Federal cyber rules halt LAPD's move to Google Apps

FBI security rules are holding up the Los Angeles Police Department's move to Google Web-based email and office applications, according to contractors. The federal policies, which relate to confidentiality of criminal history data, could prevent certain agencies from ever moving operations to the cloud, or third-party data centers that provide software over the Internet, experts say.

FBI Criminal Justice Information Services security policies require that state and local agencies maintain "management control," or final authority, over the security of criminal justice information, according to bureau officials. In 2009, the City of Los Angeles struck a $7.25 million deal with prime contractor CSC to transition local government systems, including the police department's email, to online software offered by Google.

"The FBI CJIS security requirements must be complied with by CSC and Google before we can migrate to Gmail," Los Angeles Police Chief Information Officer Maggie Goodrich said. "CSC and Google have indicated that they are unable to comply with all of the requirements in the current CJIS policy." Aside from law enforcement employees, all other city personnel -- more than 17,000 employees -- are using Google Apps.

The apparent conflict between federal criminal justice requirements and the nature of cloud computing could deny many agencies the benefits of a cost-saving technology, some law enforcement information-sharing specialists said. Increasingly, state and local governments are outsourcing administrative systems to Web services providers, including Google and Microsoft, to cut costs and collaborate more easily. The federal government is following closely behind with plans to recoup $5 billion by closing more than 2,000 energy-sucking, expensive data centers and shifting IT operations to the cloud.

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Source: nextgov.com
By: Aliya Sternstein