Today’s public sector agencies are future-proofing their operations to continue delivering services to citizens. One way they’re doing this is by executing on their IT modernization strategy. An important aspect of that strategy should be leveraging the full power of cloud services to optimize performance, scale up capacity quickly and deploy flexible infrastructure.
Agency leaders understand that simply moving to cloud is not an easy fix for the numerous IT challenges they must contend with. Not all cloud architectures are created equally and working exclusively with a single provider could lead to vendor lock in, higher costs, limited agility or simply not being able to take advantage of best-of-breed services for all use cases.
The right hybrid multicloud strategy can address many of these issues, helping agencies get the most value from cloud while also mitigating the risks. That’s why it’s no surprise that hybrid multicloud adoption is increasingly seen as a mandate for agencies, with encouragement coming from a variety of government publications.
For instance, the General Services Administration (GSA) has released its Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Guide[1] to help agencies navigate the increasingly complex cloud landscape and optimize their major cloud architecture decisions. In addition, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023[2] praised the Department of Defense’s decision to adopt a multicloud architecture, saying that it aligns well with the Department’s mission and supports future innovation.
A modernized digital core is an important part of any hybrid multicloud strategy
As my colleague mentioned in a previous blog on IT modernization for public sector agencies, we at Equinix believe there are three components that make up an optimized digital infrastructure: digital core, digital ecosystems and digital edge. Of these three components, distributing interconnected digital core infrastructure across strategic locations is especially important when it comes to optimizing for hybrid multicloud.
Transforming the digital core can help agencies achieve key priorities such as network modernization, cloud adjacency and dedicated cloud.
Network modernization
In our digital world, agencies must continue to optimize their data traffic to meet their mission. This is why the network is frequently the initial jumping-off point for agencies looking to continue on their IT modernization journey. According to an internal study summarized in the Leaders’ Guide to Digital Infrastructure, network modernization can reduce latency by 45% and transport costs by 60%. It can also help seamlessly interconnect cloud infrastructure alongside traditional infrastructure, an essential step in enabling hybrid multicloud.
Cloud adjacency
With cloud adjacency, agencies replace their traditional on-premises infrastructure with a colocation environment that allows them to get near the clouds of their choice without having to place their data in those clouds. Instead, they can keep their data protected, moving it into the cloud only when needed to support specific workloads. In addition, cloud adjacency helps support a cost-efficient hybrid multicloud infrastructure, as it can reduce the cost of moving data in and out of clouds by 3-4x.
Dedicated cloud
Just as cloud adjacent is the new on-premises, dedicated cloud is the new private cloud. Like private cloud, dedicated cloud involves agencies deploying single-tenant compute, storage or analytics capacity outside their traditional on-premises environment. Unlike private cloud, dedicated cloud also pairs that on-demand single tenant hardware with access to cloud services from multiple providers. Deploying dedicated cloud can be the first step toward shifting from a fixed CAPEX model to a flexible OPEX model. It can also eliminate cloud connectivity overhead costs, thereby driving operational savings of 30-40%.
Learn how Equinix can help you accelerate your hybrid multicloud journey
When it comes to designing a hybrid multicloud strategy, public sector agencies face an endless sea of difficult decisions: which clouds to connect with for which services, how to design their on-premises infrastructure to reduce costs and risk, how to integrate everything together to ensure high performance and security, and more. Each agency is unique and therefore may have different questions and challenges. While we may not have all the answers, we can guide and support you in finding the answer best suited for your agency, and help you put it into practice.
To get started, reach out today to schedule a Digital Strategy Briefing. You’ll meet with an Equinix expert who will analyze your agency’s strategic objectives and then help you create the hybrid multicloud strategy that best meets those objectives.
[1] “Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Guide,” General Services Administration, September 3, 2021.
[2] Report of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives on H.R. 7900: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023
Subscribe to the Equinix Blog