As cloud gains momentum as a platform for government IT, the one-size-fits-all solution is becoming obsolete. Government organizations require unique solutions to suit their specific needs, which is why understanding the cloud platform options is the first step to making the change to the cloud. Initially, there were public clouds hosted completely off government sites by a third party (like Google or Amazon Web Services). Then came private clouds, infrastructure and networks designed as a cloud but only available to a closed loop of individuals. Private clouds are hosted on-premise by the government entity they were built for. Now, there is a third type of cloud implementation that is proving to be the most popular and most attractive to government agencies - the hybrid cloud.
Hybrid infrastructures mean that some elements are hosted in a cloud (either public or private) while others are managed on-premise. There is a connection that allows all systems to work seamlessly. This set-up alleviates security concerns and helps organizations maintain tight control over critical applications.
Additionally, a hybrid environment helps avoid vendor lock-in. As agencies found with hardware, becoming an all "one vendor" shop has drawbacks. While going with a single IT vendor can have initial cost savings and economies of scale, in the long run, agencies grew frustrated when that one vendor could not innovate quick enough or provide the support they needed. Agencies are wary of falling into the same trap with cloud providers and look to spread out their applications across several platforms. This allows them to pick the cloud infrastructure that works best for that particular IT solution. There are hybrid cloud management tools that "abstract away many of the common features offered by different cloud providers" making it easier to manage multiple clouds.
Not sure what option works best for your organization? Fortunately, there are a number of cloud and IT events that will focus on building efficient hybrid environments in the coming months. Here are just a few:
- Embracing the Hybrid Cloud: Strategies for Success (August 15, 2018; Washington, DC) This event will bring together government and industry leaders to discuss how to make the transition to the cloud as seamless as possible. Discussions will include Understanding the Modernizing Government Technology Act, NIST standards for cloud and the IEEE Intercloud Working Group, and Using a cloud broker: what's in it for your agency.
- COVITS (September 5-6, 2018; Richmond, VA) Organized by Government Technology magazine, this event looks to present best practices and spur innovation in the public sector. COVITS has an advisory board board that gathers public sector and private sector leaders to create an agenda designed to make that passion relevant and actionable. Topics for this year include cloud, dev ops, and blockchain.
- OPEN FIRST: Building a Foundation for Choice and Security (September 18, 2018; Washington, DC) This event, developed by Red Hat, looks at how agencies are harnessing the power of open source technologies and principles. The event will focus on how open source helps meet modernization goals across government.
- GEOINT & Open Source Analytics (September 18-19, 2018; Washington, DC) This event will focus on how to integrate open source and unclassified intelligence to enhance geospatial analysis and support critical IC operations. It provides a venue for an open dialogue regarding the current and future role of commercial imagery providers and open source technology providers in the growing GEOINT landscape.
- Infor Government Forum: Ignite Insight: Technology Simplified (September 25, 2018; Washington, DC) This event will examine the path forward for agencies looking to move operational systems to the cloud while protecting data everywhere it resides.
- AWS re:Invent (November 26-30, 2018; Washington, DC) This hands-on event is designed for technical resources looking to get a better understanding of how AWS and other cloud technologies can work together to solve specific challenges.
Let us know what and where you are learning about building hybrid environments for your organizations.
