Senior Research Scientist Courtney Manning Authors Op-Ed in The Hill
On June 5th, ASP Senior Research Scientist Courtney Manning published an op-ed in The Hill highlighting the national security risks of the U.S. tech oligopoly in government cloud computing. Explaining why so few companies are able to secure cloud hosting contracts, Manning notes:
“Though federal discounts from major cloud vendors are lucrative at first, annual rates for cloud hosting climb precipitously and unequally across the government over time. Unplugging from one ecosystem and into another isn’t easy, and according to vendor lawsuits, anticompetitive corporate practices make switching even more difficult for federal consumers.”
Several proposed initiatives aim to promote market competition and subsidize stronger security protocols. Despite this, Manning argues that:
“Despite big tech firms’ contributions to the state, their ultimate responsibility is to their bottom line — and if federal procurement becomes unprofitable, they will explore other options. To keep their negotiating power, legislators should do the same. When balancing shareholder interests against the security of the U.S. and its allies, there should be no question about where our government stands.”
Read the full op-ed in The Hill.
