Thanks to the cloud, Federal, state, and municipal governments can now deliver essential public services to citizens more affordably and effectively. Gartner research indicates that public organizations directly report success rates for implementing cloud computing efforts comparable to those of the private sector. This article will explore how outdated solutions limit the public sector and how upgrades to cloud-based government solutions can benefit everyone.
For decades, mission-critical workloads, strict rules, and shrinking resources have hampered the ambition of government organizations, from local to federal, to move to the cloud. Although moving to the cloud might be a journey, several benefits help agencies carry out their tasks more successfully and effectively.
Adopting cloud computing presents many difficulties, including carefully managed service level agreements and confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The models of the cloud computing industry and related problems are discussed in this research study. In addition, this blog will examine the difficulties with cloud computing and industry best practices.
Public Sector Cloud Adoption
As cloud adoption grows, governments are increasingly realizing the potential of cloud technology for modernizing government IT and improving citizen services. As a result, efforts and investments are being made to accelerate cloud adoption and overcome associated challenges to realize the full benefits of cloud-based solutions in the public sector.
The federal government has made considerable strides in cloud adoption through initiatives such as the Cloud First policy, prioritizing cloud solutions over traditional on-premises infrastructure for new IT investments. In addition, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has played a crucial role in facilitating cloud adoption by providing a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring of cloud service providers.
Many federal agencies have successfully migrated their applications, data, and services to cloud platforms, leveraging cloud solutions’ scalability, cost efficiency, and flexibility. As a result, cloud adoption has enabled these agencies to streamline operations, enhance collaboration, and deliver services more efficiently to citizens.
The Role Of Cloud Computing In Government IT Modernization
The federal government’s wide range of services is one of its most distinctive features. No other organization is in charge of providing so much for so many people so quickly in a setting that is always changing. Many federal agencies accelerated their digital transitions in response to COVID-19 to improve public services, embrace a remote workforce, and better secure data with trust and transparency. However, while modernization is gaining momentum, external pressure is also increasing due to rising public expectations and new dangers.
However, due to data fragmentation, a lack of interoperability, and vulnerability to cyber-attacks, legacy IT infrastructure makes it challenging for federal agencies to fully utilize the promise of technology and data. Budget cycles are irregular, and upgrading funds are difficult to allocate. Despite cloud computing’s increased productivity, speed, and lowered risks, the US government’s IT modernization efforts are lagging, especially on security and citizen service issues.
Following are five recommendations for federal agencies to use the cloud to accelerate modernization:
1. Consider Hybrid Multi-Cloud
The hybrid cloud is the only infrastructure and application development architecture that is elastic, versatile, and capable of supporting the wide range of programs and services required today. Therefore, organizations should sometimes rely on more than just the cloud or direct modernization towards a single cloud service provider.
2. Support The Mission Out To The Edge
A method for safely extending a digital environment to the user is edge computing. Americans anticipate using their phones and tablets to interact with the government. The military needs worldwide accessibility to data and intelligence systems in outlying areas. Government employees are required to provide services at border checkpoints, isolated national parks, and health facilities. Cybersecurity should be built into the architecture to maximize seamless risk mitigation and lessen the burden on end users.
3. Modernize Operational Procedures Rather Than Infrastructure
We must stop emphasizing the number of data centers that close each year or the migration of old applications to the cloud. It’s not only about technology; it’s also about enhancing security, citizen services, and mission enablement. Optimizing business procedures affecting customer experience and how work is done should be a top priority for agencies. Governmental IT budgets and scorecards encourage this.
4. Improve How Work Is Done by Using an Open Ecosystem Approach
The tools of a single corporation need to be more comprehensive to address the problems the government is confronting. Federal agencies must collaborate with numerous cloud and infrastructure vendors to demand interoperability. Agencies should focus on finding solutions by asking vendor teams to reimagine how work is done. Cloud infrastructure agreements should be strengthened to emphasize this and to motivate partner ecosystems to offer cloud-native solutions as services. Build once, use wherever whenever possible.
5. Simplify The FedRAMP Certification Process
The standard federal information security obligation is FedRAMP. However, transferring cloud solutions required for modernization through FedRAMP certification is still challenging. Some consider FedRAMP a significant obstacle. FedRAMP must fully automate, the sponsorship burden must be lessened or removed, agency approvals must be reciprocal, and the FedRAMP Program Office must get funding commensurate with its contribution to modernization.
Cloud Computing Opportunities & Challenges for Government
The federal government increasingly turns to cloud computing to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase agility. As a result, cloud computing offers several potential opportunities for the federal government, including:
• Increased agility: Cloud computing can help the federal government quickly and easily scale up or down its IT resources as needed. It can be especially beneficial for agencies that need to respond to sudden changes in demand, such as the Department of Defense, during a natural disaster.
• Reduced costs: Cloud computing can help the federal government save money on IT costs in several ways. For example, cloud providers can offer economies of scale by spreading the cost of infrastructure and maintenance across multiple customers. In addition, cloud providers often provide more efficient and cost-effective ways to deliver IT services.
• Improved security: Cloud computing can help the federal government improve its security posture by providing several features that can help protect data and systems. For example, cloud providers can offer data encryption, access control, and disaster recovery services.
However, there are also some challenges associated with implementing cloud computing in the federal government, including:
• Security: The federal government is responsible for protecting sensitive data, and there are concerns that cloud computing could make this more difficult. For example, cloud providers may have access to sensitive data, and there is always the risk that a cloud provider could be hacked.
• Compliance: The federal government is subject to many regulations, and it cannot be easy to ensure that cloud computing solutions comply. For example, the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requires federal agencies to implement security controls to protect their data.
• Data sovereignty: Some federal agencies are concerned about the potential for data sovereignty issues when using cloud computing. For example, agencies may be reluctant to store data in a cloud outside of the United States.
Despite these challenges, the federal government is moving forward with its cloud computing initiatives. For example, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued some guidance documents to help agencies implement cloud computing securely and competently. In addition, many cloud providers have also developed solutions specifically designed for the federal government.
Conclusion
As the federal government modernizes its IT infrastructure, public sector cloud computing will likely play an increasingly important role. Cloud computing can help the federal government improve its efficiency, reduce costs, and improve its security posture. Additionally, cloud computing can help the federal government to accelerate innovation and provide better services to the public.
The federal government is at a critical juncture in its IT modernization journey. Cloud computing offers several potential benefits, but it also presents many challenges. The federal government must carefully consider these challenges and develop a plan to address them.
vTech Solution offers careful planning and execution and cloud computing that will help the federal government to modernize its IT infrastructure and improve its ability to serve the public.
