Dell EMC State of IT Trends Federal Study Finds Majority of Agencies Are Implementing Software Defined Data Centers

ROUND ROCK, Texas - March 13, 2017 -

Federal IT leaders report significant progress in the adoption of software-defined data centers (SDDCs), despite modernization challenges. The general consensus was that SDDCs can increase agency flexibility, agility and efficiency. In Dell EMC’s State of IT Trends federal extension, a survey of this cohort, 64 percent of respondents said their organization had deployed software-defined solutions and 85 percent reported progress adopting SDDCs.

The establishment of SDDCs – defined here as a data center in which hardware components are virtualized, delivered as a service and managed by software – was considered by survey respondents to be far more crucial to modernization than any other efforts. The survey responses indicate that as agencies look to manage digital transformation and the vast quantities of data generated as a result, IT decision-makers see the advantages of transitioning to software-based environments.

Key research findings include:

• Fifty-six percent of federal employees report being more than halfway done adopting an SDDC.
• When asked why they were looking to SDDCs, 58 percent of respondents say agility and flexibility and 53 percent cite additional efficiencies. Simplifying the management process and reducing costs follow at 41 percent and 38 percent.
• Security is a top concern for agencies considering SDDCs, followed by cost. Eighty-one percent of federal employees say security is very important, while 61 percent say cost is a very important feature when evaluating SDDC solutions.
• Ninety percent of respondents want an IT architecture that allows them to tailor infrastructure to specific application and workload needs.
• Integrating hyper-converged solutions was considered the first step in developing an SDDC by 87 percent of respondents.
• Nearly all (92 percent) respondents expect having a data center defined by demands of applications, rather than the needs of a data center administrator, to be beneficial. Respondents expect this approach will increase the speed of change (76 percent) and improve accuracy (68 percent).

Agile, flexible solutions put agencies in the best position to adapt to digital transformation and support agency missions. SDDCs and software-based environments enable organizations to more easily tailor specific application and workload needs as demands emerge, an interest expressed by 90 percent of survey respondents.

Supporting quote:

Steve Harris, vice president and general manager, Dell EMC Federal
“Today there is more data available to inform the federal government, citizens and the defense community than ever before. When made readily accessible, this information can better meet citizen needs and save taxpayer money. Software-defined solutions help government realize the value of this data and accelerate its digital journey. Dell offers data center services that are easy to configure and manage, making SDDCs accessible and allowing agencies to more securely, efficiently and affordably achieve IT outcomes and mission goals.”

About the Survey

The Dell EMC-sponsored research was performed by market research firm Penn Schoen Berland, which conducted an online survey in May 2016 among 100 federal government IT Decision Makers (ITDMs) and Business Decision Makers (BDMs). This survey was conducted as an extension of the State of IT Trends 2016 study, in which PSB conducted 1,200 online interviews between April 15 and May 4, 2016, in the U.S., UK, Germany, Japan, Brazil, India and China. The respondents consist of 700 ITDMs and 500 BDMs.

About Dell EMC

Dell EMC, a part of Dell Technologies, enables organizations to modernize, automate and transform their data center using industry-leading converged infrastructure, servers, storage and data protection technologies. This provides a trusted foundation for businesses to transform IT, through the creation of a hybrid cloud, and transform their business through the creation of cloud-native applications and big data solutions. Dell EMC services customers across 180 countries – including 98 percent of the Fortune 500 – with the industry’s most comprehensive and innovative portfolio from edge to core to cloud.