Are Cloud, Mobile Technologies Driving Federal IT Market Growth?
New research suggests that cloud computing, mobile technologies and virtualization tools will help the federal IT market grow over the next few years. Conducted by TechNavio, the study revealed that this market will expand at a 1.67 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2014 and 2019.
“The federal information technology [sector] has evolved rapidly to provide a new platform with the advances in virtualization technology, cloud computing and mobile devices to enhance IT infrastructure and security aspects,” TechNavio said. “Such developments offer opportunities to increase the value and accessibility of government resources and encourage greater internal and external collaboration. The U.S. federal government has been trying to adopt IT solutions that can help defense agencies and departments to improve their processes leading to efficiency.”
TechNavio noted many federal agencies are targeting IT solutions to drive collaboration and information sharing, and ultimately, combat cyber threats.
“The critical need to protect networks from advanced cyber threats and enhance IT infrastructure have led the federal government to increase adoption of multiple security measures such as web security, email security, data loss prevention, endpoint security and network security solutions,” TechNavio added.
Can the cloud simplify data management for federal agencies?
Many federal agencies could leverage the cloud over the next few years; however, a recent MeriTalk survey also indicated that the majority of federal IT professionals said they feel “apprehensive” about migrating their applications and services to the cloud.
The MeriTalk survey of 153 federal IT executives revealed 89 percent of respondents said they are reluctant to move their data to the cloud.
Click here for Talkin’ Cloud’s Top 100 CSP list
Survey officials added that many federal IT professionals are working with cloud services providers (CSPs) “to manage trust,” and nearly 9 out of 10 federal agencies have taken steps to manage trust with their cloud vendors, including keeping security functions on-premise (42 percent) and requiring certification of security measures taken by cloud vendors (41 percent).
Share your thoughts about this story in the Comments section below, via Twitter @dkobialka or email me at dan.kobialka@penton.com.
