Moving federal IT systems into the 21st century allows federal agencies to embrace the benefits of flexible and agile IT including cost effectiveness and efficiencies. These are just a few of the drivers behind the push towards IT modernization, which is gaining the attention of Congress. In fact, the House recently voted unanimously for a bill to modernize information technology systems.
The bill will play a significant role in federal IT modernization and comes on the heels of many other federal agency efforts. In this roundup, we look at the GSA’s push to be a one-stop IT modernization shop, the DoD’s Windows 10 migration plan – specifically how the Air Force will move forward – and finally, we look at how IT compliance reduces risks of cloud adoption.
Read the full update of IT modernization stories below:
Bill to Help Agencies Modernize IT Quickly Passes in House
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee recently approved a bill designed to help government modernize its aging technology. The vote was unanimous. The Modernizing Government Technology Act creates an individual IT working capital fund for each of the 24 CFO Act agencies and a centralized IT modernization fund housed in the Treasury Department that executive branch agencies could apply to draw from to quickly procure new technologies. Read more
GSA Wants to Be One-Stop IT Modernization Shop
While it is very telling that the House has so quickly passed the IT Modernization bill, the General Services Administration (GSA) believes it should play a significant role in helping agencies modernize IT systems regardless of the legislation. The GSA will be reaching out to industry, agencies and constituents to access needs and determine the best path forward for modernization. The General Services Administration wants to lead the push to help agencies upgrade legacy IT systems regardless of whether Congress passes new laws to spur modernization. Read more
Air Force Pushing to Upgrade Devices and Systems to Windows 10 by 2018
Earlier this year, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a memo pushing for all defense agencies to complete Windows 10 migration by January 2017 to boost cyber security. However, not all agencies will meet this deadline. The Air Force has already laid out an IT modernization plan and believes it will take longer to complete the Windows 10 migration. Earlier this month the Air Force issued a statement saying it expects to complete its migration to Microsoft’s latest operating systems by Jan. 31, 2018. The migration effort will kick off later this year. Read more
Can IT Compliance Reduce Risks of Cloud Adoption?
IT governance approaches that are both out of date and out of touch with today’s technologies can create major challenges for federal agencies, particularly when it comes to the cloud. Federal IT leaders must work through compliance and governance issues if they hope to experience the cost and time-saving benefits of cloud technology. As part of its new Cyber Security National Action Plan the federal administration set goals to improve IT governance models and specifically to ensure feds maintain cyber security practices as part of all IT development work. Read more
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