An AVI-SPL Whitepaper

REACHING OPTIMIZATION – Video Intra/Inter Network Federation and Shared Mobility

THIS WHITEPAPER WILL EXPLORE THE CURRENT STATE OF IT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR and discuss the key challenges agencies face while deploying IT and technology solutions. It further points out the need for a shared approach that can help agencies scale. At the same time, we will address security and availability challenges of shared IT deployments, and discuss how to address them through IT best practices.

an overview

The use of the Internet and other digital innovations to deliver information and services is no longer a “nice-to-have” option for public sector businesses. Today, technology plays a pivotal role in various aspects of public sector.

PEOPLE HAVE AN EXPECTATION THAT BUSINESSES WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE SIMILARLY.

IT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

However, there are various bottlenecks in the public sector’s adoption of technology and tech-based solutions.

75%of federal executives asserted that digital services had a positive impact on their goals but only

50% of respondents considered tech implementations to be cost-effective

AN OVERVIEW

Another ongoing challenge in the public sector in terms of tech adoption has been THE SILOED APPROACH TO IT INVESTMENT.

In traditional environments ROI in technology can be pretty elusive. And, this is an area of concern today when resources and budgets are stretched thin for public sector agencies.

AN OVERVIEW

WITH A COOPERATIVE APPROACH between two or more agencies and THE ENHANCED FLEXIBILITY offered in cloud based solutions, there is a new opportunity to reach economies of scale by taking a federated approach.

Agencies that share resources and use IT best practices will be able to defray costs. The use of video equips public sector companies with better collaboration and workflow processes while enabling them to save budget dollars.

AN OVERVIEW

WITH MOBILITY, BIG DATA, AND SOCIAL MEDIA heavily impacting private sector businesses, it is not surprising that these same trends are emerging in the public sector. Video is fast becoming an important component of the public sector’s IT ecosystem.

In 2014, nearly 248,000 veterans received some form of medical care through video as a part of VA’s telehealth program.

AN OVERVIEW

optimizing IT adoption in Public SectorSHARED SYSTEMS

The cost of deployment is one of the biggest deterrents. Moreover, tech planning is often little more than speculation until the technology is finally put to work, which can often takes months or years. In the long gap between planning and deployment, new technologies may emerge, making the ones planned for outdated.

THIS FRUSTRATION CAN BE AVOIDED BY CONSIDERING SHARED SERVICE PLATFORMS.

Public sector organizations should adopt a framework that will allow the sharing of services between cooperating agencies or departments that offer similar services.

CLOUD PROVIDES AN IDEAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO BUILD SHARED SYSTEMS WHILE MITIGATING THE POSSIBLE ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGES.

OPTIMIZINGIT ADOPTIONIN PUBLIC SECTOR

USE CASE ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGEShared business services Building shared human resources, financial

management, and procurement processes across a range of cooperating departments

Coordinated care Building an information exchange for coordinated care across social and healthcare services and programs

Healthcare reform Building a healthcare insurance exchangeShared technical services Building federated patterns for self-service portals,

enterprise content management, or authentication of online users across multiple departments, agencies, or even states

Full online availability Building federated patterns for self-service portals, enterprise content management, or authentication of online users across multiple departments, agencies, or even states

Single view of the citizen (SVC)

Creating a single view of the citizen across programs and departments

OPTIMIZINGIT ADOPTIONIN PUBLIC SECTOR

Source: IBM developerWorks

making collaboration cost-effectiveFEDERATED COMMUNICATIONS

Shared systems can also aid in collaboration. Today’s public sector agencies are facing many of the same challenges as the private sector, such as DISPERSED WORKFORCE, ENHANCED MOBILITY, NEED TO INTEGRATE DISPARATE DIGITAL TOOLS AND SYSTEMS, etc. A compelling case can be made for public sector use of shared systems and video-based collaboration.

Video is at the heart of every modern collaboration system, but premise-based models are fast becoming obsolete.

MAKINGCOLLABORATIONCOST-EFFECTIVE

As more companies embed advanced communication solutions within their network of operations, co-ordinating with like-minded users will offer an increasing number of benefits. In many cases, federated collaboration will allow agencies to communicate FASTER AND MORE EFFECTIVELY with internal members as well as others outside the organization.

