Page 13 - FCW, May 2017
P. 13

IMPROVE CYBERSECURITY WITH NETWORK VISIBILITY
NETWORK VISIBILITY FOR COMPLEX NETWORKS
Modern Techniques for
Modernizing Government IT
Cloud infrastructures are a major component of IT modernization efforts.
FITARA. The Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2016. A $3.1 billion IT modernization fund proposal. These are all efforts by federal leaders to strongly encourage agencies to modernize their IT infrastructures.
satisfy and secure the needs of agency users, stakeholders, and the American public,” he says.
THE CLOUD AS ENABLER
government could save more than $1 billion over two years by migrating infrastructure to the cloud.
MOVING FORWARD
While the cloud is an excellent way
to help modernize IT infrastructures, don’t start by simply increasing
use of the cloud. Take the approach recommended the IT Modernization Initiative. While the initiative itself remains in limbo, it contains some excellent advice for modernizing agencies’ IT infrastructures, including:
The evidence is clear—agencies have too many stovepiped, legacy systems that are expensive to main, difficult to upgrade, slow to perform, and far too insecure. These systems simply can’t provide the type of fast, agile, digital services citizens expect today. And they certainly don’t foster innovation or the ability to make
There are many ways to modernize IT infrastructure, and it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. At the core, it means replacing older, often legacy or custom infrastructure and applications with cloud-enabled off- the-shelf solutions that work well and integrate with newer technologies, such as mobile devices, social media, and sensor-enabled devices.
Develop updated enterprise roadmaps
quick decisions.
Recent OMB reports have identified
In fact, the cloud can be a big part
of infrastructure modernization. It already is for many agencies. In most cases, agencies have moved past “Cloud First” and are already using some type of cloud infrastructure. According to a 2016 Grant Thornton survey, about one-third of federal CIOs say they have moved to the cloud in some way.
Identify and prioritize systems
these problems in stark terms. One GAO report found in 2015, federal agencies spent more than $60 billion out of a total of $80 billion just on maintaining legacy systems in 2015. Another GAO report found some agency systems have components at least 50 years old. And many others use outdated parts and software languages.
Develop modernization profiles for high-priority systems
That’s why so many federal initiatives are calling for extensive IT modernization. It’s the only way to improve security, boost IT performance, save money, manage ever-increasing stores of data and take advantage of technology improvements.
There are many benefits of
moving to the cloud. Not only does
it encourage collaboration across organizational boundaries, it also helps keep telecommuting employees fully connected to the data and other agency resources they need to remain productive.
A survey of federal CIOs from Deloitte also yields valuable advice for succeeding with IT modernization projects. Several federal CIOs suggested starting with something small and even perhaps insignificant, such as the placement of an icon. Following that success; move on to something larger. And continue to expand from there.
Former Federal CIO Tony Scott clearly explains the problem in a blog post last year. “Modernization would improve the ability of these systems
to deliver the necessary levels of functionality, security, and efficiency to
And finally, agility should be your primary objective. Efficiency and resilience are still important.
The ability to change to accommodate new devices and technologies, scale
Agencies can also rely on cloud infrastructures to deploy resources quickly, scaling capacity up and down as needed. Applications, operating systems and other resources are always up to date and more secure than on-premise infrastructure.
Others advise ensuring plans always align objectives with strategic goals. That way, you can more easily know how much you have accomplished and what’s left to do.
It’s also less expensive. The Grant Thornton survey estimates the
to meet demand, and as rapidly identifying and responding to security events, is critical.
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