Results tagged “cloud iaas” from The Savvis Blog

Cloud is much more than just a passing trend in the public sector, as government IT strategies have evolved and no longer allow for siloed, monolithic systems that lack interoperability and flexibility.

But why has cloud become such a major factor in the evolution of IT infrastructure across the global public sector? Many industry analysts attempt to answer this question by looking to the past.

Some point out that traditional IT projects typically struggle with agility and discipline, leading to unmet expectations, timeline slippage, project delays and budget overruns. Others focus on pure financials, pointing out that IT budgets are increasingly unable to support inefficient procurement models that build for peak conditions and suffer idle capacity.

However, it is every bit as important to consider future trends. Cloud models are clearly more agile and flexible and, if done right, allow IT managers to implement capacity on-demand and better match supply with future demand.

In the future, government policy around grand data sets will influence tax revenue and public safety. Infrastructures will become smarter, with embedded sensors delivering tremendous streams of data for analysis. Regulatory code will need to adapt to the complex legal environment in which we live, requiring sophisticated frameworks for analysis and early warning.

Cloud allows government agencies to realize cost savings, efficiencies and modernization and expand their existing infrastructures without having to rely on capital resources. Governments want shared services, automation and standardization and are increasingly issuing mandates that make cloud models the preferred model of implementation.

The key to government cloud adoption is the risk classification process and the assignment of workloads to the appropriate type of cloud deployment model - public, private or hybrid. For example, an ingress point for tax returns would have a much different risk profile than an interactive map of a public transport system. This risk classification process can be a challenging area for government agencies, which for years have had direct, hands-on access to their server farms.

As governments expand their use of cloud models for appropriately classified workloads, Savvis finds itself involved in a number of opportunities in the heart of a major government cloud - or G-cloud - initiatives around the world. For example, our contract with the U.S. General Services Administration allows us to provide cloud to federal, state and local government organizations. And in the United Kingdom, we have made our Government Wide Services platform available to all of the country's government departments and third-party suppliers.

Savvis continues its cloud deployments in countries such as Singapore and India, where governments have similarly aggressive strategies. IT leaders there are looking for providers that offer the most effective and secure cloud computing and shared service models to help transform their IT strategies.

Clearly, every sovereign nation has different approaches to cloud computing models. Countries like the U.K. and Singapore, which place a higher focus on government-provided public services, have strong IT infrastructure demand that is compatible with cloud. The U.S. and Singapore, as early cloud adopters, have done extensive research and experimenting, but I am struck by how many similarities we see across these regions of the world.

Governments all over the world are utilizing cloud to help transform the supply chain, improve government service and revolutionize public sector IT.

David Shacochis is vice president, global public sector, at Savvis.

Cost optimization remains the top driver for cloud, and infrastructure utility models in general, with a majority of our clients. When costs are optimized a company can perform better, fund new markets and innovation, become more competitive and accelerate growth.

Cloud and infrastructure utility models offer an almost immediate fix to some of the most significant hurdles that drive escalating IT costs:

• Keeping IT capability ahead of the competition in a world of rapid technological innovation
• Reducing the administrative burden of procuring and tracking assets, diverting focus from your core business
• Addressing the inefficient use of capital investment and capacity due to management inefficiencies and demand fluctuations
• Increasing support and operational costs to address end user needs
• Increasing need for flexibility and reliability in services delivered to an increasingly diverse user base

Regardless of what drives an organization to seek a better cost structure, cloud clearly delivers value across multiple dimensions. Cloud provides both a game-changing technology and a sustainable commercial model.

IT decision makers who think most creatively about how to leverage cloud currently are examining how their cost, control and end-user experience metrics will benefit from various types of cloud offerings -- often in combination with traditional managed services -- and are starting to experiment with these options.

On a recent client visit, a CIO team shared with me that they had a need to decrease their operating costs and improve the service levels and reliability of their internal IT systems for their employees. They were comfortable with their capital spending levels, but felt cloud would be able to assist them in improving their operating costs and offer better services for their internal customers (their employees.) The improved service levels will be derived by the reliability of a professionally outsourced IT infrastructure and the investment (shift in spending) in strategic planning and support services.

Clearly, by viewing IT as a strategic tool and a driver for optimizing cost, executives recognize that to maneuver for competitive advantage in today's tough economic climate, testing the cloud waters is a necessity rather than a luxury.

What business opportunities are you pursuing based on your adoption of cloud and a more optimized cost structure?

• Shift IT leadership focus from technical planning to strategic
• Market expansion or new market entry
• Additional IT services with improved service levels available for your employees?
• Something else?

Steve Garrou is vice president, outsourcing and cloud services, at Savvis.

The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud IaaS and Web Hosting is widely recognized as one of the most influential market analyses for enterprises seeking to evaluate cloud and hosting vendors. Its evaluation is based on vendors' completeness of vision, including market understanding, product strategy and innovation, among other criteria. The report also assesses ability to execute, which includes operations and overall viability.