Fiscal 2017 is shaping up to be a very interesting year for Federal IT. Notwithstanding an administration change, and the fact that we are still operating under a continuing resolution, I'm expecting a few key themes to continue to resonate from FY2016 into this year.
1. Cloud First
As they say in real estate "location, location, location," the same rings true for Federal IT, except in this case it's "cloud, cloud, cloud." Cloud will continue to be one of the most talked about and requested features of any solutions the government purchases this year. With the Cloud First initiative always at the forefront of government IT thinking, it will continue to shape how many agencies plan their IT projects and spending.
2. Mobile
It's also no surprise that mobility will be talked about ad nauseam this year. As government agencies look to reach their constituents as easily as possible, they have come to realize that the most efficient delivery channel is a person's cell phone. In the coming year, expect to see the government looking for ways to rapidly enable these mobile applications, without breaking the bank. Appian is prepared to enhance the government's mobile presence, as you can see here.
3. Cutting Out Custom Software
The third trend that I see showing up everywhere is the movement away from custom software development. For years, innovation in Federal IT has been slowed because government is weighed down by massive, monolithic custom applications that have been built over the last two decades. These applications have forced agencies to either continue to place Band-Aids on ailing systems, or perform massive modernization projects, often at an exorbitant cost.
Today, the government is demanding changes to the way software is developed and deployed. This year, we'll see a rise in adoption of application platforms that allow the government to build custom applications on top of a COTS platform. In this manner, the government gets the best of both worlds: software designed and built for them, with easy maintenance and upgrade paths to future proof their applications.
Looking Ahead
As we forge ahead into Federal FY17, I invite you to look athow Appian enables agencies to check the boxes for all the topics above with our Platform as a Service (PaaS) offerings, along with the many other government specific offerings found on our Appian for Government website.
