How to Future-Proof and Create a Nimble IT Modernization Plan

Date: On Demand
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: No Fee

Federal agencies, in recent years finding themselves saddled with technical debt, have started thinking about IT modernization more as a continuous process than as a discrete thing you do periodically. Continuous modernization requires planning and strategizing on both the technology and the financial fronts, including analyzing when to update or replace a system before it becomes a maintenance cost sink.

In this video, a panel of federal...

Date: On Demand
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: No Fee

In this video, a panel of federal experts in IT discussed how to become future-proof by not only thinking about the future but also how ensure it doesn’t arrive before you’ve got a plan.

The U.S. Agency For International Development has been on a 10-year process of getting of the data center business and moving its IT resources to the commercial cloud.

Of modernization, chief technology officer Sukhvinder Singh said, “Absolutely, it is a journey. It’s not like you are done with a few projects, and you can claim, ‘Okay, I’m done with my modernization.’ Every day, we hear of new technologies; of new, better ways to do things.”

Singh added, “For us, it’s a continuous process. We look at how we can further improve.” He said serverless computing, containerization, machine learning and artificial intelligence are among the next round of capabilities USAID is looking at to enable its mission in a more efficient and effective way.

The Government Accountability Office has perhaps the best view of modernization efforts across government. Its director of IT and cybersecurity issues, Kevin Walsh, named four elemental considerations when approaching modernization.

“We want them to consider the risks associated with modernization, the costs, whether the mission of the system is critical, and the performance of the system,” Walsh said. He added those criteria for investment apply even in cases where the mission itself may not have changed. Agencies like IRS or the Social Security Administration do essentially the same thing decade after decade, but can’t do so with decades-old technology.

Gordon Bitko is former chief information officer at the FBI, and now senior vice president for policy at the Information Technology Industry Council. He said one shortcut to future-proofing is to identify where your agency can use solutions that already exist.

“Where can you take advantage of those things that industry has already figured out,” Bitko said, “or that other agencies have already figured out, and that you can just use as they are? And get those into the hands of the users in the agency, the people who are doing the day to day work of the agency.”

Another important way to future-proof systems is simply to not wait too long. That’s according to Dave Turner, the president and CEO of Hitachi Vantara Federal. He said agencies typically wait until an existing application or system becomes unstable. But with new solutions arriving so frequently, “now agencies are faced with the opportunity of a newer technology to replace something that actually is viable,” Turner said.

With increasing frequency, Turner added, the improvement in the cost basis or functionality justifies modernizing a system sooner than the IT staff might have under traditional thinking.

Said Bitko, “Modernization isn’t a point-in-time thing. It’s not a defined set of projects. It’s a mindset that you have to continue to deliver the capabilities that the agency expects, that the mission users expect, and that the citizens who depend on that agency expect.”

Learning objectives:

The holistic view of modernization
How the OpEx model fits into modernization
Cloud’s alignment with modernization

Complimentary Registration

Please register using the form on this page or call (202) 895-5023.

This program is sponsored by

How to access the content: Please note, you may need to re-enter your registration information if you previously registered for this webinar and returned to page after clearing your cookies or using a private browser.

By providing your contact information to us, you agree: (i) to receive promotional and/or news alerts via email from Federal News Network and our third party partners, (ii) that we may share your information with our third party partners who provide products and services that may be of interest to you and (iii) that you are not located within the European Economic Area.

Gordon Bitko is ITI’s senior vice president of policy, leading the association’s public sector portfolio and serving as the chief policy strategist for the technology industry in the government and public sector market. Bitko joined ITI from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), where he served in a variety of senior roles since 2007. Most recently, he served as the FBI’s Chief Information Officer. In that role, he led a team of 250+ government employees and contractors including technologists; program managers; business, financial and contract analysts; and security specialists. Bitko oversaw key FBI innovation programs, including investing in emerging technologies, directed large Enterprise License Agreements with key technology vendors, and oversaw the FBI's internal Cybersecurity program. He led the re-organization of FBI Information Technology personnel and resources to a more functional and service-oriented model.

Bitko served as FBI’s Chief of the Performance Management Unit (2009-2012) and Chief of Strategy and Performance Section (2012-2016). As Chief of the Strategy and Performance Section, he supervised teams of up to 80 employees and was responsible for all aspects of FBI strategy and operational program performance management. As Chief of the Performance Management Unit, he oversaw all of FBI enterprise business intelligence.

Bitko was with RAND Corporation from 2002-2007, as a policy analyst and doctoral fellow. He began his career with Motorola and two other private sector startups. He has a BS in Engineering from Princeton; MS in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley; an MBA from Arizona State University; and a PhD from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

Kevin Walsh is a Director in GAO’s Information Technology and Cybersecurity team. He oversees work related to CIO authorities, systems at DHS and DOD, legacy modernizations, and satellite and space systems. He has led reviews covering topics related to the authorities of federal Chief Information Officers, management of legacy IT systems, coordination of IT contracts, and assessments of IT-related risk.

Kevin joined GAO in June 2006, and led projects related to FITARA and GAO’s High Risk area on Improving the Management of IT Acquisitions and Operations.

Kevin earned a master’s degree in business administration from Virginia Tech. Kevin earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dave Turner is president and chief executive officer for Hitachi Vantara Federal, and serves as chairman on the company’s Board of Directors. A 20-year public sector industry veteran, Dave has a reputation for revitalizing companies to deliver increased value by driving operational excellence and championing business transformation. Responsible for formulating and executing long-term growth strategies, Dave is also focused on transforming Hitachi Vantara Federal into a leading, full-service next-generation data services company.

Prior to joining Hitachi Vantara Federal, Dave served as president for the Applied Technology & Operational Services Group at Akima, a leading holding company that supports a diverse portfolio of Federal and Commercial service providers. While there, he held responsibility for managing five companies who served Federal defense and civilian clients with mission critical solutions and managed the company’s business strategy. Prior to Akima he served as senior vice president at Affiliated Computer Services. Earlier in his career he held roles with American Management Systems as senior principal, and director at McDonald Bradley (now ManTech International Corporation).

Dave earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and earned a Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Michigan. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), and on the Board of Trustees for the Highland School and is an active member in its mission of preparing students for life-long success.

Tom Temin has been the host of the Federal Drive since 2006 and has been reporting on technology markets for more than 30 years. Prior to joining Federal News Network, Tom was a long-serving editor-in-chief of Government Computer News and Washington Technology magazines. Tom also contributes a regular column on government information technology.

How to Future-Proof and Create a Nimble IT Modernization Plan

Panel of experts

Gordon Bitko

Kevin Walsh

Sukhvinder Singh

Dave Turner

Tom Temin

The latest in Government Events powered by:

Top Stories