Q&A: EMC’s Paul Austin Talks Hybrid Clouds

Paul Austin

Paul Austin, the CTO of EMC’s federal division, recently answered some questions from FedTech managing editor David Stegon about the evolution of hybrid cloud use within the federal government.

FEDTECH: What are the most common government uses for hybrid cloud?

AUSTIN:  Government missions are now demanding more from IT — asking for choice in devices; requiring greater and faster access to infrastructure and applications; and driving new demands about application flexibility, such as where to deploy, for how long and with how many resources. To meet these expectations, government IT organizations must deliver IT-as-a-Service (ITaaS) via a well-run hybrid cloud that brings together the trust, control and reliability of private cloud with the simplicity, low cost and flexibility of public cloud, while maintaining interoperability and visibility.

FEDTECH: How do hybrid clouds enable agencies to create their own cloud footprint?

AUSTIN:  To run hybrid clouds effectively, government IT must also deliver support for traditional and next-generation applications; offer financial transparency so IT can prove its value to the business; and provide a seamless management experience so that data centers aren't replacing physical silos with cloud silos.

And all of this must be wrapped in a blanket of trust. Hybrid cloud gives government IT leaders the flexibility and speed they need to effectively manage expenses, enhance service delivery and increase business revenue, while meeting the evolving expectations of the agency.

FEDTECH: Who are hybrid clouds best suited to?

AUSTIN:  Hybrid clouds are ideal for any agency that wants to keep data readily available, have enough space to store the data and the ability to handle large workloads.

Hybrid clouds meet these needs and more. Leading organizations are increasingly utilizing this combination and public and private capabilities to redefine their IT environments.

Agencies who are utilizing a hybrid cloud are able to deliver today’s applications at the lowest possible cost and enable new applications and data-driven insights to differentiate their organization.

FEDTECH: What tips can you offer for implementing a hybrid cloud solution?

AUSTIN: Before implementing a hybrid cloud, agencies must prepare their cloud environment. A successful hybrid cloud environment should balance both cost and performance. Orchestration enables users to combine cloud models to best meet the needs of each requirement. Additionally, agencies moving to the cloud want security — therefore, cloud solutions should allow an enterprise view of assurance and compliance. This will ensure the user their data is safe.

Hybrid cloud enables IT efficiency and simplicity, so implementing it should be efficient and simple as well. The EMC Enterprise Hybrid Cloud Solution dramatically simplifies implementation of hybrid cloud — delivering a hybrid cloud foundation in as little as 28 days.