The Boldest Predictions for Federal Technology in 2019
Posted by Nextgov on January 2, 2019:
Predictions are hard, which is why Nextgovturned to industry leaders with a simple request: Give us your boldest prediction for federal IT.
They dove into specific initiatives like the Defense Department's Defense Enterprise Office Solutions contract and the General Service Administration's Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract as well as the pros and pitfalls of artificial intelligence.
In no particular order (and lightly edited for length), here is what to look out for in 2019:
IT Modernization is THE Priority for the Year
"Technology's (IT's) days as a mere enabler are over: in today's complex and dynamic environment, IT must lead the way. The relationship between technology and mission outcomes has never been stronger. As we move into 2019, we believe technology modernization will be the No. 1 priority for federal government agencies in the year ahead, which is why IT leaders will become business leaders and use their unique understanding of technology's potential and limitations to help their agencies envision the art of the possible."
—Dominic Delmolino, chief technology officer, Accenture Federal Services
Federal Agencies Adopt Commercial Tech—For Real
"[W]e are starting to see a growing realization across government that adoption and deployment of commercial technologies is the best way to go to drive IT modernization. While this seems obvious to the rest of us, the mandates of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act, establishing a legal mandate to adopt commercial items in lieu of large, bespoke government IT systems, has been widely ignored, literally for years. This is rapidly changing.
Some Agencies Will Pay for Enterprise IT By the Drink
"At least one other major agency will follow the Air Force's footsteps and take an enterprise IT-as-a-service initiative. The concept of EITaaS has been talked about for years, but it always seemed a little far-fetched for an agency—too far outside the box. But the Air Force thinks otherwise, and as its initiative develops, we can expect other agencies to begin moving in this direction. That's because it makes sense. The as-a-service model provides agencies with the flexibility they need to adapt to changing requirements—continuous modernization, you might say."
— Bryan Thomas, senior vice president, public sector, World Wide Technology