Are We Modernizing, or Running in Place?

The Federal government’s IT legacy systems are costly to maintain and difficult to secure – in fact, they eat up 80% of the Federal IT budget. This leaves agencies little room for innovation and improvement.

Without new ideas and new approaches, agencies may be stuck running in place just to keep the lights on.

Supported by Federal CIO Tony Scott, the administration has proposed a $3.1 billion IT Modernization Fund (ITMF) – to retire, replace, and modernize the Federal government’s IT legacy systems.

If the funding is approved, where can industry provide expertise to help agencies build realistic plans and meet deadlines?

EMC’s Brett Stafford recently spoke at MeriTalk’s Cloud Computing Brainstorm where he addressed this question, and more, along with industry colleagues.

Reach Full Potential at Your Agency

If the ITMF is approved, agencies need to prioritize their spending. Brett noted that as a first step, agencies should understand what they have, and then prioritize what should go where.

Brett noted that often, agencies want to replicate their current processes in a new, more efficient technology – with the goal to achieve savings. However, to achieve desired savings, agencies must consider many different factors associated with the total cost of ownership (TCO) – such as: using the right business models, having the correct understanding of TCO, and understanding the current environment. Additionally, agencies must remember that savings might not necessarily be monetary – if an agency is able to deliver twice the capacity at the same cost, they are saving.

At EMC, we help agencies modernize and keep their mission a priority. Rather than creating a modern version of what agencies already own, EMC works with Federal customers to transform mission-critical workloads. And, we place a high importance on the mission – this means seamlessly modernizing without disruption in the agency’s capabilities during migration.

With funding like ITMF, it is within the art of the possible to deliver greater capabilities, drive down costs, and provide greater security to an organization. However, agencies must think holistically rather than thinking of an individual application or system. Think in terms of standardization, virtualization, modernization, and automation – resulting in transformation.

Federal agencies and industry, working together, can identify what’s working and what’s possible.

Author information

Barry Morris

Vice President, EMC Federal Division

Barry Morris, Vice President of EMC’s Federal Division, is responsible for general division management, providing leadership and vision to the Federal team, government contractors and partners, and Federal systems integrators. In this role, he is dedicated to helping agencies redefine IT in a more agile, trusted, and cost-efficient way. Morris brings 30 years of experience driving sales to the Federal government, and expanding coverage into the state and local government, education, and medical markets.

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