NSA Reveals Cloud Plans, May Open-Source Some of Its Software

The nation's cryptologic intelligence agency is moving towards a cloud-centric approach to computing. In an interview with Information Week, National Security Agency CIO Lonny Anderson talks about the cloud, cross-agency information systems and open source.

It turns out the NSA has many of the same problems that private sector enterprises do. They have issues with legacy applications. They face challenges with sharing information across silos and outside the firewall. Plus, there is the difficulty with managing mobile access.

Cross-Agency Sharing

One initiative Anderson talked about is called The Quad, a framework for providing shared development environment across the NSA, National Reconnaissance Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Another is called Integrated Intelligence Pilot, a system that will allow developers to share applications and query databases across agencies. "Instead of taking data from CIA-specific or NSA-specific repositories, or FBI or DIA, you'll be able to query via the cloud into those organizations and ask, 'Do you have information that meets this question?', and they'll be able to say, 'Yes or No.'"