General Dynamics Information Technology is on a mission–to help agencies make sense of cloud computing. Cloud migration can be challenging–agencies are constrained by regulations, pressed by tight budgets, and limited by legacy systems. But, those anxieties don’t need to stifle innovation.
General Dynamics IT combines extensive integration experience, deep partnerships with Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs), and its own cloud infrastructure to provide agencies with the confidence and assurance they need to transition their mission-critical systems to the cloud.
“General Dynamics IT has been providing cloud services for more than a decade and recognizes the need for cost-effective, low-risk solutions,” said Chet Hayes, chief digital strategist for Health & Civilian Solutions at General Dynamics IT. “The specific agency requirements, such as mission, applications, or data are all critical factors in determining the appropriate cloud solution. This is the rationale behind us having both deep partnerships with CSPs and offering our own cloud infrastructure.”
GDIT Cloud–the company’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service offering–obtained authorization last year under the Federal Risk Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP). But that is just one component of the company’s cloud solution portfolio, according to Hayes.
“We provide agencies with the complete confidence that this infrastructure is secure and we understand what is going on in our customers’ environment through Continuous Monitoring delivered by our Security Operations Center (SOC) and Network Operations Center (NOC) services.” From the government’s perspective, everybody starts with FedRAMP, he said. “But it’s really just a starting point.”
For example, General Dynamics IT focuses on how continuous monitoring is used at the specific agency and how they integrate systems.
“One of the key things we provide for a longstanding health care customer is NOC and SOC integration from a cloud perspective,” Hayes said. “This has been critical for organizations to get their continuous monitoring ATO.”
General Dynamics IT’s cloud implementation also includes end-to-end managed services. From strategy to migration and operations to optimization, General Dynamics IT closely guides its customers through the entire cloud journey. Not sure where to start? General Dynamics IT assesses agencies’ current IT capabilities, taking into account critical security strategies such as intrusion detection, hardware and software monitoring, upgrades, patch management and updates, application and database scanning, and security training for employees. This hands-on approach allows customers to focus on mission-critical functions while General Dynamics IT deploys and manages the cloud infrastructure.
“We understand the FedRAMP compliance requirements and security postures required by agencies,” said Srinivas Singaraju, the chief architect of cloud solutions for Health & Civilian Solutions at General Dynamics IT. “We want to make sure we’re not only compliant, but we go above and beyond to make sure our customers feel comfortable being in our cloud.”
As a cloud provider for multiple agencies and 30 programs, General Dynamics IT’s goal is to be the go-to trusted cloud broker across public, private, and hybrid cloud models, according to Singaraju. “As development gets more comfortable with the cloud space, we’re going to see specific clouds set up for government agencies, not only in a community setting, but on a larger scale.”
The first step in the cloud migration process is to identify what kind of cloud paradigm best suits the agency and where the migration fits in, according to Singaraju. The next step is to ensure “that all the security postures are completely maintained” during the migration, he said.
“Every CIO we talk to, every agency we talk to, definitely wants to make sure their data is well protected,” said Singaraju. “The questions they ask most often revolve around data protection, network defense, and incident response.” Agency IT leaders are also concerned about cost, General Dynamics IT has proven expertise and analytic capability to show true total cost of ownership and the relative advantages and disadvantages of different cloud options.
Securing assets in the cloud doesn’t have to be a dramatic departure from the discipline of securing assets locally. Built on proven experience, General Dynamics IT’s customer-focused approach provides agencies multitier security systems that leverage advanced security technology–including data tracking and management, access management, encryption, firewalls, and more.
For more information on how General Dynamics IT is helping agencies plan a successful migration strategy check out this white paper or www.gdit.com/cloudsolutions.