NJVC Shows How Its Cloudcuity Brokerage Infrastructure Can Aid Disaster Response

NJVC, a provider of IT solutions for the United States federal government and its Department of Defense, has proudly demonstrated the capabilities of its comprehensive Cloudcuity Brokerage and Management Portal, integrating it into the infrastructure of a geospatial community cloud (GCC) in a demonstration simulating a cloud computing disaster. The demonstration took place in front of nearly 200 National Geospatial Intelligence Agency executives and other government individuals from around the world at McLean, Va., in Gannett headquarters.

When disaster strikes, it's important to be prepared with an adequate telecommunications and IT infrastructure to make orders, organize personnel, and ensure uninterrupted communication with the outside world. Ben Katsumi, chief researcher at the Information Technology Promotion Agency in Japan, said at CloudScape V that “the disaster proved the cloud's ability, efficiency, and advantages in emergency response on a national basis,” when speaking about the Tohoku earthquake in 2011.

IT infrastructures in disaster situations require fast deployment in situations that are both critical and unpredictable. They have to be able to work within the shortest amount of time possible. This difference could save a significant number of lives. The Geospatial Community Cloud project aims to ensure that IT deployments can happen on demand in a shortest period during disasters.

Kevin L. Jackson, NJVC vice president and general manager of cloud services, said during the presentation, “Migrating to the cloud provides for the deployment of complex IT environments in hours instead of days, providing the responder with additional and precious time to save lives. In addition, and importantly, by following the new NCOIC process, the myriad of organizations involved in a complicated disaster response effort will be better positioned to succeed at their missions and save millions of dollars as the needs for purchasing, storing, maintaining, and shipping equipment and software will effectively disappear.”