The Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative offered a good chance to redeploy resources. But agencies that did not seize it now face a tougher investment environment.
A group of federal IT executives recently asked me what i presumed in regards to the progress of the Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) over the last four years. I responded, “lots of opportunities,” as i really believe that’s the case.
Let me explain.
As any government CIO can inform you, all of it begins with the maths, where 80% of the IT budget is already committed to operations and upkeep per the company Executive Board. The sole strategy to move your company forward is to cut back support costs — and datacenters offer the foremost opportunities.
This was certainly my experience as CIO/CTO for the u. s. Postal Service, where I consolidated 19 datacenters all the way down to two. By this as a possibility to standardize, centralize and simplify IT, i used to be in a position to reinvest hundreds of millions of bucks into other aspects of modernizing the business.
In terms of FDCCI, I worry that some agencies haven’t made it a high enough priority and that i ponder whether my response should now be “lost opportunities”?
Here’s the challenge that many agencies face today. While additional funding for FDCCI was limited, OMB generally maintained IT budgets over the last four years. OMB argued that this will enable investments in datacenter consolidation that might reduce costs in out years, making an allowance for eventual reductions in IT operating budgets.
The reality is that some agencies have made great headway as they have got embraced FDCCI as a possibility to reshape IT. However, those who have viewed it as a compliance exercise now face significant challenges. And prefer the squirrel that did not save enough nuts, these laggards are actually gazing a really long winter of bleak IT budgets.
[What you may learn from Uncle Sam’s missteps: Read: 3 Lessons From 5 Years Of Federal Data Center Consolidation Delays.]
The mistake that a lot of these agencies made was considering this only a cost-cutting exercise. Hence, many CIOs took limited personal ownership for the success of the initiative, and did not assign their best and brightest to the project.
The reality is this is cutting-edge stuff and it’s hard. It involves implementing a hybrid cloud strategy and making a software-defined infrastructure. Shifting operations to a DevOps model. Implementing measurement metrics for each product and repair produced. Enabling a more open and versatile architecture for an increasingly mobile and multi-client world. And at last, it involves performing portfolio management of your applications.
While IT departments ought to continue to target operational cost, security and reliability, it really is also a possibility to assist the mission become faster, more agile and more innovative. By doing so, IT operations can and must move from trusted vendor to valued partner to the mission. It’s the sole approach to survive and be relevant for the business of the longer term.
But time is running out as three trends are set to converge. While current IT budgets are hardly robust, future ones can be even tighter. Furthermore, technology is entering a period of rapid change as a way to leave today’s legacy environments further behind. Finally, the mission continues to become more dynamic and critical, pushing current systems to their snapping point. It’s time to take FDCCI seriously.
Bob Otto was the CIO/CTO for the usa Postal Service (USPS) from 2001 to 2007 and currently services as President of the Agilex’ Government Services Sector.
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