Center for Strategic Solutions & Security Services
The Center for Strategic Solutions and Security Services oversees strategic government-wide information technology programs. It responds to executive orders, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives, and government's evolving technology needs by incubating new IT products, services, and solutions. Reporting to this center are:
Security Services Division
The Security Services Division contains the USAccess, eAuthentication, and Information Assurance and Security Branch.
The USAccess program provides Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) - compliant Personal Identity Verification (PIV) credentials as a shared service to federal civilian agencies. This office also manages some functions of the Identity, Credential, and Access Management program.
Information Assurance & Security Branch manages various cybersecurity initiatives, including the Risk Management Framework (RMF) blanket purchase agreements (bpas) that help government implement a common security framework.
Strategic Solutions Division
The Strategic Solutions Division includes the Enterprise Software Branch which is responsible for the SmartBUY software program and the Data Center Services project, and has provided support for many of GSA's cloud initiatives.
The SmartBUY software program provides agreements or blanket purchase agreements for commonly purchased software at discounted prices.
The Data Center Services (DCS) project identifies industry leaders in the data center market space that provide government with data center services such as sustainability, server and desktop virtualization, consolidation, and outsourcing.
Technology Optimization Division
The Technology Optimization Division oversees the FAS ITS Cloud Computing Services (CCS) PMO. The CCS PMO currently offers the government following two pre-competed cloud-focused acquisition vehicles:
Both the IaaS and EaaS BPAs leverage IT Schedule 70, one of the most widely used IT acquisition offerings available to federal, state, local and tribal governments. These acquisition vehicles provide government with broadly accepted cost and time savings, and aid in increasing government efficiency through rapid adoption of cloud computing technologies.
Update on GSA's Cloud Services Broker Initiative
The CCS PMO is investigating options for its next-generation cloud computing services business model to
- accelerate cloud services' procurement, management, and provisioning across the government
- explore the cloud brokerage market landscape
GSA collaborated with multiple federal agencies (such as the department of Homeland Security, Labor, Justice, Defense, and Health & Human Services, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). It is now looking at industry partners for ideas on how to model GSA’s cloud services broker and/or assist with determining alternative solution(s).
GSA’s Cloud Brokerage Request for Information (RFI), released in July 2012, has received 81 responses from industry partners. Cloud Brokerage is just one potential option under GSA’s consideration. The RFI responses will be used to determine CCS PMO’s next-generation cloud service offering.
