18F/18f.gsa.gov

---
agency: cloud.gov
title: Expedited path to the cloud
subtitle: Reducing the compliance and labor burden of moving to the cloud
permalink: /what-we-deliver/cloud-gov/
excerpt: A government-customized hosting platform that takes care of technical infrastructure and security compliance requirements.
image: /assets/img/projects/cg.png
image_accessibility: "The cloud.gov logo of a white star over a black and blue hexagon"
image_icon: folderwithclock.svg
project_weight: 3
tag: cloud.gov
expiration_date:
github_repo: "[List and explanation of code repositories behind cloud.gov](https://cloud.gov/docs/ops/repos/)"
project_url: "[cloud.gov](https://cloud.gov/)"
learn_more:
product_clients:
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Education
- Department of the Interior
- Department of Justice
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Federal Election Commission
- General Services Administration
- Office of Management and Budget
---

Running a typical web application in government takes a lot of technical and compliance work that can be labor-intensive and expensive.

Federal agencies that develop web-based services have to meet certain infrastructure and security compliance requirements. If they host those services in the cloud, they must go through a separate process to ensure the cloud services are also in compliance. This means that agency employees and contractors must give up time that could be used on critical services in order to manage infrastructure.

<div class="testimonial-blockquote">
  The new [<a href="https://www.fec.gov/">FEC.gov</a>] will save FEC approximately $1.2 million annually, reducing spend on internal systems the agency will retire once all the content can be moved over. I don’t have to buy servers anymore.
    <span>- Alec Palmer, FEC’s Chief Information Officer on hosting the new FEC.gov on cloud.gov</span>
</div>

<div class="small-caps">Approach</div>
### Allowing developers to spend more time improving services and less time managing servers

18F built cloud.gov to address the specific needs of federal agencies
wanting to move their web-based services to the cloud. It’s a
government-customized hosting platform that takes care of technical
infrastructure and security compliance requirements. Federal agency
teams can use cloud.gov to get their websites and web applications up
and running quickly. It has a Provisional Authority to Operate (P-ATO)
at the Moderate impact level from the FedRAMP Joint Authorization Board,
so agencies using cloud.gov will have a radically shortened path towards
getting the necessary security authorizations.

Projects that use cloud.gov include Every Kid in a Park, College
Scorecard, and FedRAMP Marketplace.