Future-ready managed private clouds

Today’s amazing mix of cloud computing, ever-smarter mobile devices and collaboration tools opens both an opportunity and challenge for federal government agencies. New expectations and ever-present and changing security needs require the federal government to be ready to deliver and receive digital information and services anytime, anywhere and on any device. Digital-savvy government workers demand easy-to-use ways to stay connected and access data securely so they can be productive. In addition, federal agencies are looking for better ways to effectively use massive amounts of data, creating valuable insights that advance their mission – all within current or declining budgets.

Cloud computing plays a key role in building a 21st century platform for federal agencies to better serve the American people. Cloud enables agencies to capitalize on innovative technologies and services that simplify IT operations, control costs and drive efficiencies.

A frequent question I hear from our federal customers is how do we accelerate the transition to the cloud with constant budget and IT staff restraints as well as legacy constraints?  As with most questions regarding cloud, there are several answers.  In this blog post, we’ll take a look at one of those options: Managed Private Cloud

Accelerating your path to a secure, federally compliant private cloudDell-Managd Private Cloud

When stealth is the name of the game, a managed private cloud rewrites the rules of driving your mission needs forward. It allows you to leapfrog to cost-effective, scalable cloud technology without upfront hardware or software costs. No longer are you bogged down with worries about scarce capital, long lead times to implement new IT capabilities or a continuous drain on IT staff and resources. Managed private cloud-based computing models swing the door wide open to revolutionize the way your agency creates value.

The DNA of a managed private cloud is an agency’s dream:

  • No high up-front investment
  • Fast lead-time and deployment
  • On-demand IT resource scalability
  • Secure and reliable performance

What’s the right fit for you?

Some of the key attributes you should seek when pursuing a managed private cloud solution include:

  • Location agnostic – Ensure you have options to host your sensitive data in a managed private cloud at your facility or within a secure data center off-site or a combination of both, depending on your agency requirements.
  • Safe and secure – Demand a security framework with automation and continuous monitoring to make the cloud functional. Must meet National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 security controls to support FISMA, DIACAP and FedRAMP* regulations as well as provide authority to operate (ATO) management capabilities.
  • Flexibility – In a multi-cloud world, make sure your provider offers the same or compatible technology in a dedicated/private cloud as well as a public/community cloud. This allows you to integrate legacy applications with low latency requirements while you migrate other cloud workloads to a FedRAMP public cloud.
  • Future-ready – Choose core cloud-enabled technology that features integrated, inter-component compatibility (hardware, servers, storage and networking) that operate seamlessly and consistently across multiple cloud environments. It should have on-demand integration capability to easily connect any combination of cloud, software-as-a-service (SaaS) or on-premise applications.
  • Seamless management control – Request management tools that can easily manage multiple cloud environments, multiple ATOs and security requirements from a single view.

Dell Services Federal Government believes your journey to a managed private cloud should be smooth and seamless. That’s why we’ve taken out the obstacles and created a simple approach to enable a quick transition to the cloud. Our NIST Dell-managed private cloud was designed from the ground up for the federal government to enable you to confidently move workloads to a federally compliant and secure NIST Dell-managed private cloud. Everything you need – on-demand capacity scaling, safe data sharing across cloud environments, built-in NIST 800-53 security controls, FISMA and DIACAP compliance, continuous monitoring, quick access to ATO certification and full control to manage multiple clouds – is all standard.

Choice . . . the heart of Dell’s cloud strategy

With our government customers, choice is a key factor in providing the right fit as many agencies require flexible combinations of cloud delivery models with both on-premise and hosted alternatives to meet diverse agency objectives and specialized federal government security and compliance requirements. A NIST Dell-managed private cloud is just one example to accelerate your transition in harnessing the power of the cloud.

Let us partner with you on that journey. For more information, visit the Dell Federal Services website or contact Neil_Seiden@federal.dell.com.

*  Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)

    Department of Defense Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP)

Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)

See also: Cloud as an Enabler of IT Transformation and Innovation

About the Author: Neil E. Seiden