Page 9 - GCN, May 2017

ADVANCED
SPONSORED REPORT
IT Playb k
“FITARA should be a transformational effort, not a compliance effort.” —David Wray, CTO, Federal Alliances, HPE
Database, Hardware/Software Asset Management and IT business analytics products, along with initial services required to help agencies begin using those tools
for software asset management. The bundled, integrated approach is particularly helpful in satisfying FITARA. It’s significantly more difficult to rationalize applications or manage software licenses effectively without an automated means of tracking inventory
and assets.
One of the most important FITARA requirements is moving toward incremental application development using Agile best practices. This is a critical step in meeting the FITARA goal
of producing more than one deliverable every six months.
The best way to achieve these
goals is with DevOps tools,
which shorten development time, allow for faster releases, reduce deployment failures and improve defect detection. With the right DevOps tools, it’s not unreasonable for agencies to be able to release software every month, says Wray.
HPE’s integrated package
for DevOps is called FITARA Incremental Development Enablement. It includes HPE’s Agile Manager, as well as tools to track all requirements and capability baselines. The bundle includes 19 integrated tools for functional testing, performance
testing and mobility testing. It also includes IT business analytics software, which provides executive dashboards, metrics and progress reports to help meet FITARA cost savings goals. This toolset also will help agencies meet FITARA goals related to data center automation and portfolio savings.
Another important FITARA goal is better IT portfolio management. HPE’s FITARA IT Portfolio Savings bundle helps agencies rationalize their IT portfolios. This in turn helps agencies eliminate redundancies and save money. “If you can kill an application, you kill the associated software, hardware, labor, training, power and storage. So the more redundant apps you can turn off, the more money you save,” says Wray.
HPE’s bundle includes application rationalization and discovery tools, enterprise architecture/mapping, portfolio, program/project manage- ment and IT business analytics. To- gether, these tools can help agencies classify applications and determine which should be retired, scaled back or rolled out agency-wide.
When it comes down to it, satisfying FITARA requirements
is more than just checking boxes. It’s about truly refining processes to foster real change. “There are no shortcuts. Don’t do the minimum just because your budget is tight— find a way to solve those issues
and do it right,” says Wray. “It isn’t about complying with the audit. It’s about cost savings and achieving efficiencies. FITARA should be
a transformational effort, not a compliance effort.”
Feds Need Comprehensive DevOps
Developers who have used comprehensive DevOps tools say there is nothing quite like it for speed, efficiency and cost savings. A 2016 report from open source developer Puppet backs up these assertions. It finds organizations with robust DevOps practices deploy 200 times more frequently, with 2,555 times faster lead times and three times lower change failure rates. They also spend 22 percent less time on unplanned work and rework.
The key word here is comprehensive. Many DevOps solutions provide a subset of ca- pabilities or only work in specific environments. While any DevOps capability is better than none, federal environments in particular can benefit from a DevOps solution that spans the lifecycle from ideation through asset retirement. It must also include robust security built in. Agencies also get the most out of solutions that can fully automate tracking, compliance, change production and change management.
While some may include performance testing tools, functional testing tools or mobility testing tools, for example, including all three is more effective. Some provide for continu- ous planning, assessment, deployment, or development, but it’s important to include all of these. And again, robust security is essential for federal agencies. With this comprehensive approach, agencies are much better positioned to gain the necessary approvals, pass audits, and meet security requirements.