Industry voice: There are strategies and tools to help organisations use hybrid cloud to be more agile in the pursuit of better services for citizens, says Dave Keigher, head of public sector at Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
When it comes to cloud computing for the public sector it’s clear that there’s no ‘one size fits all approach’. Authorities want to increasingly be able to blend the adaptability and agility of public cloud with the security and control of consumption-based private cloud or on-premise solutions.
But finding the right combination is a complex business. It requires matching applications with the most appropriate cloud offering, ensuring compliance with data protection, meeting stringent demands in cyber security, all whilst delivering a consistent experience without duplicating the effort of managing different cloud and in-house systems.
To do this effectively you need a set of tools and processes that allow for seamless integration between all your clouds, gaining visibility and control while creating unprecedented operational agility. By finding this right mix you can deliver better and more efficient citizen services.
At Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) we have been supporting our customers with the adoption of hybrid cloud for many years, helping teams take advantage of the full ecosystem of global hyperscale providers, through partnerships with Microsoft, AWS and Google through to SMEs - who are often the choice for retaining data within the UK.
To help our customers identify the right mix of IT services, we’ve recently launched a new report that guides you through some of the steps you might want to take as you continue on your digital transformation path.
However before you decide on your right mix of hybrid cloud infrastructure you need to look at what you’re hoping to achieve from the migration - more efficiency, better online services and/or better collaboration? – and asking questions about the IT environment and organisational goals, such as which applications need to remain in the data centre? And what are the governance regulations around datasets?
It’s important to consider which datasets and legacy systems could be too sensitive or too difficult to store in the cloud. A good place to start is identifying the services that will produce the most business value in the cloud, and map workloads to the right environment for each service. There are lots of options available to consider, so stay agnostic about cloud offerings, making decisions on a case-by-case basis and be ready to explore the full ecosystem of large and small providers.
There are also automated tools that can provide analysis of an organisation’s IT environment, which highlight the interdependencies, hardware and software for each application. It creates a profile for each application and uses these with weighted questions to assess the suitability for different clouds. This makes it possible to aim for quick wins, such as migrating the top 10 most important applications within a month.
This leads to the creation of a targeted application list, identifying ‘waves’ of apps for migration, and the creation of a high level roadmap to make the process repeatable. It all provides critical insights and helps to establish the right mix of hybrid cloud in a matter of weeks – not the lengthy process many public sector organisations face when going it alone.
In turn, this lays the ground for long term transformation and the ability to exploit new advances in technology. The hybrid cloud will be a crucial element in the future modernisation of public services, and HPE has the know-how and solutions to help authorities work out what is right for them individually.
The full details of the approach are brought together in a new HPE report, Embracing the Public Sector Cloud, available here
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