In anticipation of next week’s 2017 Comstor Federal Executive Summit (#ComstorFS17), we are sharing top federal IT trends and insights. Recently, we featured Larry Payne, head of Cisco Public Sector on Three Ways that Federal Agencies Can Prepare for a Digital Future. Larry Allen of Allen Federal Partners recently wrote about the Three Ways to Size Up a New Fed Biz Opportunity. This week, we feature thoughts from Nick Michaelides, Cisco’s lead for U.S. Federal Sales, on top federal IT priorities.
To catch up to what constituents, employers and employees expect from them in terms of technology, government agencies know IT must be a top priority. From mobile solutions for workforces to cloud platform solutions for data (to meet mandates and to provide better constituent service), government agencies understand that digital solutions such as these can create greater efficiencies and effectiveness.
In a recent article in Federal Times, Digital-Ready Networks: The Foundation for Agency Innovation, Nick Michaelides wrote that even though agencies understand they need to move to modernization, aging infrastructures and limited budgets make it hard. He said that many agencies aren’t ready or don’t know how to make the leap to fully embrace digital opportunities and he outlined what federal agencies need to know before making the move to modernization.
His outline included:
Innovation starts with the network, and the first step is putting a strong, digital-ready network in place to build on for the future. Building a digital-ready network starts with evaluating current environments, architecting a vision for what needs to be done and outlining a multi-phased, yet agile approach for implementation across the organization.
Modernization doesn’t mean replacing existing IT infrastructure and systems. Network modernization is about building on what’s already in place and strategically investing to help organizations securely expand capabilities.
Turn the traditional CIO to chief innovation officer by building environments that will enable new capabilities to support their mission, whether it is in a cornfield or a battlefield.
Read the entire article in Federal Times here.
