In Part One of this series, we examined the severe escalation of nation state cybersecurity threats towards state & local governments.
In Part Two, we defined the key factors that render public sector agencies increasingly vulnerable to such threats, and the critical role that cloud adoption can play in defending information security.
In Part Three, we considered the benefits of planning a cloud strategy in conjunction with a compatible SaaS implementation as an optimal approach for maximizing agency adoption, and to derive the broadest possible value across the entirety of the organization.
In Part Four below, we conclude this series examining the key facets required to ensure a successful cloud adoption strategy, providing a stable and secure platform for both SaaS enabled citizen services and suitably robust cybersecurity protection and compliance.
One of the first and most important considerations for government agencies considering cloud adoption is where the data should reside to facilitate both maximum information security and optimal accessibility and utility of data-driven applications for end users. Such considerations will ultimately determine whether your agency houses the bulk of its data on-premises, in the public cloud, or in both locations via a seamless hybrid cloud environment. From a best practices perspective, these decisions should be driven by assessing the envisioned portfolio of citizen services and internal workflows to ascertain the required data environment and user experience across all essential services. In performing this dataflow due diligence, state and local governments can identify whether a singular cloud solution or combination of environments is required.
For example:
The Computronix suite of COTS+ solutions can support each of these implementation scenarios, either alone or in tandem, ensuring that agencies can define their optimal cloud infrastructure on the basis of what’s best from a mutually compatible security and usability perspective, as opposed to defining a SaaS implementation strategy hamstrung by obvious data management constraints.
From a compatibility perspective, it is also important to ascertain whether your chosen cloud solution will provide the necessary infrastructure to support industry approved security standards and controls, sufficiently robust to serve your agency’s information system for this generation and the next.
SaaS solutions from Computronix are designed to meet NIST 88-53 standards, the cloud computing architecture that forms the basis for FEDRAMP compliance.
Cybersecurity is not just the dominant theme of this series; it is also the top priority for all government agencies considering cloud adoption plans as a permanent solution to protect citizen’s private data against escalating attacks from nation state security threats.
To ensure your information security is as robust and impregnable as possible, state and local agencies should ensure that chosen cloud environment(s) feature the following attributes:
Supporting more than 50 compliance certifications on both a regional and global basis, a Microsoft Azure cloud deployment, in conjunction with Computronix COTS+ solution, streamlines the process for agencies to meet core compliance obligations. Leveraging integrated AI to help state and local governments assess and manage compliance risk, these automation guided tools empower prompt and efficient response to data discovery requests, and ongoing guidance to ensure full GDPR compliance.
As we have seen in this series, the threat towards state and local governments from nation state cybercriminals is severe and escalating. Fortunately, the cloud offers a sustainable safe haven for both improved security and compliance. Better still, when implemented in conjunction with a forward-thinking SaaS strategy, agencies can achieve a true win-win scenario: better securing citizen data currently under threat while simultaneously achieving an innovation platform enabling transformation of internal workflows and external citizen services.
Looking for more information? Subscribe to our CX blog below to stay in the loop on the latest news, best practices and emerging trends in government technology.
