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The New Culture of Government IT

As we enter 2016, public sector IT infrastructure remains in the throes of an unprecedented era of transformation. Business transformation is the new normal. Evolving missions, policy reforms, emerging threats, changing work force demographics, the move to mobility and the volatile federal budgeting process all demand public sector IT solutions be both increasingly nimble and evermore efficient.

As we enter 2016, public sector IT infrastructure remains in the throes of an unprecedented era of transformation. Business transformation is the new normal. Evolving missions, policy reforms, emerging threats, changing work force demographics, the move to mobility and the volatile federal budgeting process all demand public sector IT solutions be both increasingly nimble and evermore efficient.

In today’s dynamic environment, technology transforms the industry at an unprecedented pace. In turn, the demands of industry transform IT services. It is critical for those working in the public IT sector to embrace this spirit of transformation to better focus on the markets served while also being more agile and responsive to marketplace demands.

Last year, Hewlett-Packard embraced this call for transformation and separated into two companies—HP Inc., and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Moving forward, HP Inc., will own and operate the printing and personal systems businesses and maintain the Hewlett-Packard logo while Hewlett Packard Enterprise, or HPE, will provide cutting-edge technology solutions critical to both the public and private sectors with a new brand identity and logo.

That said, a commitment to transformation goes much deeper than a name and logo change. With IT and business strategy increasingly inseparable, public sector IT work must center on implementing the power of technology to quickly and securely fuel the power of ideas that generate better value. This strategy revolves around helping government partners transform and thus survive and thrive under a new paradigm. Organizations must transform to hybrid infrastructures to support business operations with an efficient, reliable and secure hybrid IT environment. A goal for everyone should be to continually bridge traditional IT to a cloud-based environment in a way that optimizes performance and value.

Governments must protect the digital enterprise to be effective with the ever evolving threats in today’s networks. Whether this is someone trying to access personal information or highly sensitive government documents, this issue continues to grow to the forefront of all transformations. This can only be done by understanding the full cyber attack lifecycle and delivering security using a layered approach to data to manage risk, monitor operations, protect information and applications, and sustain operational integrity.

This is especially critical as big data moves markets and delivers insights like never before. It is essential to empower companies and governments to become data driven organizations engineered to turn information into insight—and insight into action. With faster access to data, companies can generate actionable strategies and so leaders can make better decisions.

The goal, as always, is to create best-in-class experiences for workforce and constituents. 

Transformations like the one seen at HPE aren’t easy. It takes hard work, dedicated partners and a vision for the future. It’s important to remember that a successful enterprise transformation is not about adding or replacing technology, tools and solutions. It requires a team that can align many elements of an agency’s mission and goals. Leaders must promote a culture that embraces change and quickly adapts to evolving missions, emerging threats and new technologies.

The challenges facing our industry in 2016 will require a renewed focus, rich commercial IT experience and deep government knowledge to help public sector leaders transform their organizations and stay ahead of today’s ever-changing environment.

Marilyn Crouther is senior vice president and general manager of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services U.S. Public Sector.