NIST Releases New Federal Cloud Standards

• NIST recently released two cloud-related documents that outline federal standards and define vital roles for cloud-computing networks.
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released two new cloud-related publications, a roadmap and a reference document about cloud architecture. The documents point to an increase in cloud adoption, both in government and private sectors, and provide updated usage and security information.
  To create the publications, NIST formed a working group of participants from industry, government, and academia. The researchers applied past standards used for pre-cloud technologies, like web services and the Internet. They also created new standards specifically for federal cloud architectures. The team focused on categories of concern including security, portability, and interoperability.
  
  
  
  The NIST cloud computing reference architecture (Source: NIST) 
  “Our point was to create a level playing field for industry to discuss and compare their cloud offering with the U.S. government,” the NIST Reference Architecture Working Group Co-convener Robert Bohn explained in a statement. “The publication is also an opportunity for industry to map their reference architecture to the one NIST developed with input from all sectors.”
  In the “The NIST Cloud Computing Standards Roadmap,” the working group identifies several holes in current cloud standards, including privacy protection and user interfaces, and suggests priorities for the federal government. NIST will continue to update the document as more standards for federal cloud infrastructures are created.
  According to the NIST Standards Working Group Co-convener Michael Hogan, the roadmap  “encourages federal agencies to become involved with developing specific cloud computing standards projects that support their priorities in cloud computing services to move cloud computing standards forward.”
  The other document, “The NIST Cloud Computing Reference Architecture,” describes procedures and cloud-related elements vital for federal CIOs, IT workers, and other staff. The publication also defines the roles of the different groups involved with a cloud system, including consumers, providers, brokers, and carriers.

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