Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2020. Read them in this 12th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
By Chris Howard, VP of federal, Nutanix
3 Ways Federal IT Deployments will Evolve in the New Year
Federal IT infrastructure is in flux. The advent of the cloud has changed the face of the industry at an unprecedented pace, leaving organizations both private and public scrambling to catch up and deploy the latest technologies. Beyond this, federal IT leaders are also challenged with securing deployments that will be futureproofed against what promises to be at least another decade of rapid IT policy shifts at the hands of changing administrations.
To remain successful in the current landscape, IT professionals can’t simply focus on meeting today’s demands. The key is the ability to anticipate the trends that will come to define the space for years to come. Below are three trends in federal IT that I expect to significantly impact vendors and IT professionals alike throughout 2020 and beyond.
Supply Chain Scrutiny
In the past couple of years, bans on telecommunications devices have thrust hardware supply chain vulnerabilities into the spotlight. While conversations related to hardware security risks are likely to continue in 2020, we expect that the software supply chain will come under the same scrutiny.
With new regulations likely to follow, organizations will need to conduct software audits to identify the origin of all components of their software suite. This is especially important for federal agencies and government organizations who possess sensitive information that could be breached. IT security is quickly evolving to become more of a journey, rather than a moment in time, and I expect we’ll see more focus being put on our software supply chain in the years ahead.
A New Approach to FedRAMP Certification
FedRAMP is an important certification for agencies, but it’s not the end of the journey, it’s the beginning. For public cloud offerings, many hear FedRAMP-approved and often assume they are set in regards to security measures. When it comes to our data and applications, security is not a box we can check; it is an ongoing responsibility, especially when dealing with civilian, federal and military information.
In the coming year we expect that agencies, learning from the now commonplace security issues that arise when private sector companies do not secure their cloud environments, will increasingly see the importance of approaching security as a shared responsibility within their own organization and the various vendors and partners they work with. While FedRAMP will remain a critical cloud security standard, it will become a starting point within federal IT, while agencies will seek additional measures to protect their data and applications.
Shifting IT Consumption Models
In 2020, we expect to see federal agencies to increasingly differentiate their IT consumption models. For example, I expect to see a movement of IT infrastructure to managed service offerings in hosted data centers in order to take advantage of the solutions that MSPs provide. In doing so, they will also be taking some of the work off of their plate. This will not only allow agencies to access better connectivity, but it will also address some of the same benefits that agencies look for when moving to the public cloud, like agility and the ability to move away from managing physical infrastructure, but with added security controls.
2020 will once again see a shift in IT. Not only are technologies changing, but also federal agencies’ approach to them. Agencies are increasingly taking a proactive approach that anticipates future challenges and coming needs, and vendors will be expected to meet a higher standard than ever before when working the federal government. These challenges also come with great opportunities. The U.S. Federal Government is projected to spend $81 billion on IT in 2020 alone, with steady IT budget growth projected from then onward. Preparation will be essential to securing these contracts in the coming years. By taking heed of the trends outlined above, organizations can be well positioned to thrive in the next decade.
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About the Author
Chris Howard is the Vice President of U.S. Public Sector at Nutanix. In this role, he leads a team of more than 100 sales, engineering, channels, marketing, professional services and operations professionals in supporting our U.S. Federal, State and Local government customers, as well as those in higher education. Prior to joining Nutanix, Chris held leadership positions at VMware and Dell. He speaks regularly in various government industry forums, and was a 2016 FedScoop 50 honoree in the Industry Leadership category. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from West Virginia University, and is an avid sports fan.
