Dell Launches Secure and Flexible Cloud Solution for U.S. Governments

Dell announced the launch of Dell Cloud for U.S. Government, a secure solution that offers customers with unique needs a powerful and efficient cloud environment. Designed to meet the stringent Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) approval process as well as National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 criteria while helping to meet cloud commitments outlined by the U.S. Chief Information Officer, the Dell Cloud for U.S. Government offers both single and multi-tenant environments. As one of the first IT providers to offer a solution designed to meet a full range of federal requirements, the Dell Cloud for U.S. Government will allow government customers to leverage a powerful and flexible platform that will help them to do more with less in today’s challenging budget environment.

Dell Cloud for U.S. Government is designed to meet the specific needs of its customers by providing a range of options to allow for quick deployment and to maximize efficiency. Options for this solution include:

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
• Platform as a Service (PaaS)
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Dell Cloud for U.S. Government Dedicated, an on-premise solution that allows customers to be their own cloud providers

With this suite of cloud solutions, Dell is offering a full spectrum of options to meet the specific needs of its government customers. Because security is a top concern, Dell has built in more than 275 security controls, helping to ensure customer data and services are secure and isolated.

Dell Cloud for U.S. Government extends the value of cloud computing in a flexible, federal Authority to Operate (ATO) environment. Dell offers a dedicated cloud infrastructure designed to meet the security and compliance requirements as outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 and Department of Defense (DoD) 8500 for Federal Information Security Act (FISMA) Low and Moderate, and DoD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP) environments. The solution enables organizations to take advantage of automated workflow, provisioning, rapid scalability and metered pricing realized through the cloud delivery model.

The Dell Cloud for U.S. Government provides a compliance framework to easily manage multiple ATOs and security requirements. This automated approach provides the required security control templates, Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) management, as well as forms and documentation required by the federal government to obtain and manage an ATO. In addition to FISMA and DIACAP compliant environments, the Dell Cloud for U.S. Government can manage National Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (NIACAP), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and others while providing a continuous monitoring environment for improved network security.

FedRAMP Cloud

• A FedRAMP-grade multi-tenant cloud built to Federal NIST 800-53 with more than 275 security controls
• Features rapid deployment, on-demand scalability,  self-service access, portal integration and consumption- based usage model
• Allows flexible provisioning as either private/single/dedicated cloud or  as a community/multi-tenant cloud
• Options include a Dell-hosted data center or organization designated site

NIST 800-53 Cloud

• A dedicated FISMA/DIACAP cloud that leverages the same features, functionality and security controls as the FedRAMP ATO multi-tenant cloud with the added peace of mind of a dedicated, isolation infrastructure
• Developed as an ideal for customers wishing to obtain an ATO cloud to meet specific requirements

Connectivity

• So security-conscious government customers are not forced to access their cloud environment via un-secured internet connections, Dell offers secure encrypted VPN and MPLS options compliant with all federal standards. Once connected, users have full administrative and management access to their services, including root access for Linux and local administrator rights for Windows
• Connectivity includes sensitive, NIPR (non-classified) and SIPR (classified) networks

Integration & Managed Services

• For application integration, Dell Boomi is a market-leading provider of on-demand integration technology available as an additional service, allowing customers to easily connect any combination of cloud, SaaS or on-premise applications with no appliances, no software and no coding
• Application migration from Dell Services helps to efficiently and effectively modernize and migrate legacy applications into more modern IT environments
• A variety of infrastructure outsourcing services, including server, storage, networking as well as backup and recovery

In a 2012 IDC poll of public sector IT professionals at the federal, state and local levels, the plurality of those polled stated that their organization would own their cloud environment, with over 24% stating it was somewhat or very likely. To this point, the most common infrastructure migrated to the cloud by government CIOs has been overall server capacity and IT management with applications development and deployment. Creating more storage capacity was cited further down on the list, leaving room for significant growth and development of their IT infrastructures as government CIOs gain trust and confidence in 3^rd Platform technologies.

The reference architecture for Dell Cloud for U.S. Government is available for immediate purchase by U.S. government customers.

Quotes
“We’ve applauded the US government’s recent effort to increase cloud adoption while also addressing key agency concerns – especially as they relate to security. At Dell, we worked to make sure our government customers are able to not only adopt cloud solutions that meet their standards, but meet enterprise-class performance standards that they should expect from cloud solutions,” said George Newstrom, Vice President and General Manager, Dell Services, U.S. Public Sector. “Government customers shouldn’t have to make a choice between solutions compliant to their standards and those that will meet or even boost the performance they’ve come to expect from their IT – we think with the Dell Cloud for U. S. Government they won’t have to make that choice.”

“At a time when government agencies are working to consolidate information technology (IT) systems, and even full datacenters, public sector organizations also are beginning a series of unprecedented technology shifts,” said Thom Rubel, vice president, IDC Government Insights. “All of this has prompted many forward-thinking government organizations to embark on a new strategy that emphasizes cloud and mobile solutions, plus improved enterprise systems for data sharing and integration to help improve the efficiency of their IT and IT infrastructures and optimize their budgets.”

About DELL
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more. Dell Services develops and delivers a comprehensive suite of services and solutions in applications, business process, consulting, infrastructure and support to help customers succeed.  Learn more at www.dell.com.