A substantial number of government agencies are planning a shift to cloud computing, according to a study conducted by CompTIA. The motivations for the move are reducing IT costs and using more green IT solutions.

However, cloud computing will likely provide the government with more efficient desktop management as well. Many SaaS solution providers market improved desktop management for larger organizations as they look to improve efficiency within their organization.

Some agencies are concerned with the cost of keeping up as the technology continues to advance.

"Tight budgets often spur creativity and can increase the willingness to try new approaches," Tim Herbert, vice president, research, CompTIA, told the news provider. "Our research points to government interest in software-as-a-service solutions, cloud computing, virtualization and social networking initiatives as evidence of the need to meet the dual goals of containing costs and modernizing technology."

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced such a mandate earlier this month. His aim is to reduce state-owned IT storage property by 50 percent by July 1, 2010, according to CivSourceOnline.com.ADNFCR-2553-ID-19619867-ADNFCR