Is Social Security headed for the cloud?

The Social Security Administration wants a new data storage infrastructure and the cloud is one solution it is considering.

A private cloud option was one of several factors in its request for information that SSA wants contractors to comment on.

Listed among the topics of interest section of the RFI, SSA is asking about scalability, housing multiple tenants and the ability to isolate data from management and performance perspectives. The agency also wants reports on storage usage by application.

SSA is looking for comments on storage infrastructure solutions that would apply to mainframes, open systems, and virtual tape storage infrastructures.

The RFI includes a document that describes SSA’s current storage infrastructure and a list of 26 items that the agency wants contractors to comment on.

Comments are due by Jan. 25 and the agency said it expects a procurement to be development from the responses.