Category: Cloud

The “Journey to the Cloud” describes a wholesale shift in the technology, operation, and administration of the modern data, in ways not seen since server architectures were fundamentally redrawn with the introduction of the microcomputer, in the 1980s. This change means that the traditional three tier data center era, of separately managed server, storage and […]

2018 is an amazing time to work in government IT. The possibilities enabled by machine learning, AI and IoT are poised to redefine what government can achieve. Digital transformation is becoming a reality because we finally have the infrastructure to make it work. This is in large part thanks to the cloud. While cloud is […]

An unquestionably difficult task: keeping the government online and functional while simultaneously modernizing legacy applications and infrastructure.  And the complexity of this task is exacerbated by the urgency of mandates such as the Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) that the OMB issued pursuant to FITARA. With all deliberate speed, and much like their industry counterparts, […]

Cloud computing has revolutionized the way we do business. There’s no doubt that how we work now is built around the efficiencies and mobility afforded by the cloud. While the adoption of cloud has brought incredible benefits to government, like any new technology it comes with shifting standards for cyber security. Because of this, it’s […]

We live in a time when innovation is moving at breakneck speed. The hot new product of today could become obsolete in just weeks, relegated to the proverbial leftover bin of technology. But every once in a while a breakthrough is significant enough to not only take hold, but also to change the way we […]

The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) is on the verge of “breaking” the Internet as we know it today, unless some serious changes and additions are made to the way it works. That was the warning of Jim Reavis, CEO and co-founder of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) at the group’s inaugural federal […]

After some time to reflect on my trip to VMworld, it’s become clear that VMware is undergoing a massive evolution with respect to what it does in the network space. From software-driven environments to cloud-centric strategies, VMware is positioning itself in a world that’s largely leaving the data center and other legacy systems behind. In […]

As federal agencies move to adopt a cloud-first strategy and reduce their reliance on government-owned data centers, IT managers should be rethinking the way they deal with cyber security. The cloud offers a multitude of benefits including more agile and efficient networks, but when you modernize away from traditional data centers, you move into a […]

Federal agencies don’t always have the time or money to take on cloud adoption. The cost, complexity and security concerns of rolling out cloud-based applications often act as a barrier for those without the resources to implement and manage a solution. But that doesn’t mean agencies should abandon hope, especially since cloud adoption can actually […]

This past month, Iron Bow attended Dell EMC World 2017 in Las Vegas. During my trip, I had the pleasure of discussing current, future and emerging technologies across the industry. At Iron Bow, I have seen these trends emerge first-hand, as have the over 12,000 IT practitioners and business leaders in attendance. Virtualization (both server […]

The White House recently signed the long-awaited cyber security executive order (EO), emphasizing the importance the administration is putting on managing cyber risk across government. This EO is a step in the right direction as it places a level of accountability on federal agencies to protect critical data through IT modernization, better cyber hygiene and […]

There is no disputing that software-defined networking (SDN) has brought new levels of capabilities to networking in the data center while reducing operator errors, overhead, and complexity. These same benefits can be extended to campus networking for many customers. Campus networks actually do share many of the same network challenges as data centers but for […]

Once upon a time, managing applications was a fairly straight forward process.  In that simpler world, IT staff delivered applications utilizing dedicated file servers consisting of compute, memory and storage. This nostalgic data center environment was easy to manage and maintain. As time went on, however, the application infrastructure became virtualized, storage shared, and the […]