Power Platform: Hybrid Cloud Drives Digital IT

I’ve heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting a different outcome. If that’s the case, I think Feds have finally come to their senses – the Federal IT community has shown enthusiasm for IT reform.

According to a recent study, 79% of Feds believe FITARA, a new law designed to give Federal CIOs more power, will have an overall positive effect on the value of their agency’s IT.

Other efforts, such as FedRAMP and the Digital Services Playbook, aim to consolidate standardized approaches and best practices for the Federal government to follow.

But, as we all know, there is more work to do. Federal agencies spend 80% of their budget on O&M for legacy systems, making it difficult to digitize processes, personalize experiences, and innovate at a quick pace.

Hybrid cloud is emerging as a key component of the path forward. As I wrote earlier this year, creating flexible, hybrid infrastructures that can connect on-premise legacy infrastructure with cloud infrastructures is going to be important for every Federal mission – especially as we move towards a digitized future.

Cruise to the Cloud

In addition to providing the speed and agility of public cloud services and the control and security of private cloud infrastructure, hybrid cloud adoption is driven by three key forces:

• The nature of digital IT itself – Technology advances have raised expectations, and organizations must be able to meet those demands
• The imperative to become and remain agile – Digital IT is a permanent commitment to work differently, adapt quickly, and iterate faster. This requires an agile platform, such as hybrid cloud
• Cost reduction – Moving to hybrid cloud can reduce IT operating expenses by 24%

Hybrid cloud automation dramatically reduces the amount of labor needed to deploy new application software, and to monitor, operate, and make adjustments to the infrastructure – delivering significant cost savings. And, an opportunity to redirect those savings into newer, more innovative efforts.

Overall, hybrid cloud drives digital IT while lowering cost and raising agility – all factors needed to give citizens what they want, when they want, on whatever device they want – quickly and easily and with personalized service.

To learn more on the topic, please check out this blog post from David Goulden, CEO, EMC Information Infrastructure.

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.