US Government app store in action

Cloud storage, virtual machines and web hosting should soon be available to US government agencies via the Government Services Agency's recently opened apps.gov site.

The US government's cloud service, officially launched last month, allowed federal agencies to buy cloud computing services direct from the GSA.

All social media apps, which included Wordpress, Yammer, Bing and Google Analytics, were free.

The GSA hoped that the availability of approved free products would encourage engagement between staff and with the public.

Business apps and operating systems however ranged from US$1 to $1 million. Products available included analytics, CRM, ERP, business intelligence, dashboards, financial software, and security applications amongst others.

Buyers could select from local service providers which hosted and serviced a product, or major cloud software brands such as Salesforce.com and Microsoft.

A range of Novell SUSE Linux desktop and server operating systems was also made available on the store.

Once a product was selected, agencies were provided a link to GSA's ordering system to complete the purchase.

US Government chief information officer Vivek Kundra crowned the store as a money saver for government and taxpayers, while GSA chief information officer Casey Coleman hoped it would streamline IT procurement.

"Through Apps.gov, GSA can take on more of the procurement processes upfront, helping agencies to better fulfill their missions by implementing solutions more rapidly. We will also work with industry to ensure cloud-based solutions are secure and compliant thereby reducing duplication of security processes throughout government," said Coleman.

According to tech news site Wired.com 39 agencies have signed up to use the store.