MeriTalk, a public-private partnership focused on improving the outcomes of government IT, has announced the results of its latest report, Converged: At the Core of IT All, which examines federal agencies' plans for implementing converged infrastructure solutions to address data centre demands.
The MeriTalk study, underwritten by Cisco and NetApp, finds that 59% of federal agencies are adopting to converged infrastructure solutions as part of their current data centre strategies, while 23% have multiple converged solutions in place. Based on a five-year outlook, the study finds that the average federal agency has a target of transforming 55% of data centres to converged infrastructure solutions by 2022.
MeriTalk notes that modern mission demands are changing the way the government delivers data centre solutions, which is prompting the shift to converged infrastructure. Currently, the study reveals that 72% of federal IT managers believe converged infrastructures will become the central housing mechanism for their data centre needs.
In terms of drivers for the move to invest in converged infrastructures, the study finds that while cost savings are a significant factor, current users of converged systems also cite improved data protection, increased scalability and optimising mission-critical apps as key motivators for the deployment of the new technology.
In addition, MeriTalk notes that converged infrastructures align with the Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI), as 60% of agencies leverage converged infrastructure to replace working data centres.
However, the study shows that although 57% of current converged users experience growth in operational efficiency, issues remain relating to security, budget and interoperability concerns. In particular, 44% of federal IT managers cite security concerns as the main disincentive to the adoption of a converged infrastructure solution.
The full report, Converged: At the Core of IT All, can be downloaded here: https://www.meritalk.com/study/converged-at-the-core-of-it-all/(registration required).
Regarding the study, Rob Stein, VP, U.S. public sector, at NetApp, said, "The road to an integrated IT system should not be a daunting one… most (existing) data centres and related systems cannot keep up with the growing amount of data within federal agencies… integrating all the pieces of the data centre together radically simplifies data management, especially in the new hybrid cloud world".
