The shift towards hybrid work has government agencies scrambling to adapt their technology. From juggling countless phone systems to securing remote access for a scattered workforce, agencies like the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) found themselves at the intersection of necessity and innovation, prompting a rapid consolidation of productivity tools and a reevaluation of traditional work paradigms.

Guy Cavallo, OPM CIO, joined FedScoop recently and talked about how the agency faced the challenge of disparate productivity tools, prompting a swift consolidation onto a single enterprise productivity tool. Cavallo explained that this move not only streamlined operations during the pandemic but also paved the way for an expanded hiring strategy.

The success of remote work opened the door to question the necessity of having all OPM employees physically present in offices, leading to a broader, more flexible hiring approach. “Our strategy is that we’ll be able to support workers wherever they are without moving people across the country,” Cavallo said.

Rahul Dubey, director of product management for Cisco, and Paul Ghattas, solutions architect for ThunderCat Technology, added their perspectives on the critical importance technology partnerships provide in addressing the unique needs of government agencies in their modernization journeys. As these agencies navigate the challenges of establishing agile, secure and collaborative IT environments for a hybrid workforce, they stress that both experiences and recommendations from industry leaders provide valuable guidance for federal IT leaders charting their course toward the future of work.

Watch the full panel and learn more about enabling a hybrid workforce.

This video panel discussion was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop, and underwritten by ThunderCat Technology.

The post OPM, Cisco and ThunderCat Technology lead the charge in modernizing tech for hybrid work appeared first on FedScoop.

Government agencies are adopting technology strategies to support hybrid work environments better, aiming to enhance talent acquisition, retention, and operational resilience. In a new panel discussion, tech leaders from industry and government share key insights into optimizing IT strategies for the hybrid workforce. 

In a move towards more flexible, sustainable and secure work environments, TD Synnex Public Sector Director of Market Intelligence Lloyd McCoy highlights what he believes should be government agencies’ priorities. He underlines the significance of cloud solutions and virtual desktop infrastructure, which are pivotal in ensuring secure and stable remote access to data and applications. The integration of scalable cloud services not only enhances data accessibility but also supports device-agnostic solutions, effectively addressing cybersecurity challenges associated with hybrid work models. Standard practices such as adopting zero-trust architectures, continuous updates, and multi-factor authentication are emphasized for securing data in hybrid environments.

Sharing Maryland’s challenges and remote work adjustments, the Secretary for the Dept. of IT and the state’s CIO, Katie Savage, stresses the centralization of cybersecurity management and ensuring consistent cyber strategies across diverse agencies. Additionally, she underscores the importance of user-centered design, emphasizing personas to create user-friendly and accessible solutions.

“We’re trying to focus on making things user-friendly and accessible…If we’re in this very distributed environment, and whether or not you’re in the office, we can’t be reliant on manuals, training and sitting shoulder to shoulder with someone; we need to design things that are intuitive. And that comes from a focus on upfront discovery, user experience, user testing, prototyping, etc. That’s a somewhat new practice in Maryland, and I’m excited to bring it into the state,” she says.

Because the cloud was a significant enabler for agencies to keep operating during the pandemic and with remote work, ThunderCat’s CTO for Cloud, Nic Perez, discusses the ongoing challenges in agencies’ cloud adoption. Security concerns, data classification, compliance, cost management, and a skills gap in cloud infrastructure management remain significant hurdles. He stresses the importance of collaboration between solution providers, like Thundercat Technology, and distributors, such as TD Synnex Public Sector, to offer a holistic approach to addressing these challenges.

In response to the challenges public sector customers face, McCoy and Perez discuss how their collaboration helps agencies navigate the complexities of cloud adoption. Together, they bridge compliance gaps, optimize budgets, and enhance overall security postures, providing tailored cloud solutions to federal agencies.

Learn more about enabling a hybrid workforce.

This video panel discussion was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop, and underwritten by ThunderCat Technology.

The post Exploring strategies for evolving work environments appeared first on FedScoop.

Government agencies, like most enterprises, continue to adjust their technology strategies to support the need for a hybrid work environment. Hybrid work arrangements help agencies improve their ability to hire and retain talent and remain operational in the face of disruptions. Consequently, the need to modernize infrastructure to ensure secure resource access remains critical to agencies.

André Mendes, CIO of the Department of Commerce, and ThunderCat CTO Kurt Steege joined FedScoop for a discussion on enabling the hybrid workforce and their experiences, respectively.

The Commerce Department, with diverse bureaus, has successfully transitioned to a hybrid model, leveraging prior cloud presence. Mendes emphasized how, over time, the department’s IT environment has evolved into a highly diverse state. Efforts have been made to standardize this environment, with cloud migrations playing a significant role in creating a more uniform and hybrid-compatible infrastructure.

“We actually were very, very fortunate that a lot of our bureaus already had a fairly heavy presence in the cloud prior to the pandemic starting. And so, for us, there were literally almost no challenges going from being fully in the office to being fully remote in a couple of days. I know that some agencies struggled with VPN loads; we didn’t have that problem, fortunately, with some of our environments because they were already highly distributed,” said Mendes.

Mendes also discussed the need for agencies to shift from VPN-based security to a zero-trust architecture, eliminating VPN vulnerabilities and highlighting Commerce’s holistic ZTA approach.

Steege also emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive approach to enhance security and resilience—which involves aligning people, processes and products.

“The Department of Commerce has done a great job with this… assess your environment, include not just the infrastructure…you also need to understand the information that you’re accessing and where it’s being housed is critical. And then [understand] your user personas, understanding how the users of your environment, how citizen resources are going to really utilize that information as well,” Steege said.

Steege and Mendes explored the successful adaptation of agencies and enterprises to hybrid work environments, emphasizing the importance of zero-trust architecture, data optimization and cultural adjustments in managing virtual workforces.

Learn more about enabling a hybrid workforce.

This video panel discussion was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop, and underwritten by ThunderCat Technology.

The post Commerce Dept. and ThunderCat on fostering a hybrid work environment appeared first on FedScoop.