How Switching to the Cloud Drives Employee and Agency Growth

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1 State & Local Government How Switching to the Cloud Drives Employee and Agency Growth Switching to the Cloud Is Top Priority for State CIOs According to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Top Ten Priorities survey, Cloud Services will take precedence for State CIOs in Adopting a cloud strategy and providing applications as a service (not on-premise software) ranked third, ahead of data management and analytics (7), enterprise IT governance (6), and even budget, cost control, and fiscal management (4). i The survey results aren t surprising. Reaping the benefits of cloud-based technology is and has been a big deal for state governments for years. In fact, state CIOs have been in the vanguard of the switch to the cloud, often far ahead of federal agencies. In 2015, Kentucky s CIO aimed to have 80% of the state s infrastructure in the cloud within five to ten years. During the same year, Alabama adopted a cloud-first policy. ii And by moving key IT services to the cloud, California has already cut costs by 35% across 29 agencies and boosted service levels by 70%. iii

2 Simplifying Cloud Migration with FedRAMP For state governments faced with increasing budget shortfalls, the need for greater cybersecurity, and growing demand for services, cloud-based technology makes both financial and practical sense. Yet while individual states have been leaders in cloud migration since 2009 (with Delaware the first to transition to the cloud), iv it hasn t always been easy. Previously, states had to vet external cloud-based technology providers individually a process that consumed tremendous resources. But with the advent of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), states can spend less time vetting providers and more time choosing and implementing the right provider. FedRAMP isn t just for federal agencies. In fact, by adopting FedRAMP standards, states can significantly improve security, increase standardization, and spend far less time and money on certifying providers. The Benefits of Using Cloud-Based Technology Most state CIOs recognize the need to transition to the cloud. Yet initiating a comprehensive migration to cloud-based technology is still hampered by very real concerns regarding security, redundancy, and cost. To that end, a closer look at key benefits of the cloud can streamline both the decision-making process and implementation of cloud-based tools across all entities of state government. Migrating to the cloud helps states Increase security. Legacy systems, even upgraded ones, weren t created to respond quickly and effectively to modern cybercrime. Because they re located within the state s divisions even if off-premise they re also highly vulnerable to employee-driven data breaches. Security patches also take more time to deploy, leaving agencies vulnerable to rapidly changing threats. Because cloud-based solutions are offsite and secured by the vendor, disgruntled on-site employees have little opportunity to hack or compromise information. In the face of external hackers, cloud providers are also much better equipped at providing truly systemic security. Cloud providers ensure multiple, redundant security protocols are in place, and unlike a legacy system, clouds are monitored 24/7 for breaches, downtime, and even simple changes in pattern that may indicate a coming hack. Plus, cloud services are audited

3 yearly unlike most legacy systems to identify gaps and ensure strong security protocols are still in place. Eliminate unnecessary redundancy. Redundancy is useful when it comes to backing up data or having a second in command. But it s a terrible waste of resources when a single division is using multiple versions of the same software and managing duplicate databases. These multiplicities also result in inconsistency and make it difficult to effectively standardize key processes. With cloud-based tools, every employee, contractor, and subject matter expert is using the same software, every time. Because the software is managed and upgraded by the vendor, there can t be the simultaneously use of different versions across users. Because key processes are performed using the same version of the same tools, agencies gain the benefit of improved consistency of process and data across all teams and departments. Reduce costs. On-premise infrastructure is far costlier to maintain than cloud-based tools. With cloud-based tools, the vendor not the state is responsible for maintenance, improvements, uptime, and keeping data secure. Agencies no longer have to maintain resource-intensive datacenters or plan for lost productivity due to downtime during upgrades. And as cloudbased software is highly scalable, states can maintain efficiency with the same tools regardless of growth. Improve budgeting accuracy. On-premise software typically requires a huge financial outlay for installation, to be followed by ongoing, unpredictable costs for upgrades. In contrast, cloud-based technologies are pay-as-yougo solutions. There are no surprise fees to upgrade, as state divisions are always (and automatically) provided with the latest version of the software. Instead of trying to estimate when to afford an upgrade, the fixed cost of cloud-based technology enables agencies to leverage costs over time and more accurately budget for operational costs. Three States Reaping the Benefit of Cloud-Based Technology For state governments, moving from legacy systems to cloud-native applications is improving services to citizens, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs while simultaneously boosting security:

4 For the State of Colorado, the migration to the cloud is part of the state s commitment to better serving citizens. By moving the benefits management system to the cloud, Colorado has reduced the time it takes for citizens to determine eligibility for benefits from 45 days to 45 minutes. According to William Chumley, chief customer officer for the State of Colorado, We, as a government, are trying to be more efficient and offer more elegant solutions for agencies to achieve those five cloud outcomes [on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, measure service]. Ultimately, that saves the citizen money and delivers a better service to the citizen. v When the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) needed to improve tracking, managing, and reporting on employee training, leadership migrated the department to a cloud-based learning management system. The department had previously relied on tracking training via spreadsheets, a manual process that both consumed too much staff time and discouraged employee accountability. For Kathleen Sisson, chief of staff development and training at RIDOT, the cloud technology has resulted in tremendous time savings and increased reporting capabilities. We now have access to data and reporting that helps us track results. I have metrics. I can show ROI. That part of it is really exciting, because it s helping me produce new goals. vi North Carolina s Division of Archives and Records relies on the cloud to store data, with an estimated 50% of the division s records already housed in the cloud. For Sarah Koonts, the division s director, the cloud has both reduced costs and enhanced the safety of key historical documents. The cloud offers a less expensive way to permanently store large data sets, compared to installing servers and paying people to maintain them. The information is housed offsite, so it s protected if a disaster strikes our area. vii To learn more about the benefits of switching to the cloud please visit: csod.com/state-local

5 Sources i. State CIO Top Ten Policy and Technology Priorities in NASCIO. November 17, Accessed at ArticleID/441/State-CIO-Top-Ten-Policy-and-Technology-Priorities-for-2017 ii. Steve Towns. State CIOs See Rapid Shift to the Cloud. Government Technology. May 2, Accessed at State-CIOs-See-Huge-Shift-to-the-Cloud.html iii. State of California: Government Cloud. NetApp. Accessed at netapp.com/us/media/ds-epic-cali-us.pdf. iv. Cloud Computing. Cloud First Initiative Saving Millions Each Year. State of Delaware. Department of Technology and Information. Accessed at delaware.gov/cloudcomputing.shtml v. Sonia Chakrabarty. Cloud Empowers Colorado to Better Serve Citizens. GovLoop. June 1, Accessed at vi. Saved Time, Increased Efficiency, and Expanded Training Opportunities to Users. Cornerstone OnDemand. Accessed at cornerstoneondemand.com/sites/default/files/clients/case-studies/us-csridot_0.pdf vii. Alan Joch. What the Future of the Cloud Means for Local Governments. State Tech Magazine. April 12, Accessed at com/article/2017/04/what-future-cloud-means-local-governments Cornerstone OnDemand is the global talent management software provider that is pioneering solutions to help organizations realize the potential of the modern workforce. csod.com 2017 Cornerstone OnDemand CSOD Stay connected: