b'ViewpointsDaniel Chenok is Executive Director of the IBM Center for The Business of Government. the first studies on government use of cloud computing,approaches enable development of new innovation that Moving to the Cloud: An Introduction to Cloud Computingdoes not rely on a single network, expanding the scope of in Government, 1which described early applications,application development resources across open networks.challenges, and opportunities from this emerging paradigm. The report noted that a key challenge to effectiveThis is a key success factor behind IT modernization for implementation was the need for open standards andagencies often still dependent on legacy systems. As noted interoperability.in the IBM Centers March 2018 report A Roadmap for IT Modernization in Government, 4federal agencies can learn In 2011, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)from the experience of commercial and state government issued a Federal Cloud Strategy that included the CloudCIOs who embraced open innovation strategies to modernize First policy. 2This policy provided guidance to agenciesoutdated infrastructure in a phased two-speed approach. to leverage the cloud-based approaches of infrastructure,Such an approach enables modernization toward the cloud to software, and platform as a service as first preferences forproceed in phases of rapid change followed by stabilization new IT investments. OMB noted that migration to the cloudof that change.would enable agencies to tap into private sector innovation and encourage an entrepreneurial culture both of which are also benefits of open networks.Cloud First remained in place until OMB updated the policy as Cloud Smart 3in September. 2018. Cloud Smart focused on expanded agency capacity to bolster security in the cloud, procure effective and leading-edge commercial solutions, and enhance the skills of IT workers in cloud-based applications. The update also called on agencies to conduct regular evaluations of customer experience and user needs and to track their growth in areas where decisions about technology intersect other disciplines. Both of these actions are optimized only if done as part of an open ecosystem promoting feedback and engagement.The technology behind cloud platforms now available to government has advanced to the point where secure, effective operations can be achieved over multi-cloud networks that rely on open standards to achieve interoperability and improve portability of workloads and data between clouds. This trend applies regardless of whether agencies rely on public commercially available systems, private systems that reside inside agency computing environments, or hybrid systems that link the two across an agency enterprise. Importantly, multi-cloud WINTER 2019 / 2020 IBM Center for The Business of Government 79'