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Majority of Federal Agencies Plan to Adopt Converged Infrastructure in the Next Two Years, Spurring More Rapid Data Center Optimization
[August 07, 2017]

Majority of Federal Agencies Plan to Adopt Converged Infrastructure in the Next Two Years, Spurring More Rapid Data Center Optimization


MeriTalk, a public-private partnership focused on improving the outcomes of government IT, today announced the results of its new report, "Converged: At the Core of IT All," which examines Federal agencies' plans for implementing converged infrastructure solutions to offset data center demands. The study, underwritten by Cisco and NetApp, reveals that 59 percent of Feds are turning to converged infrastructure solutions as part of their agencies' current data center strategies - while 23 percent have multiple converged solutions in place. The five-year outlook is even more promising; the average Fed would like 55 percent of their data centers to consist of converged infrastructure solutions by 2022.

"Current converged users are leading the way to data center optimization and more agencies are catching on," said Milo Speranzo, director, strategy and compliance, Technology Solutions. "As more agencies witness firsthand the improvements in operational efficiency, deployment turnarounds, and mission success, demand for converged infrastructure will rise."

Modern mission demands are changing the way the government delivers data center solutions - this is where converged infrastructure comes into play. Today, 72 percent of Federal IT managers believe converged infrastructures will become the central housing mechanism for data center needs. While cost savings are a significant factor in these technology investment decisions, current converged users also note improing data protection, increasing scalability, and optimizing mission-critical apps as key motivators for their decision to deploy this new technology.



"Technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace and agencies are challenged to find innovative ways to leverage technology to support their missions, improve efficiency, and provide top quality citizen services," said Nick Michaelides, vice president Federal sales, Cisco (News - Alert). "Federal IT teams looking for a simple, yet fast solution to realize data center consolidation goals should absolutely consider a converged infrastructure solution."

Many agencies and institutions are adopting converged infrastructure as the data center transformation continues across the Federal government. These solutions align with the Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) as 60 percent of agencies leverage converged infrastructure to replace working data centers. But while 57 percent of current converged users see growth in operational efficiency, hurdles remain including security, budget, and interoperability concerns. In fact, 44 percent of Federal IT managers view security concerns as the top roadblock to converged infrastructure solution adoption.


"The road to an integrated IT system should not be a daunting one," said Rob Stein, vice president, U.S. Public Sector, NetApp. "Most of today's data centers and related systems cannot keep up with the growing amount of data within Federal agencies. Integrating all the pieces of the data center together radically simplifies data management, especially in the new hybrid cloud world."

"As agencies hit a crossroads of multiple mandates and legislative initiatives to reduce legacy systems, the conversation on optimization is moving to the next level," said Steve O'Keeffe, founder, MeriTalk. "Converged infrastructure is the next step and gives agencies a way to meet the requirements of multiple mandates while saving money and modernizing our Federal IT systems."

"Converged: At the Core of IT All" is based on an online survey of 150 Federal IT managers familiar with their agency's data center strategies in May and June 2017. The report has a margin of error of ±7.97% at a 95% confidence level. To download the full report, please visit: https://www.meritalk.com/study/converged-at-the-core-of-it-all/.

About MeriTalk

The voice of tomorrow's government today, MeriTalk is a public-private partnership focused on improving the outcomes of government IT. Focusing on government's hot-button issues, MeriTalk hosts Big Data Exchange, Cloud Computing Exchange, Cyber Security Exchange, and Data Center Exchange - platforms dedicated to supporting public-private dialogue and collaboration. MeriTalk connects with an audience of 115,000 government community contacts. For more information, visit www.meritalk.com or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert), @meritalk. MeriTalk is a 300Brand organization.


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