Page 17 - CARAHSOFT, September/October 2020

OMB tries to make sure that policies and guidance are flexible enough that agencies can embrace emerging technologies while also securely managing ongoing modernization initiatives.
Learn more at Carah.io/
What are some of the top challenges agencies face in achieving those goals?
It is a big challenge to try to drive long- term modernization and not have the funding to sustain multi-year initiatives.
Agency CIOs are often forced to do as much as they can one year, a little bit the next year and then maybe less than they want the following year because the CIO doesn’t have predictable, consistent levels of funding for modernization. A two- or three-year modernization plan turns into four or five years, or sometimes never gets started.
The Modernizing Government Technology Act provides for two programs that help with long-term, multi- year modernization: the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) and IT working capital funds (IT WCF). The TMF has received more than $550 million in proposals and funded $116 million and 10 modernization projects so far. It helps agencies through the transition until they turn off the old system and bring the new online.
Agency IT WCFs give the CIOs
the authority and ability to manage the funding over a multi-year period, resulting in the ability to sustain long- term initiatives without reliance on unpredictable funding levels.
There are recognition and expectation from Congress on the need to modernize, but we have to continue the open dialogue about funding and the vehicles that support sustained transformation.
How is the pandemic helping or hindering efforts to modernize IT?
During the pandemic, I saw innovation accelerate as COVID-19 put a spotlight on digital transformation and the need
to adapt quickly. There was a sense of urgency. CIOs had foundational capabilities already in place and were able to very quickly turn around and deploy new solutions.
There was no precedent for the government moving out of the office and working from home at scale. It involved managing the workforce while you’re simultaneously building new capabilities in response to new legislation. The CIOs turned around solutions such as new public-facing portals in a week. They had a cloud infrastructure and microservices already in place and were able to scale. In virtual meetings, we saw cross- government collaboration that was remarkable, but it also highlighted the need for us to do it better.
Data sharing across agencies was accelerated for funds distribution,
and partnerships with the private sector enabled agencies to spin up and respond very quickly. Agencies shared people, too. It was urgent. It was business not as usual.
The CIOs were able to execute quickly because there was a lot of support for rapid acquisitions. Thanks to a partnership between the CIOs, senior procurement executives, the CFOs and the General Services
Administration, CIOs were able to move very fast.
I want to give a shout-out to the CIO Council for accelerating its work in using modern technology for mission continuity. During the pandemic, we had daily standup meetings, and we highlighted some long-term strategic challenges we should take on as a council. The CIO Council’s ability to work together collaboratively has a considerable positive impact.
What new opportunities are opening up for agencies as they modernize their IT systems?
As agencies undertake a major technology initiative, replacing a
legacy system or even conducting a small upgrade, they must ensure that business operations continue. Of course, they also need to continue to focus on cybersecurity.
CIOs are supporting their agencies through data standardization and making better use of data by applying tools like advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and robotic process automation to inform decision-making.
And agencies can use data to tell mission stories and show the value of their programs.
The cloud has expanded agencies’ ability to support terabytes of data collection without investing in hardware. It all comes back to the opportunities
for sustained continuous improvement to build mature capabilities. During
the pandemic, agencies were able
to implement changes for more interoperability, whether within their agency or across government. As we modernize as a government, more opportunities will arise. We need to sustain that momentum and continue to move fast.
The pandemic showed how fast we could push technology solutions and get through some of the cumbersome bureaucracy. I think there’s a big opportunity across the federal government to see what other digital services we can deploy, how we can use data to inform decision-making and how we can continue to drive long-term modernization while being transparent and supporting the
American public.
SPONSORED CONTENT 17