(iTers News) - IBM’s SmartCloud for Government, infrastructure as-a-service cloud platform, has been granted Provisional Authorization to Operate (P-ATO) from the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Joint Authorization Board (JAB).  With this approval, IBM’s SmartCloud for Government has achieved all the current critical security authorizations required by the government ahead of the June 2014 government deadline.

IBM's SmartCloud for Government, FISMA and FedRAMP-compliant cloud environment is part of IBM’s established and dedicated Federal Data Centers (FDC) in Colorado and North Carolina.  These rigorous security assessments help agencies looking to meet U.S. government Cloud First Computing mandate make more informed choices on platforms.  Launched in 2010, the IBM SmartCloud for Government provides one of the industry’s most secure and comprehensive certified multi-tenant cloud computing environments. Numerous US Federal Agencies are already taking advantage of IBM’s secure and resilient cloud offerings leveraging ATO’s across DOD and Civilian.

“FedRAMP certification by the JAB provides an overarching validation of the robust security IBM’s cloud offerings provide. Our commitment to innovation around security and reliability played a key role in IBM achieving FedRAMP compliance,” said Anne Altman, general manager, IBM U.S. Federal.  “IBM’s efforts to make the cloud secure extend beyond the current requirements.  Our research teams are exploring the next generation of cloud security and are committed to bringing further innovation to the government in this area.”

IBM’s recently announced Federal Cloud Innovation Center will play a key role in helping clients maximize the benefits of the IBM cloud and data center environments. The center, which draws on expertise of more than 500 IBM professionals, will bring IBM’s cloud computing research efforts closer to federal agencies to develop specialized technologies and methods for building mission-ready clouds. A central focus of the center will be to work with the government to explore further the adoption of open standards and further develop the security protocols for cloud computing.