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Public Sector Cloud Computing Case Study forge.mil
Case Study: Department of Defense (Defense Information Systems Agency) – Forge.mil
Software development environment for rapid access to the tools and services needed to quickly develop, test and deploy software and systems
Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief Information Officer
Typical implementation of new software and systems at DoD requires large amounts of time and money due to licensing, acquisition, and support demands. Non-cloud based software development does not typically allow for the utilization of economies of scale, ubiquitous delivery, or cross collaboration on projects. Recognizing that such benefits can be found in the cloud, DISA established the software development environment Forge.mil. Through Forge.mil, DISA provides the entire Department of Defense with the tools and services necessary for rapid development, testing, and deployment of new software and systems.
Forge.mil teamed with cloud provider CollabNet to provide for a software development platform to allow users to reuse and collaborate on software code. Currently, Forge.mil has over 5,000 users, with over 300 open source projects, over 500 file release posts, and over 30,000 downloads. Forge.mil’s collaborative environment and open development platform allow DISA to avoid large start-up costs and enable additional return on investment (ROI) through software reuse
With rapid project start-ups at minimal cost, Forge.mil estimates new projects developed in its environment save DISA between $200,000 and $500,000 per project. Also, DISA estimates about $15 million in cost avoidance by utilizing an open source philosophy that allows for software reuse and collaborative development. This open source philosophy of Forge.mil not only saves money on licensing and support, but provides improved software by giving version control, traceability, and having multiple stakeholders from various projects work on the same software code.
Forge.mil hosts an array of projects for different areas of DoD including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and the Joint Chiefs, all within a secure environment that appropriately protects DoD software assets. Forge.mil allows DISA and its customers to reduce their costs and shorten the time required to develop new software and systems by using a cloud environment that promotes collaboration, reuse of developed software, rapid delivery, and shortened time-to-market for projects.1
1 Defense Information Systems Agency, May 2010.
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