Legacy Code Can Be an Efficiency Drain
One of the biggest barriers to efficiency in government IT is the persistence of outdated requirements and legacy systems.
Many government applications were custom-built years ago on aging frameworks. Those systems may still function, but they are often expensive to maintain and difficult to update. Agencies frequently spend a disproportionate amount of their budgets simply keeping these systems alive.
At some point, the return on that investment begins to diminish.
Today, agencies have more options. Open-source solutions can often achieve the same outcomes more efficiently. Even when agencies rely on licensed software, they may find they can move from enterprise-tier products to standard editions without sacrificing functionality.
Another issue I see frequently is siloed systems. Different departments build applications independently, resulting in disconnected platforms that require redundant maintenance and support.
A unified approach can deliver immediate gains. The U.S. Small Business Administration, for example, combined three legacy applications into a single modern platform. That kind of consolidation improves both operational efficiency and the user experience.
Flexibility is also important. Too often, agencies lock in budgets, success metrics and technology decisions early in the process based on what they know at the time. A better strategy is to set broader goals and leave room to adapt as new technologies emerge.
READ MORE: Texas strives to avoid vendor lock-in for cloud services.
Rethinking Infrastructure Spending
Infrastructure spending is another area where governments can improve efficiency.
Many agencies still operate with a traditional mindset: Purchase large amounts of hardware and hope it meets future needs. In practice, that approach often leads to overinvestment in some areas and gaps in others.
For example, an organization might purchase far more storage capacity than it actually requires, only to discover later that it needs additional computing power to support emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Just a few years ago, many agencies were not budgeting for AI tools such as Amazon Bedrock or Amazon SageMaker. Now, those capabilities are becoming increasingly relevant for government workloads.
Flexibility and scalability are essential in this environment.
Agencies should also evaluate vendor assumptions. Many organizations believe they must continue using the same providers or platforms indefinitely. In reality, alternative vendors or open-source options may offer comparable functionality at a lower cost.
Operational efficiency is another often-overlooked opportunity. Longstanding processes may no longer represent the best way to manage modern systems.
Cloud governance and observability tools can make a significant difference. For example, services such as Amazon Web Services Organizations and AWS Control Tower help agencies establish governance and scalability across cloud environments. Meanwhile, tools such as AWS CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail provide deeper visibility into system performance and resource usage.
That kind of insight allows agencies to manage their infrastructure more efficiently and respond more quickly to operational issues.
Modern Networks Are Changing the Edge
Edge computing is another area where agencies may want to reassess long-standing assumptions.
Much of today’s edge infrastructure was designed when networks were slower and less reliable. At that time, organizations needed numerous edge locations to process data closer to users.
Today’s networks are far faster and more resilient. As a result, many agencies no longer need as many edge deployments as they once did.
By consolidating edge environments into centralized data centers or cloud platforms, organizations can retire outdated infrastructure and focus on maintaining only the systems that truly deliver value.
Cloud services can still extend capabilities closer to where they are needed. For example, AWS Outposts and AWS Local Zones allow agencies to run cloud infrastructure in locations that require low latency while maintaining centralized control.
This approach improves resilience and operational efficiency while also strengthening security.
Edge environments are often targets for cyberattacks. Reducing the number of locations that must be secured and ensuring those that remain are well protected make the overall environment easier to manage.
