Some agencies are farther along in their IT modernization journey than others, but one factor remains constant: technology constantly changes, and innovative methods and technologies threaten to leave federal agencies behind and compromise mission integrity. Congressman Gerry Connolly, chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations and member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs has advice for federal agencies modernizing their IT in 2021.

The father of FITARA details progress in agency scorecards, the next iteration of which is planned to come in March or April, and how the pandemic impacts IT modernization progress governmentwide.

Federal agencies are shifting from legacy IT systems to the cloud, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model for what that looks like. Some agencies want an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) cloud model, some are moving to a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) model, and still others may need a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model to meet agency-specific needs.

Plus, federal agencies are employing automation, artificial intelligence, and centralized information-sharing strategies to optimize and secure their migration journeys to the cloud.

• Beth Cappello, Deputy CIO, Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• George Linares, Chief Technology Officer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)
• Sharon Woods, Executive Director, Cloud Computing Program Office, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
• Jeff Chancellor, Principal Systems Engineer, Software AG Government Solutions

As the world prepares for 5G, federal agencies need to modernize their networks to support capabilities for the faster speeds. 5G will allow federal agencies to move data closer to the edge, connect more “internet of things” devices, reduce response times and fulfill their missions more effectively.

The implementation of 5G networks across federal agencies is allowing for a new phase of government modernization, especially in allowing quicker sharing of data to power a new range of technologies and draw a greater wealth of insights from available information.

• Keith Nakasone, Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Acquisition, Office of IT, GSA
• Scott Bowman, Deputy CIO, FEMA
• Dr. Ryan Vega, Chief Officer, Healthcare Innovation and Learning, Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
• Mahtab Emdadi, Regional Sales Director, Dell Technologies

Federal IT modernization successes rely heavily on being user-friendly and streamlining the agency mission. Some federal agencies are turning to DevOps, Agile processes and human-centered design to shape their IT infrastructure.

Panelists explained that Agile adoption is a way they’re iterating alongside agency end-users’ shifting requirements and how Agile methodology makes their teams better equipped to deliver services better both in IT and acquisition.

• Keith Johnson, Lead Contracting Officer, National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC)
• Sabrina Parker, DIDit Program Manager, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• James Punteney, Executive Director of Digital Services at Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Andrew Conn, COO, National Government Services