Data Management Challenges in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing, an emerging form of computing where users have access to scalable, on-demand capabilities that are provided through Web-based technologies, has the potential to provide information technology services more quickly and at a lower cost but also introduces new challenges to the management of data. This is especially important to the oversight responsibilities of government organizations where public data are concerned. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) periodically performs audits of U.S. federal agencies' information technology (IT) acquisitions and practices. This paper presents some survey results on efforts of federal agencies to address data management issues while transitioning to cloud computing environments.