Saturday, March 3, 2012

CIA said to be planning new software-acquisition strategy

CIA said to be planning new software-acquisition strategy | The Digital Home - CNET News CNET News @import "http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/Ads/common/css/SponsoredTextLink/sponsoredTextLink.live.css"; Manage Packages With UPS My Choice Home Reviews Cell Phones Camcorders Digital Cameras Laptops TVs Car Tech Forums Appliances Cell Phone Accessories Components Desktops E-book Readers Games and Gear GPS Hard Drives & Storage Headphones Home Audio Home Video Internet Access Monitors MP3 Players Networking and Wi-Fi Peripherals Printers Software Tablets Web Hosting You are here: News Latest News Mobile Startups Cutting Edge Media Security Business Tech Health Tech Crave Apple Microsoft Politics & Law Gaming & Culture Blogs Video Photos RSS Download Windows Software Mac Software Mobile Apps Web Apps The Download Blog CNET TV How To Computers Home Theater Smartphones Tablets Web Marketplace Log In | Join Log In Join CNET Sign in with My profile Log out .mad_center {text-align:center;} .mad_center div, .mad_center table, .mad_center iframe, .mad_center a img {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;}
CNET News The Digital Home CIA said to be planning new software-acquisition strategy Don Reisinger by Don Reisinger February 22, 2012 7:49 AM PST

The agency's top technology employee, Ira "Gus" Hunt said it'll now start acquiring software on a pay-as-you-go basis, rather than enter into licensing agreements.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is changing how it buys software, according to a new report.

The agency's top technology decision-maker, Ira "Gus" Hunt, told software vendors yesterday that it's transitioning to a pay-as-you-go purchasing model, according to Reuters. Previously, the CIA entered into licensing agreements with vendors, like SAP and Oracle, to acquire new software.

The move might not make those companies too happy, since they currently have the CIA locked into deals that competitors can't encroach on. With its new policy, however, the CIA has the ability to get what it wants, when it wants, from whichever firm it wants. The move could save the agency money and according to Reuters, make it more agile as new platforms it could use are released.

Inevitably, concerns over the CIA's desire to change its acquisition policy might be raised. To lay down some fire before that happens, Hunt said yesterday that the CIA is not trying to harm vendors in any way, but they "really need to think differently about how we do these things." According to Reuters, Hunt also hinted at allowing vendors with security clearance to "peek under the covers" and see how the CIA is accounting for software.

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