Federal government departments and agencies that want to use the cloud to support variable demand workloads — applications with usage that ebbs and flows over time — now have an option from Verizon Enterprise Solutions.

Instance-based virtual machines, a new way to pay for Enterprise Cloud: Federal Edition, provides IT administrators flexibility and control. The system offers the ability to use cloud-computing resources on-demand and pay for only the capacity used.

Instance-based virtual machines meet FedRAMP cloud risk management requirements. They offer value-added capabilities, including basic monitoring, dedicated firewalls and load balancers, virtual machine cloning and template management. The option is suited for workloads and applications with variable or seasonal demand, such as benefit enrollment periods or providing temporary capacity to support short-term IT projects.

“Public sector demand for our cloud offerings continues to gain momentum,” says Michael Maiorana, senior vice president of public sector markets, Verizon Enterprise Solutions. “By introducing new options such as instance-based virtual machines and removing potential barriers to cloud adoption, we are meeting the IT requirements of our public sector clients and providing them with the flexibility and choice they need to meet their operational objectives.”

There is a demand in larger state and local governments for the FedRAMP-compliant Verizon cloud platform, says Tim Carter, senior manager of cloud solutions with Verizon’s public sector business.

CFOS and CIOs of state agencies as well as larger city/county agencies may want to help sponsor or deploy that type of technology, Carter told GPN. “You see in the news around the police body cameras, and the tremendous exposure some events have had in the news today. There’s a big demand for solutions around deploying body cameras and hosting those in the cloud, in a secure, FedRAMP-compliant environment.”

Carter says he is seeing more demand among state agencies for the FedRAMP-compliant offering. “States may find they can’t maintain FedRAMP compliance. It’s very expensive; it’s very difficult. State agencies are looking for providers like Verizon to be able to supply those types of cloud services that would be in compliance under the federal standard.”

There are government activities beyond law enforcement that are potentially suited for the Verizon cloud platform. Health care applications and agencies that are tasked with managing government finance and personal information are potential platform customers, says Carter. Departments of motor vehicles are also potential candidates.

The company also has a companion product in the commercial market called Verizon Cloud Storage that state and local government IT managers, from a storage perspective, may want to deploy. The offering meets the FBI’s CJIS requirements for security and a secure infrastructure. One form of media that would likely be stored in the Verizon cloud storage offering would be images from police body cameras.

Government agencies at all levels may also consider using the Verizon Cloud Storage setup as part of their disaster planning and recovery efforts. “It can be a cost-efficient way to deploy certain critical applications within the cloud,” says Carter. “Agencies could pay for a minimum setup or infrastructure, and then when the applications are needed, the agency could turn that environment up for the period of time that the disaster was occurring.”

In the video, learn how new cloud technologies are boosting agility for organizations.

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