5 Steps to Modernize Your Data Infrastructure in 2014

Time and again, we have seen how data is driving innovation in government. We are creating troves of data, and the key is having a safe, secure and reliable infrastructure to help you unlock insights from your data. Although data holds great promise to transform your agency, a major obstacle faced by many in government is the dire need to modernize IT infrastructure.

As your agency will rely on sound data analysis to accelerate innovation, why not make 2014 the year to modernize your data infrastructure? Below are 5 steps to prepare your agencies infrastructure for 2014. As we begin to wind-down 2013, now is the perfect time to start thinking strategically on how to improve your data infrastructure needs for 2014.

Step 1: Make IT Modernization a Strategic Imperative for Your Agency

Leadership is essential to driving change within your organization, so why not make 2014 the year you commit to leadership? In order to improve your data infrastructure, you will have to make the commitment to lead the charge as a change agent at your agency. This will require you to focus on collaboration, communication and empowering those around you to act. It’s no easy feat, but it’s essential if you are truly committed to transforming your agency through data.

Step 2: Identify Your Storage Needs

Scoping out what you want to accomplish is essential to knowing what kind of infrastructure you will need to adopt. The technology market is flooded with options for consumers, but you must be a smart consumer, and buy based upon need. There will be endless options for you to purchase, but with every public dollar under more and more public scrutiny, you must make smart investment decisions.

Step 3: Pick the Right Storage Medium

Once your needs are assessed, you will then be challenged to map your need to the right storage medium. This means choosing between public or private cloud, on-premise servers, or the variety of storage options available to your agency. Making this decision will help you drive more mission success and save your agency money.

Step 4: Make Sure Your Infrastructure is Data Centric

At the Data Science Summit, MarkLogic’s CMO Michaline Todd described the idea of the “data-centered data center.” Todd’s idea is interesting and important to consider, the idea behind this is that a data center should be easy for anyone to pull the data, and instead of having dozens of experts, you can create a more efficient and flexible data platform. The infrastructure that you select must be able to support your mission needs, and more importantly, create an IT infrastructure that is flexible to meet employee need, both future and present.

Step 5: Leverage Technology Appropriately

One of the challenges for government agencies is that as they continue to modernize, new technology is constantly emerging. When making an investment, organizations must consider if the current service offering allows them the ability to conduct mission critical operations, and if the service is scalable to meet future demands.

The secret to unlocking your data lies in your infrastructure, and by following these five steps, you can be put on track to make 2014 the year you modernize your data infrastructure, and identify new insights from your data.

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For more than a decade, MarkLogic has delivered a powerful, agile and trusted Enterprise NoSQL database platform that enables organizations to turn all data into valuable and actionable information. Organizations around the world rely on MarkLogic’s enterprise-grade technology to power the new generation of information applications. MarkLogic is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Washington D.C., New York, London, Frankfurt, Utrecht, and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.marklogic.com. MarkLogic is a registered trademark of MarkLogic Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.