The Federal Government Journey to Cloud Computing: Lessons Learned
June 4, 2014
Grazed from SysConMedia. Author: Kevin Jackson.
In February 2011, Vivek Kundra announced the “Cloud First” policy across the US Government. The directive, issued through the Office of Management and Budget, required agencies to give cloud technology first priority in developing IT projects. He also described cloud computing as a “10 year journey”.
According to a Deltek report, federal agency spending on cloud computing will grow from $2.3 billion in fiscal 2013 to $6.1 billion by fiscal 2018. This forecast clearly raises the importance of understanding what has happened over the past few years. In my opinion, the Top 5 most important lessons learned are:…
1. When selecting the appropriate deployment model (Public, Private, Hybrid or Community) don’t reflexively pick private as the “obvious low risk choice”. Private cloud with no resource sharing doesn’t deliver the promised cost savings. Do the math, do the science and do the engineering. Develop a real business case. Start with functional requirements related to the mission. If the numbers don’t make sense, don’t do it
2. Failure to modify business processes to take advantage of the parallel nature of cloud computing platforms will lead to minimal improvements in those processes. Government IT managers must accept that cloud computing means the purchase of a service, not the purchase of technology. This usually represents a fundamental change in how technology is acquired and managed…
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