Underwritten by:

Cloud Complexity: Navigating the Network

Piece of the Federal

Cloud Puzzle

October 15, 2018

Introduction

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As much as the cloud promises Federal agencies ease,

efficiency, and transparency; the road to that promised land

is often paved with complexities, concerns, and plain old

chaos. And as those on the front lines struggle to manage a

complex cloud migration process, many Feds are resigned to

the fact that their agency’s legacy network infrastructure is

simply not prepared to handle the cloud migration lift.

What can Federal IT managers do to modernize their legacy

networks and get the chaos under control? What impact will

network modernization have on cloud migration efforts?

In the “Cloud Complexity: Navigating the Networking Piece

of the Federal Cloud Puzzle” study, MeriTalk surveyed 150

Federal IT managers to understand the current state of

Federal networks and the modernization steps agencies must

take to prepare these networks to be a fundamental piece of

the cloud migration jigsaw.

Executive Summary

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Cloud Migration Stifled By Agency Network Issues:

51% of Federal IT managers say their agency is failing to prioritize the networking aspect of cloud adoption and

overall IT modernization

Just over one-fifth of Feds (22%) say their current legacy network infrastructure is completely prepared to handle

cloud migration, and 67% say their agency’s legacy network infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with the

changing demands of cloud and hybrid technologies

Network Modernization Offers Opportunity:

Feds say network modernization could reduce the time it will take to migrate to the cloud by an average of 27%

Agencies that are prioritizing network modernization are significantly less likely to say their networks are struggling

to keep pace with the changing demands of cloud and hybrid technologies – 42% compared to 89%

Modernization Moving Forward:

83% of Federal IT managers say network modernization and cloud adoption will help their agency deliver on its

mission over the next five years, with 57% saying it will improve data services and cybersecurity requirements and

43% saying it will improve employee productivity

To modernize their networks for optimal cloud adoption, Feds say they need to simplify their networks, improve

legacy applications and technology, and comply with security regulations

Cloud Momentum & Challenges

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Federal IT managers are making progress on their cloud journeys, but nearly all face challenges that slow them down

*Respondents asked to select all that apply

98% of Feds say their agency

has made progress on its cloud journey

But nearly all (97%) have faced challenges that have slowed or stalled migration

Take away: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

And 53% say their cloud migration efforts have been as

difficult or more difficult than anticipated

And many credit efforts such as:*

FITARA

FedRAMP

47%

49%

IT Modernization Report 57%

97%

Network Complexity May be to Blame

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Agencies are dealing with complex legacy networks that are failing to keep up with the changing demands of applications, users, and security policies

80% describe their current network as complex*

Take away: Pace and Productivity On the Line

72% say they lose productivity at least once a month due

to cloud-related network issues, and 39% say this is

happening weekly

67% say their agency’s

legacy network infrastructure is struggling

to keep pace with the changing demands of

cloud and hybrid technologies

72%

39%

At least monthly At least weekly

*Percentage who rated their agency’s network complexity a 6-10 on a scale of 1-10, where 1

is extremely simple and 10 is extremely complex

Intentions vs. Reality

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Despite their best intentions, agencies admit that they are still coming up short in terms of prioritizing their networks

83% say network modernization is a

part of their agency’s cloud migration

strategy

&

79% have a roadmap for

modernizing and streamlining their legacy network infrastructure

Just 22% say their current legacy

network infrastructure is completely

prepared to handle cloud migration

&

51% say their agency is failing to

prioritize the networking aspect of cloud adoption and overall IT modernization

Take away: Time to Put Network Modernization First

But

Network Needs

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To reach their cloud goals, Feds say they need to improve network visibility, reduce complexity, and increase capacity/speed

Take away: Feds See Visibility & Reduced Complexity as Crucial

36%

44%

56%

45%

42%

36%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Increased visibility

Reduced network

complexity

Improved network

capacity/speed

Extremely important Somewhat important

How important are the following to your agency’s future cloud success?

What’s on the Line

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Feds need network modernization to establish a foundation for improving cloud application performance, and many say next-gen networks can help them reach their full potential

Take away: Clouds Need Modern Networks

And, 68% say their agency’s

cloud strategy will only reach its

full potential with next-generation

networks to support it

84% of Federal IT

managers say network

modernization is

foundational to

managing and

improving cloud

application

performance

Some Agencies are Making Progress

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Feds say top methods to address network complexity have included taking an inventory of the current network to identify key issues, increasing redundancy, and adding bandwidth

What steps, if any, has your agency taken over the past two years to address network complexity?*

Take away: Long Road Ahead*Respondents asked to select all that apply

Increased

virtual

networking/

software-

defined

networking

37%33%

36% 35%30% 29% 27% 25%

58%

49%

38%

28%

36%32% 34% 32%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Civilian

DoD

Inventoried

network for

performance

and security

issues

Added

bandwidth

Increased

redundancy

Increased

resiliency

Limited

the types

of cloud

we are

using

Standardized

on one

network

operating

system

Increased

automation

efforts

#3 Improved application performance #5 Simplified network management

Building a Better Base

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Agencies who have made improvements to their networks report gains in security, efficiency, and agility