MAKINGCOLLABORATIONCOST-EFFECTIVE

The benefits of federated communication in the public sector include:• The ability to add multiple users from

other organizations to an individual’s contact list.

• The capacity to send Instant messages to federated contacts.

• The capability of inviting federated contacts to audio calls, video calls, or conferences.

• The ease of escalating one-on-one instant messages into multi-person conferences.

• The ability to connect room-based systems with mobile workers/desktop users.

MAKINGCOLLABORATIONCOST-EFFECTIVE

However, when it comes to federation, not all cloud services are equal. WHAT IS FEDERATED CLOUD MANAGEMENT? It is the management of more than one internal and external cloud service. The biggest advantage of federated cloud is that it prevents agencies from being locked into a particular cloud vendor. It gives agencies the freedom to host different workloads via different cloud service providers.

risks and fears of adoptingSECURITY

While federated cloud certainly has undeniable benefits, it is by no means easy to achieve. THE PRIMARY CHALLENGE TO ITS ADOPTION IS SECURITY. In fact, security is a matter of general concern when it comes to cloud use. Data safety and privacy are even greater considerations in case of shared cloud and federated setups where security measures need to be stronger than ever.

federated cloud

RISKS AND FEARS OF ADOPTINGFEDERATED CLOUD

The public sector may have other security concerns in terms of cloud usage including: • Identity and Access

Management• Vulnerability and Asset

Management• Configuration and Patch

Management• Endpoint and Network Protectio

RISKS AND FEARS OF ADOPTINGFEDERATED CLOUD

While deciding between on-premise and cloud-based video collaboration models, it’s a popular belief that cloud solutions are not as secure as premise-based services. However, today many cloud providers are following very strict security standards of operation and are able to maintain high security standards like ISO 27001: 2013, an information security standard published in 2013.

RISKS AND FEARS OF ADOPTINGFEDERATED CLOUD

Many cloud vendors are working towards obtaining certifications and accreditations such as FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards), FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002), and FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program). AND, SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS (SLAS) ALSO CREATE A SAFETY NET WHEN BUSINESSES OPT FOR FEDERATED CLOUD SOLUTIONS.

RISKS AND FEARS OF ADOPTINGFEDERATED CLOUD

Down the road, enhanced security measures will make it possible for more public sector agencies to move their video conferencing and collaboration infrastructure to the cloud. The ability to SEAMLESSLY LEVERAGE A MULTI-CLOUD ENVIRONMENT will be one of the core practices of integrating IT and technology within the framework of the public sector’s organizations.

CONCLUSION

With the help of technology and other digital services, public sector organizations can make public information more accessible and allow citizens to access services round the clock. While the transition is not an overnight job, the approach needs to be more agile.

THIS AGILITY WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR INNOVATION THAT WILL ADAPT TO HOW NEW DIGITAL SERVICES ARE RECEIVED BY CUSTOMERS/CITIZENS.

Though public sector organizations are fast realizing the benefits of video, they could definitely stand to explore broader adoption of video and cloud technology, enabling agencies to offer better and more effective citizen-facing products and services. Aligning co-dependent and cooperating agencies and departments and improving collaboration can alleviate costs and position the public sector for relevance and adaptability in the future.

CONCLUSION

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OPTIMIZING YOUR PUBLIC SECTOR AGENCY with the help of video communication services, contact AVI-SPL at our toll-free number 866-708-5034 or visit www.avispl.com for a detailed analysis.

AVI-SPL is the world’s leading video communication provider. Using the latest technology, we design, build, and support systems and environments that enable communication and collaboration. We help companies globally streamline communication, and reduce distance between collaboration. We specialize in multiple industries and offer solutions tailored to specific needs. With projects in more than 19 countries, we have experience in wide-ranging technology capabilities and construction. AVI-SPL has highly-trained and certified system engineers throughout nearly 40 offices across the United States, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Dubai, as well as an international network of solution providers in 30 other countries.

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