State and local governments are modernizing for a seamless hybrid cloud journey

Government agencies may face many choices

The data industry has witnessed an explosion in new technologies over the past two decades, and this has led to a wide range of options for upgrading or expanding digital infrastructure. But this represents a double-edged sword for government agencies. On the one hand, it enables the development of highly specialized work environments tailored to the specific needs of key workflows.

But on the other hand, it can make it difficult to determine the right path for renovation or expansion, especially when an increasingly digital population gravitates quickly from one technology to another.

However, one way or another, data center modernization will come to state and local governments, and that leaves IT managers with two key questions: How should they modernize and for what purpose?

Read more: Discover the potential benefits of hybrid cloud for government.

A key part of this transformation will likely be the automation of processes that currently require enormous amounts of time and money to complete manually. But even in automation, there are many options to choose from, from which jobs to automate and how.

Most, if not all, government processes are highly intertwined, meaning that the completion of one depends on the completion of the other, and so on. Automating only part of this activity network will yield partial results at best, since the entire system can only move as fast as its slowest piece. But implementing end-to-end automation can be a daunting task without the right technology and expertise, and few government organizations have the skill sets or knowledge to complete this type of transformation on their own.

IT administrators should strive to build a strong foundation

That’s why the most important decision in this transformation is choosing the right technology partner. Not all automation platforms are the same. Some can be quickly integrated into legacy environments; Others require changes to existing systems and processes. Some provide intuitive and simplified user interfaces; Others require significant training and guidance. Some of them need to be implemented comprehensively from the beginning; Others can seamlessly and seamlessly integrate from one system to another.

To choose from the many options available on the market these days, it is useful to establish a set of criteria to distinguish between promising and discouraging. This should include:

• proven track record. Does the system and its developer have a record of successful deployments that can be verified by independent means?
• Powerful user experience. Does it improve the experience for both users and operators, resulting in tasks being successfully completed on time and within budget?
• Exceptional automation. Are you automating processes that are core to government operations, while providing efficiencies in time and effort, and reducing costs as well?
• Expandability. Can the system reach agencies that have their own data center technology teams and installed bases of digital systems?

Deep dive: Learn how storage virtualization makes it easier to manage modern workloads.

Obviously, the complete transformation to a modern, digitally driven agency will take some time, but the initial steps are often the most important since it is very difficult to undo what has been done and start over, especially on the physical layer. Therefore, it is important to start on equal footing while maintaining the ability to pivot in a certain direction if requirements and goals change at any point during the process.

With a solid foundation built on the latest advances in virtualization, cloud, automation, and intelligence, government agencies at the state and local level should find themselves at the forefront of the digital age, not playing catch-up as they have typically done in the past.