Defense Business Board Urges DoD to "Act Decisively" in Move to Cloud

As reported in Federal Computer Week, a January 19 report from the Defense Business Board (DBB) states that "pursuing IT efficiencies could save DoD between 25 and 50 percent on annual expenditures, while also improving mission effectiveness and achieving return on investment even ahead of schedule."

The report outlines a four-step approach of "normalizing, standardizing and rationalizing applications; rationalizing and consolidating data centers; rationalizing data and security; and then migrating appropriate components to the cloud." The DBB urged the department to act decisively in these areas, warning that the consequences could otherwise be disastrous.

According to the report, support for cloud computing is already strong, and validated, across the DoD: "Interviews indicate wide support across DoD for [data center consolidation and cloud]. Cost savings and efficiency benefits are widely understood; budget imperatives create [an] environment for making major changes; early DoD initiatives [are] already showing positive results."

But tentative steps will not be sufficient, with the DBB stating, "independent and uncoordinated actions will increase barriers to coordination and information sharing. Costs will skyrocket and service levels will decrease given need to maintain legacy systems; future rationalization will be harder and more expensive. Security will fall further behind, leaving entire IT network increasingly vulnerable."

Appian is committed to helping government agencies embrace the cloud. Medhat Galal, Appian's VP of Enablement, is featured in the January issue of Government Executive answering the five most nagging questions about how the cloud can improve efficiency while reducing expenses.

Read the article, then contact us to learn how we can help your agency tap the power of Cloud BPM.

-Ben Farrell, Director, Corporate Communications