Check out this post by Joanna Salini, GovWin/Deltek blogger:

Public safety agencies across the state of Montana have begun using a secure cloud environment for data sharing capabilities. Following a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Montana Department of Justice and Datamaxx Group, all agencies were given direct access to the Datamaxx Secure Cloud, which provides law enforcement networks and homeland security information compliant with both the FBI and the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (Nlets).

The cloud can be defined as a network that computers and other devices can access anytime and anywhere they have an Internet connection. A public cloud is one where the infrastructure is made available to the general public over the Internet, whereas a private cloud offers more organizational oversight and control over the security and privacy of the network. Cloud technologies can be implemented in a wide variety of architectures and deployment models and can coexist with other technologies. Many clouds may also require different permissions for accessing information.

Using a cloud not only allows for better information sharing, it also helps with curbing costs. In a cloud environment, information exchanged between state, local and federal public safety agencies is secure, fast and a cheaper investment than most in-house solutions. Clouds eliminate many costs associated with storage, staffing, and multiple application uploads.

For the complete blog, go here.