Building a Cloud-Ready Federal IT Workforce

As agencies navigate cloud, they continue to leverage and build upon lessons learned.  And, it seems to be working:  According to a recent MeriTalk study, 75% of Federal cloud decision-makers say their workforce is somewhat or very comfortable with moving its systems to the cloud.

But, how did they get there and what’s really the first step of a successful migration?  Knowing your IT environment is important – but even more essential is ensuring you have a cloud-ready workforce.

Rally the Troops

Bring in infrastructure experts early.  These individuals will help you get a better sense for your IT environment – and advise your agency on what future application development and planning should look like.

Plus – there is a lot of expertise in the data center when it comes to knowing your agency’s applications and systems in its database.  Tap into such and ensure infrastructure experts are taking advantage of the heart of your network.

Quality Over Quantity

In addition to infrastructure experts, good systems/network administrators are vital to determining your current and future IT environment – both wants and needs.  They can look at your agency’s applications and determine how much capacity is being consumed and what type of resources work best, in addition to other factors you may overlook.

Approaching the Front Line

Get your public/private partnerships involved in your cloud transition.  For example, financial personnel – from controllers to analysts – will understand the impact of your cloud choice:  what’s the price?  How do I consume it – and what does it look like if I’m operating under the traditional construct?

And, with increasingly ambiguous language found in cloud contracts, it is beneficial, and even recommended, to seek outside help from a lawyer well-versed in cloud computing contracts.  In fact, cloud service providers (CSPs), customers, and end-users should all be involved in contract negotiations, with everyone’s expectations and requirements captured in the final agreement.

A United Front

At the end of the day, even the best cloud model cannot yield optimal value without the right team to handle it.  Pulling together a team of experts – and providing cloud guidance along the way – ensures your workforce is cloud-ready.

As the number of cloud success stories continues to rise, CSPs are more prepared to guide your agency through its own process.  From a business model approach and flex cloud model, to 24/7/265 enterprise class support and professional/managed services, CSPs are on standby, ready to help your agency navigate the cloudy skies.

And that’s the real silver lining.

Learn how you can build your cloud strategy with confidence.