Intelligence Community Makes Shift to Cloud

 

During the recent GEOINT 2011 Symposium in San Antonio, Texas, it was announced that the U.S. Intelligence Community will begin utilizing a cloud computing tool in order to help secure networks.

According to General Keith Alexander, head of CyberCommand and Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), the NSA's operations are also expected to make the shift to the cloud by the end of the year, Forbes reported.

"Moving to the cloud enables better security in some respects, for example, because all systems receive all security patches at the same time," Alexander noted. "It also removes updating systems from the hands of a large number of humans, making it more certain they will happen."

Defense Systems reports that the NSA has teamed up with the National Geospatial Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office and the Defense Intelligence Agency to determine the best ways to protect their individual networks, concluding that the cloud is an excellent option.

With the Defense Intelligence Agency and other government departments improving their technology, professionals with security clearance may soon be in high demand for additional intelligence jobs that could be created.