Getting Started with Cloud Computing

Managed Cloud Services and Solutions You Can Trust

Cloud computing — the delivery of IT infrastructure assets such as server capacity and software applications over the Internet on a utility basis — is one of the most significant trends in IT today. Its benefits include rapid deployment of IT resources, cost savings for IT services, and scalable response to demand surges.

SAIC's comprehensive managed cloud services help federal, state, local, and commercial customers achieve business transformation throughout the five major cloud computing layers of an enterprise, using a secure cloud computing implementation in accordance with national and international standards.

Our complete cloud computing services include:

• Cloud strategy and assessments
• Cloud requirements and architecture
• Cloud engineering and management
• Cloud application design and development
• Cloud security

Government customers can now acquire SAIC's cloud services through GSA Schedule 70.

Our Approach to Managed Cloud Services

With customer mission and business needs as our central focus, SAIC uses our proven engineering best practices and standards in an iterative process to conduct a cloud computing assessment and perform design, development, implementation, and ongoing managed operations in the cloud. We work directly with the customer's project team to understand their business objectives, review the agency's existing environment, identify opportunities for migration, and create a roadmap for adopting a strong and secure cloud management infrastructure. Continuous stakeholder involvement is the hallmark of our process.

Basic Assessments

Before committing a commercial or government enterprise to a cloud solution, some organizations may prefer to begin with initial assessments of the current infrastructure assets and their potential for migration or connection to the cloud.

• Cloud computing implementation assessment
• Cloud computing security assessment
• Cloud computing management strategy assessment

These fixed-price, limited-term engagements are a good choice in that instance, and allow customers to select any one or all three assessments. SAIC will quickly evaluate and analyze the organization's "as-is" computing environment, including existing computing assets, security framework, and management governance — and provide an insightful implementation roadmap for each assessment selected.

SAIC's cloud strategy and assessment services promote compliance with national and international cloud security standards and support the final GSA/OMB/NIST Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).

Requirements and Architecture Services

Organizations may also choose to start with a more detailed planning effort — SAIC's requirements and architecture services. SAIC can help clients develop a comprehensive set of cloud computing requirements and align their existing enterprise architecture (i.e., data, applications, technology) with a cloud computing strategy that makes sense for the organization's future.

We offer our requirements and architecture services at a fixed hourly labor rate to accomplish the requirements of an RFQ issued by the customer. These services are consistent with industry best practices and government requirements to achieve the benefits of cloud computing.

From server virtualization to data storage planning, SAIC can help our customers "jumpstart" the process by defining the appropriate requirements and the necessary steps to build your organization's secure and effective cloud computing environment.

Our Approach to Requirements and Architecture

SAIC's two-step approach to both requirements analysis and architecture design fosters a thorough understanding of the organization's enterprise components, first for requirements and then for architecture. Only with this understanding will we take the second step: integrating requirements and architecture security measures.

Our cloud computing experts work directly with the customer's project team to understand their objectives and stakeholder requirements, identify use cases, and analyze the existing IT enterprise components and their suitability for secure cloud adoption. Based on the results of a comprehensive requirements analysis, we create an enterprise architecture roadmap for adopting a secure cloud environment with a strong management infrastructure.

Features and Benefits

• Detailed guidelines (with federal definitions and commercial equivalents) for determining project size (small, medium, or large), duration, level of effort, and cost
• One-on-one stakeholder involvement to:
  • Define and characterize the "as-is" environment
  • Identify assumptions and constraints for technology insertion and business transformation
  • Clarify customer goals and objectives for introducing cloud computing into the enterprise
• Deliverables include documented kickoff meeting, weekly status reports, draft and final reports, and final briefing to stakeholders

Contact us for a no-cost consultation and more detailed information.