In times of crisis, the U.S. government needs to bring in tech tools fast to help solve the problem.
First, now is a vulnerable time and weaknesses are exposed in telework infrastructure as the government rapidly shifted to remote work. Cyberattacks are up as adversaries try to exploit the weaknesses. Second, federal agencies are also overloaded with traffic, to the point that their technology is reaching a breaking point. For example, SBA.gov saw more than 80% increase in traffic from March to April, and was so overwhelmed that it went down, unable to provide services for citizens.
DevOps and DevSecOps may be the key to solving these issues for government agencies. Both, DevOps and DevSecOps, ensure delivery of a product is fast, secure and constantly evolving, which is vital to helping the U.S. government maintain continuity during the ongoing pandemic and set up future stability.
The Air Force experienced these benefits firsthand when its internal DevOps team pushed out at least 10 updates a day, sometimes up to 30, and sustained that agile standard for some time. This agility, security and speed allows the Air Force to focus on the end-users and mission owners.
If the government doesn’t have DevOps, it will lack the foundation needed to build a strong tech stack and work with other emerging tech solutions.
DevOps Use Cases in Government
With the government workforce spread out geographically, government networks are experiencing an increase in users plugging into virtual environments. Continuous patches and updates keep government systems and networks secure, functional and able to handle the load that comes with a surge of users. DevOps ensures the government has the tools and processes in place to support growth and prevent network failure under the additional stress of onboarding thousands of users each day.
The government also needs tools that can help the distributed workforce maintain continuity, especially when it comes to security, operations and maintenance. Employees need correct access to do their jobs, but agencies must maintain control over what data is shared and how to confirm users are who they claim to be. Access management is vital in remote environments to ensure tighter control over who has privileged access.
A modernized approach to privileged access tools means developers can hit targets of continuous delivery to improve systems and security. Otherwise, exploitable vulnerabilities are exposed to bad actors. Solutions for secure privileged access, especially across a distributed workforce, are key to scaling tech across government.
With a hasty shift to remote work also comes change management, which is already difficult, not to mention the additional strain of a pandemic. In a crisis, federal agencies can’t wait for in-house solutions that take a long time to develop. The government needs commercial tech that can help build remote infrastructure.
Federal Market Opportunities
As the government responds to COVID-19, federal agencies are in search of technologies and tools that can support their missions. Many agencies are feeling immediate strain on their IT systems as part of the shift to telework, and have received reallocated and additional budget — with broad latitude on how they spend — and procurement flexibility to modernize their systems. This opens up opportunities for tech companies, like those in the DevOps and DevSecOps space.
Tech companies that already work in the federal market know that while the government procurement process can be lengthy and complex, it can be well worth the effort for stable revenue. In times of economic uncertainty, working with the federal market can help companies build recession resilience.
Another part of the opportunity now is that the government needs flexible and scalable technologies that can help them respond to the COVID-19 crisis, but first, they need DevOps tools for a strong foundation and infrastructure.
The government needs DevOps and DevSecOps now more than ever, and there are commercially successful tech companies that can help with exactly that today. In return, the government can provide a sustainable source of revenue for emerging DevOps companies. Working together can be a win-win for these tech companies and federal agencies, and can help move us toward a more innovative, safer and healthier future.
