Jane Edwards
Laura Klebanow, a senior manager at Maximus, wrote in a Nextgov guest piece published Wednesday that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted government information technology modernization trends such as cloud migration and IT contracting in general.
“The necessity of investment in cloud migration is evident in the recent finding from IDC that despite an overall slowdown in IT spending by government, there has been an increase in spending on cloud-based tools,†Klebanow wrote. “IT leaders within government see the capabilities that cloud enables with crystal clarity.â€
She discussed how the pandemic prompted agencies to become more agile when it comes to their acquisition processes and cited how the General Services Administration accelerated the processing of contract modifications within five days in support of agencies like the Small Business Administration.
Klebanow pointed to the expansion of telework and the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning at federal agencies to improve mission delivery and efficiency.
She also cited DevSecOps and Agile approaches as other IT modernization trends that will gain traction as the health crisis continues.
“Also, 5G and Wi-Fi 6 will stop becoming a talking point and start gaining real traction as remote work continues as a norm,†Klebanow said. “Government will continue to turn to its private sector partners to operationalize the modernization efforts that will ultimately help improve mission delivery during times of calm and crisis.â€
