their impact could be more profound and far-reaching.
Booz Allen’s expertise rests on a broad and deep pool of technical staff and extensive experi-
ence across the federal government and private industry. Booz Allen has proven tools and
approaches for requirements analysis, system design, system development, testing, implemen-
tation, and management of the entire system development life cycle. The firm has dramatically
enhanced these tools to reflect the complexities of a cloud-based computing environment trans-
formation. Tailored implementation and functionally rich tools and innovative processes allow
Booz Allen to help customers plan, manage resources, and ensure the timely and cost-effective
achievement of client priorities and deliverables—thus overcoming obstacles and eliminating
impediments.
Booz Allen’s approach
In government, traditional IT environments—from the simplest to the most complex—operate
according to a set of standards, rules, and regulations relative to their planning, implementation,
and operation. For example, the Clinger-Cohen Act and the E-Gov Act have pushed major process
and operation change and innovation for a decade. Cloud Computing will be no less a force and
agent of change, and with it will come new challenges in adoption and implementation.
Cloud Computing acts as a broader functional platform for innovation. In one common instance
of technology, cloud adopters can seek and achieve innovation in technology business models,
processes, products, and services—at lower overall costs in the system development and tech-
S T R A T E G Y I O P E R A T I O N S I O R G A N I Z A T I O N & C H A N G E I I N F O R M A T I O N T E C H N O L O G Y
About Booz Allen
Booz Allen Hamilton has been
at the forefront of strategy
and technology consulting for
95 years. Providing a broad
range of services in strategy,
operations, organization
and change, information
technology, systems
engineering, and program
management, Booz Allen is
committed to delivering results
that endure.
For more information contact
Michael Farber
Senior Vice President
703/377-7780
farber_michael@bah.com
Mike Cameron
Principal
301/543-4432
cameron_mike@bah.com
David Linthicum
Principal
240/314-5675
linthicum_david@bah.com
www.boozallen.com/
cloudcomputing
To request an invitation to
become a member of the
Government Cloud Computing
Community website sponsored
by Booz Allen Hamilton,
please send an email to
cloudcomputing@bah.com.
Overcoming Obstacles in Adopting a
Cloud Computing Environment
IT
Infrastructure
Elastic,
Rapid
Surge
Information
Sharing
Massive,
Ad-Hoc
Analytics
Cloud
Computing
Functional
Areas
Cloud
Computing
Functional
Areas
Innovation

2. nology life cycles.
To achieve the potential benefits of Cloud Computing in five key areas—IT infrastructure,
information sharing, innovation, elastic rapid surge support, and massive ad-hoc analytics—
organizations must address five major challenges early in a coherent, organized framework:
●●
Security and Trust: Requires intelligent, well-planned security policy and processes that
reflect the nature of the Cloud Computing environment, integrate customer requirements,
and achieve fundamental operational security requirements
●●
Maturity: Requires ongoing dialogue with the cloud provider relative to the maturation
of new technologies and tools and their use, value, and adoption mechanisms to obtain
desired benefits
●●
Transition: Requires an effective transformation and transition management plan to
enable timely transition and adoption and to mitigate performance and expectations risks;
must also address the functional changes of chief information officers (CIO) and staff
●●
Education and Change Management: Requires a coherent change management plan and
the associated education of staff, contractors, and other stakeholders to obtain support
and understanding of Cloud Computing adoption, benefits derived, and sequence of events
●●
Service Levels and Performance Perceptions: Requires service-level agreements
that reflect the full range of an organization’s technology, security, and performance
requirements—as well as backup approaches
Our experience and expertise
The momentum behind the government’s adoption of Cloud Computing is significant. Multiple
inter-related factors drive this momentum, such as mission; need for speed, flexibility, and
agility in meeting stakeholder requirements; and cost. Booz Allen has achieved a position of
thought and action leadership in the government’s adoption of Cloud Computing. From the
firm’s earliest testing of Cloud Computing constructs and vendors, transition planning, and
technological methodologies to the highly regarded Cloud Computing Summit that Booz Allen
hosted in October 2008, the firm has been at the forefront in understanding and developing
effective tools, methodologies, and processes so government agencies can rapidly migrate
to, and effectively use, this new technology.
Whether you’re managing today’s issues or looking beyond the horizon, count on us to help
you be ready for what’s next.
10.007.09-G