Page 12 - FCW, June/July 2021

The Path to Future-Ready Government IT
The journey from
REACTIVE TO PROACTIVE
Fast, scalable and cost-effective tools are the key to future-proofing government systems and facilitating innovation in times of calm and crisis
FAR TOO OFTEN, the government is reactive rather than proactive in its response to crises and threats. However,
the COVID-19 pandemic tested agencies in ways they’d never been tested before. The experience has made it clear that agencies need technology systems that enable them to tackle current challenges while incorporating the ability to innovate quickly during future crises. In short, they must build future-ready technology strategies.
Such strategies rely on certain core components: multi-cloud management, modern app development, 5G, artificial intelligence and new approaches to security. Working in concert, those tools can help agencies create new services quickly in response to customer needs, anticipate and respond to changing cyberthreats, and facilitate innovation in all areas at an unprecedented pace.
A future-ready strategy leads to app development teams that have an unwavering focus on delivering mission value; fine-grained control across public, private and hybrid clouds; better protection of critical assets; and a productive, engaged workforce.
Multi-cloud environments and modern apps
In many ways, cloud is the foundation of a future-ready approach to technology. The push for cloud adoption that began a decade ago has evolved into the 2019 Federal Cloud Computing Strategy, commonly referred to
as Cloud Smart. It acknowledges the growing variety of products and services available to agencies and provides practical guidance on implementing the technology.
“Industries that are leading in technology innovation have also demonstrated that hybrid and multi-cloud environments can be effective and efficient for managing workloads,” the document states. “As a result, the Cloud Smart Strategy encourages agencies to think of cloud as an array of solutions that offer many capabilities and management options to enhance mission and service delivery.”
In contrast to the single-vendor contract awarded in 2013, the CIA chose five cloud companies for its Commercial Cloud Enterprise contract, which supports the entire intelligence community. The CIA said its purpose is “to increase access to cloud innovation and reduce the disadvantages associated with using a single cloud service provider.” In an early House version of
the Defense Appropriations Act of 2020, lawmakers encouraged the Defense Department to follow suit.
As agencies mix and match cloud products and services to suit their needs, however,
they can create complex environments that are difficult to manage and secure. Many
are turning to multi-cloud management, which involves tools and processes that enable agencies to monitor applications and workloads across multiple clouds, ideally via a single interface. That visibility is crucial for
simplifying IT operations, controlling costs and enforcing security policies.
In a sign of its popularity, multi-cloud management topped the list of emerging technologies and strategies that are
of particular interest to participants
in a recent FCW survey, with 55% of respondents citing it.
As agencies widen their use of cloud technology to modernize their IT systems, they face an increasing demand for apps
that make the most of the responsiveness, flexibility and scalability of those systems. In fact, 49% of FCW survey respondents said app modernization was of particular interest to their agencies.
Designing next-generation apps can be challenging, however, because it requires an agile, iterative, user-centric approach that
is typically at odds with the government’s cumbersome software development methodology. Fortunately, the Air Force’s Kessel Run and Space Force’s Kobayashi Maru programs are speeding the delivery of applications that meet urgent requirements and evolve in response to user feedback. Their success offers a compelling model for other agencies.
Moving and analyzing massive amounts of data
Another key component of future-ready systems is 5G. With connection speeds that are up to 100 times faster than those of 4G,
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