Featuring Thad Anderson, General Manager, and Jon S Kim, VP of Solutions and Services

As federal agencies turn the page and focus on the next chapter of their modernization journey, trusted partners will play a vital role in meeting key goals and expectations set forth by agency leadership and Congress.

“IT modernization offers the promise of speed, agility, personalization, simplification, and efficiency,” said Thad Anderson, General Manager for Presidio Federal. “But it also comes with the need for greater governance and guardrails.”

Federal agencies facing resource constraints and increasing requirements can look to trusted partners like Presidio Federal to help effectively drive government modernization efforts and bridge the gap between legacy technologies and cutting-edge cloud-based services.

But what should federal leaders look for in potential partners? Jon S Kim, Vice President of Solutions and Services for Presidio Federal, emphasizes the importance of selecting a partner that exhibits a “deep understanding of the unique challenges and regulatory requirements that federal agencies face.” Moreover, this potential partner “should also have a proven track record of successfully implementing and supporting modernization projects throughout the federal space.”

Digital transformation is more than just upgrading IT infrastructure. As agencies seek partners to help them effectively and efficiently modernize, they must also prepare internal leaders for the impact of modernization in three key areas:

1. Systems and network architecture
2. Operations and application delivery
3. The federal workforce

Preparing for Contemporary Service Delivery

The modern digital landscape is rapidly evolving, necessitating that systems and network architectures adapt to new demands, particularly as remote work becomes more prevalent. This shift requires robust security governance and enhanced security controls to protect data and networks from adversaries. In security operations centers, federal employees face overwhelming volumes of potential threats, with about 23% of security alerts going uninvestigated in large organizations. Robotic process automation (RPA) and generative AI can aid SOC analysts by creating an interoperable security platform. IT modernization should prioritize efficiency and end-user results over mere technological acquisition.

“The end user’s experience is critical,” Kim said. “It’s not just about making things more efficient or buying more technology, users need to see the improvement themselves. At the end of the day, it should help streamline and optimize IT operations and help free up resources to focus on other strategic initiatives.”

So, what should leaders do to prepare for digital transformation? While partnering with trusted private sector leaders can help expedite modernization, Anderson and Kim both emphasize that a successful modernization strategy is comprehensive, tailor-made and designed to align with an agency’s mission, vision and goals. Beyond alignment, leaders should be on the lookout for plans that:

• Define how the federal workforce will receive training on new and emerging technologies and the benefits it will bring
• Emphasize phased implementation over single instance deployments
• Include strict governance and security requirements
• Clearly explain an agency’s end goals and how the agency will get there, as well as the role of the partner and any shared responsibilities in this journey

Digital transformation doesn’t have to be difficult. Trusted partners can help federal agencies accelerate modernization and build modern, contemporary agencies designed to meet the needs of citizens today and tomorrow.

“The pace at which technology changes is daunting,” Anderson said, “but it’s our job as partners to help the federal government navigate this change.” Read more about the ever-evolving landscape of IT modernization for federal agencies at this link.