Looking to gain insight from a depth of experience and perspective, we spoke with GovCIO Technical Director of Cloud Engineering, Ed Kelley to better understand some challenges agencies face when considering cloud adoption, the case for economies of scale and accessing the best of the best. Ed also shares advice for CORs, and advice for industry on the precision of language, and where to invest to prepare talent for the future.
Security as a Roadblock
One of the biggest challenges agencies face when it comes to cloud adoption is moving past the comfort level of cyber leaders whose experience is founded in on-premise storage. “There is a certain comfort that comes from being able to point to a piece of hardware, knowing that is where your data is, that it can be protected within your facility by armed guards. Part of my job is articulating our security profile with cloud technology to show how we can match and exceed that.”
Another challenge agencies face is policy, somewritten decades ago, which may reference the physical features of security which don’t apply or cannot be matched. And while some in the accreditation space understand the nuances and differences between a physical and cloud environment, others are sticking to old language and interpretations.
Economy of Scale
Among the most significant advantages to cloud adoption is the economy of scale, the opportunity to benefit from a source that is also providing similar services to thousands of other customers. While this may be inherently understood, the implication–that the provider has invested in better equipment, enhanced capabilities, and is leveraging a larger talent pool, hiring what may arguably be the best in the world to provide those services–may not be fully understood.
“It is also worth understanding the layers upon layers upon layers of protection in terms of who can access what and the auditability in who accessed what data, that’s built into every transaction, every piece of data, that eliminates concerns over hosting information from different agencies within the same provider service.”
Across the federal space there are ample opportunities to look past silos and to learn from others. Take the Department of Veterans Affairs, whose cloud adoption, driven in part by commercial healthcare, is years beyond where other agencies would venture to drive. “VA is a unique case in some ways because they have their own cyber controls, but then they also have overlays, things like HIPAA and privacy requirements. They also had the benefit of commercial medial software-as-a-service cloud-based options.”
While other federal sectors may not have had that same push, or access to those existing overlays, they can serve as a model moving forward of what can, and should be, done. Where there are concerns over hosting data in a shared facility, it is these overlays, the nuances of who and when and why, that added the distinct agency access that will be required.
Economy of scale also offsets the physical requirements, the 24/7 operations center, the security operations center, power from multiple utility providers and service from multiple internet domains, security clearance for staff… all of which make leaning on a cloud provider, to take the load off clients, a logical yes. “Between the cost of physically hosting data and the time required to implement the effort because of all the infrastructure that goes with it, cloud is the more efficient, effective and financially responsible option.”
The Opportunity for Geographic Diversity – The Best of the Best
Beyond the advantage of economy of scale in attracting key talent, there is a takeaway from COVID that cannot be ignored. “When agencies had to relax their policies on what could or could not be done on premise, it opened up a much broader talent pool.”
Instead of only accessing skill sets within a limited physical range with in-person work, agencies now had access to talent across the country, to people with a greater breadth of experience. Some of those experts still collaborate, across the country, to solve some of the most challenging problems. As agencies, and industry, forces more back-to-the-office work, that geographic opportunity is something to consider.
“Some of the perspective may still be that if someone is not physically able to check on you working, there is a chance you’re not. The understanding of the benefit of pulling from a wider audience of skillsets, of being able to get the best of the best, wherever they are, is a better way of really supporting the mission.”
A Case for the User Story
Contracting officials are understandably burdened with tight deadlines and sometimes lean into older language when putting together procurement documents for new requirements. The challenge though is that they may inadvertently use references to programs de-funded since the initial language was developed, or include technical direction that may not meet current trends or demands.
As the arbiter between the contractor and the customer, the COR should have the time, and an opportunity, to develop a user story. “That user story would allow them to go to market with a specific directive of the kinds of work being done, the actual needs to be met. The story can layout the problem to be solved, instead of citing a fixed number of people or an assumed solution needed to solve the challenge.”
Advice for Industry
Just as government must get specific with its needs, industry must be equally specific about its capabilities, and what it seeks in partners. “Noting ‘cloud’ under services doesn’t cut it. What do you offer? Who do you partner with? What past performance do you have moving an organization from x to y?”
Industry must also consider how it positions its talent pool, accepting that the futures of those in specific technology roles now will evolve and change. “As the capability and strength of AI grows, the demand, from a talent view, will be identifying those who can drive the AI engine, those who really know how to get quality products out.”
As industry looks to position itself to continue to serve the emerging needs of its government clients, that will be where investment and partnerships will need to focus.
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