Kansas is embarking upon a new cloud strategy. As we reported last year as part of the 2016 Digital States Survey
analysis, the state had previously committed to a shared private cloud project, known publicly as Kansas GovCloud. The three- to five-year endeavor was envisioned as the state's route to a more virtualized environment.
But as state CIO Phil Wittmer explained to us at the NASCIO Midyear
conference last month in Virginia, he pulled the plug on the effort. Among the reasons he cited were significant questions about projected return on investment — initial estimates were $33 million, but revised costs were pegged at $50 million.
"We had not really mapped out exactly how we were going to bring customers on board; it was not going to be mandated, so the cash flow just was not going to work economically," he said.
Currently, the CIO is reviewing bids on an RFP that recently closed for an outsourced hybrid cloud to replace the previous project. Wittmer also recently
selected a vendor for an "innovation partner" to advance the state's transparency goals through the use of mobile technologies.
Noelle Knell is the executive editor for e.Republic, responsible for setting the overall direction for e.Republic’s editorial platforms, including Government Technology, Governing, Industry Insider, Emergency Management and the Center for Digital Education. She has been with e.Republic since 2011, and has decades of writing, editing and leadership experience. A California native, Noelle has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history.