*Respondents asked to select all that apply

Take away: Modernization Efforts Paying Off

What benefits, if any, has your agency experienced from network

modernization to date?*

#1 Improved security #2 Improved overall

efficiency

#3 Improved agility

Impact of Prioritization

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Feds who say their agency has made network modernization a priority are significantly more likely than others to have experienced improved efficiency, security, and cloud performance

Take away: Action Leads to Improved Outcomes

Agencies prioritizing network modernization are experiencing:

Reduced network

complexity

Just 41% of those

prioritizing network

modernization say their

network is extremely

complex vs. 53% of

others

Improved legacy

performance

Just 42% of those

prioritizing network

modernization say their

agency’s legacy

networks are struggling

to keep pace with cloud

vs. 89% of others

Improved efficiency

and security

Those prioritizing network

modernization are

significantly more likely to

report improved overall

efficiency (46% to 36%)

and improved security

(57% to 43%)

Improved cloud

performance

Those prioritizing network

modernization are

significantly more likely to

report improved

system/application

performance in cloud

(46% to 26%)

Acceleration Opportunity

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Network modernization can save Federal IT managers significant time on their cloud migrations, allowing them more time to innovate and address other agency needs

Take away: Modern Networks Speed Cloud Adoption

Feds say network

modernization could reduce

the time it will take for their

agency to fully migrate to the

cloud by an average of

27%

Steps Remaining

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Take away: Simplify, Automate, Test, and Train

What would help modernize your agency’s networks for optimal cloud adoption?

To achieve optimal cloud adoption, agencies need to modernize their networks by decreasing the number of manual processes and improving legacy applications and technology

“Simplify our current networks

so that managing them

requires a lot less manual

processes across a variety of

management platforms”

“Legacy

applications are the

main issue”

“Additional

budget and

manpower

training”

“Comply with all security

regulations and address

redundancy issues”

“An enterprise-

wide set of

network

monitoring tools”

“Finalize and verify

resiliency of all

network

components”

Digital Performance May Help

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Feds see digital performance management as key to future cloud success, but most are in the early stages of adoption

Take away: On the Cusp of Greater Visibility

Where do agencies stand with digital performance management today?83% of Feds say the adoption of

digital performance management* is important to their agency’s future cloud success, and

79% agree having visibility across

networks and applications is critical to managing them successfully

20%

42%

16% 15%7%

Discovery Planning Piloting Benefitting Not currently

considering

*Digital performance management is defined as a unified and integrated platform that accelerates digital

business outcomes and improves both operational agility and digital experiences

#1Improving data services and

cybersecurity requirements (57%)

#2Improving employee

productivity (43%)

#3Increasing innovation

(40%)

#4Decreasing downtime

(37%)

#4Decreasing number of

redundant systems (37%)

#6Improving constituent

services (27%)

Mission Impact

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Over the next five years, 83% of Feds say network modernization and cloud adoption will help their agency deliver on its mission

*Respondents asked to select all that apply

Take away: Modernization Supports Cyber, Workforce Goals

How will network modernization and cloud adoption help your

agency deliver on its mission over the next five years?*

Chaos to Control

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Take away: Lay the Foundation for Visibility, Certainty, and Control

Feds recommend defining needs up front, prioritizing network modernization, and continuously communicating with internal and external stakeholders for greater control throughout the cloud process

What advice would you give another Federal agency struggling to manage

the complexities of cloud migration and move forward with more control?

Make sure you define all requirements up front

Push hard for network upgrades at the start

Develop a good communication plan explaining the purpose

and schedule. Include training before, during, and after

Make sure you put the customer's needs first. Otherwise security

concerns will outweigh the benefit to the customer

Integrate and consult with other Federal agencies for advice and assistance

Recommendations

Know Your Network: Before undertaking network modernization, Feds

must fully recognize what they need to build a better foundation.

Understanding all aspects of their networks – complexity and

performance, for example – will show Feds where to focus efforts for

optimal modernization and ultimately, complete cloud migration

Mandates Help Power Modernization Efforts: While complex networks

continue to stall Federal cloud migration efforts, many agencies credit

mandates such as FedRAMP and FITARA with helping them jump start

their cloud journey. By complying with such Federal mandates,

agencies can better find, correlate, and fix holes in their networks, thus

empowering further cloud migration efforts

Software-Defined Architecture Improves Outcomes: Maintaining

visibility across agency networks and applications is necessary to

preventing mission-critical issues before their impact is felt. Software-

defined architecture helps agencies gain key insights into vital network

and application performance and optimize their systems and

processes, allowing them to achieve their mission objectives

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Methodology & Demographics

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MeriTalk, on behalf of Riverbed and

Tech Data conducted an online survey

of 150 Federal IT managers familiar with

their agency’s cloud migration plans

and network modernization efforts, in

August and September 2018. The report

has a margin of error of ±7.97% at a 95%

confidence level.

Respondent job titles

CIO/CTO/CISO/CDO 11%

Deputy CIO/CTO/CISO/CDO 13%

IT Director/Supervisor 27%

IT Program Manager 15%

Data Center Administrator/Manager 7%

Network Administrator/Manager 9%

Software Applications Administrator/Manager 8%

Other IT manager 10%

Agency type

Federal Government: Civilian agency 65%

Federal Government: Department of Defense or

Intelligence agency 35%

Expertise

100% of qualifying Federal IT managers are familiar with their

agency’s cloud migration plans and network modernization efforts

Thank You

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540-364-5913

Lcooper@meritalk.com

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