The Digital Revolution: Public Sector's Path To Success In Cloud Computing
An increasing number of public sector organizations are turning to cloud technology to enhance their efficiency, resilience, and overall security measures. However, to fully harness the potential of cloud computing within your agency, it's essential to go beyond a simple "lift-and-shift" approach to migration. You'll need both cloud-savvy personnel and a well-thought-out public-sector cloud strategy to overcome challenges and drive your mission forward.
Four Cloud Computing Challenges for the Public Sector
Public sector organizations encounter four main obstacles when it comes to adopting cloud solutions. Identifying these hurdles within your organization is the first step in overcoming them:
1. Security and Compliance Requirements: Whether it's HIPAA, PCI DSS, NIST, FedRAMP, or other regulations, security and compliance have long been paramount for public sector organizations. Transitioning to the cloud introduces the need to navigate new regulations while maintaining stringent security standards.
2. Lack of Cloud-Skilled Personnel: Historically, the public sector has struggled to compete with the private sector in attracting tech talent, and this challenge remains. Even with an influx of tech professionals in the job market, government agencies still find it difficult to recruit and retain cloud engineers. The reasons include complex hiring processes, less competitive benefits, and a lack of flexibility. Furthermore, many cloud workers prefer cutting-edge technology and are reluctant to work with the legacy systems prevalent in public sector organizations.
3. Acquiring Cloud Services That Meet Public Sector Contracts: Cloud services operate on a pay-as-you-go model, allowing agencies to scale their services based on their current needs. Public sector organizations can use indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts for investing in metered cloud services. However, these contracts are often time-consuming and costly to establish. Additionally, selecting cloud service providers for these contracts can be scrutinized.
4. Legacy Infrastructure Spending: Despite the push towards the cloud, public sector organizations, including the federal government, continue to prioritize legacy on-premises systems. In fact, while 54% of public sector CIOs expressed their intention to increase cloud spending at the start of 2022, only 35% planned to reduce spending on legacy infrastructure and data center technologies. As long as agencies prioritize legacy systems, their full cloud transformation will be delayed.
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Five Cloud Computing Opportunities for the Public Sector
Despite these challenges, cloud computing still presents opportunities for public sector organizations to enhance their operations. To achieve cloud success, agencies should look beyond the technology itself and consider the people and processes that will manage it:
1. Leverage a Shared Responsibility Model: Cloud service providers follow a shared responsibility model that defines their infrastructure responsibilities and those left to individual organizations. Understanding this model enables more effective resource allocation. For instance, if you're not responsible for managing the cloud's software or hardware, you can assign more resources to critical areas like cybersecurity.
2. Improve Regulatory Compliance: Compliance frameworks, often viewed as barriers, also offer significant opportunities. They help government agencies ensure their environments comply with the latest regulations. When evaluating potential cloud providers, check for compliance with frameworks such as FedRAMP, StateRAMP, Cloud One, and Platform One.
3. Implement Continuous Authority to Operate (cATO): Traditional authorization processes follow linear steps, making them time-consuming and potentially outdated. Continuous Authority to Operate (cATO) offers a more nimble approach by continually authorizing underlying cloud infrastructure, systems, and platforms, allowing agencies to focus on capability and code delivery.
4. Enable Remote Work: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to remote or hybrid work and cloud adoption. Remote work is likely here to stay, widening the talent pool and potentially saving costs, such as cost-of-living adjustments to salaries.
5. Close the Cloud Skills Gap Through Upskilling: If recruiting cloud-savvy professionals is a challenge, consider upskilling your existing workforce. Start with free learning resources like webinars, blogs, and ebooks. As your team gains more advanced skills, invest in on-demand courses, instructor-led training, and customized labs and sandboxes.
Conclusion
In the world of public sector organizations, the real puzzle isn't whether to embrace cloud services but rather how to go about it in a way that leads to success. To achieve this, you can navigate the established acquisition frameworks, create a unique cloud strategy, and empower your teams to become proficient in cloud-related skills. By taking these steps, you can tackle the typical obstacles that come with cloud adoption and set the stage for long-term success.